For none of the qualifiers from the Dispatch district could achieve a podium-finish at the prestigious Sainsbury's-sponsored event at Gateshead National Stadium.

Hopes were high after a group of seven local youngsters dominated the Nottinghamshire AAA Championships earlier this year.

They grabbed an impressive haul of 18 gold medals and a host of other top-three finishes.

But the competition was much tougher in Gateshead and the best performance was a fourth place from Bulwell's Laura Mason (15), of Lawton Drive, in the intermediate girls' 300m.

The prolific sprinter, who runs for Notts Athletics Club, has completed the 100m and 200m double at the county championships for the last three years and also took 300m gold this year.

Last weekend, she was in fine form in the early stages, coming second in her heat in a personal-best time of 40.83 seconds and third in her semi-final in 40.97 seconds.

But the Top Valley Comprehensive School girl couldn't reproduce this in the final and ran a below-par 41.33 seconds to finish outside the medals.

Also in the English Schools' field were brothers Daniel and Ashley Gilder, of St John's Crescent, Hucknall, who each racked up golden hat-tricks in the hammer, discus and shot-put at the Nottinghamshire AAAs.

But at Gateshead, 12-year-old Ashley, who goes to Hucknall's Holgate Comprehensive School, could only finish fifth in the junior boys' hammer, despite throwing an impressive 46.51 metres.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel, who also goes to Holgate, finished ninth in the intermediate boys' hammer with a disappointing throw of 50.14 metres.

This was well below the distance of 51.89m that won him gold in the county championships and the 52m that earned him fifth spot in last year's English Schools' event.

Of the other Dispatch-district athletes to star at the county championships, 17-year-old runner Emma Hourd, of Walk Mill Drive, Hucknall, and javelin-thrower Anthony Pidgeon (15), of Papplewick Lane, Hucknall, did not make the journey to Gateshead.

While 17-year-old Hucknall runner Michael Warner had a more pressing engagement, alongside Olympian Andy Turner in the senior national championships.

But 14-year-old Robert Needham, of Stainsborough Road, Hucknall, was there – on the back of golds in the 400m and 800m at the Nottinghamshire AAAs.

He finished second in his Gateshead 800m heat in a time of two minutes 5.32 seconds before golng out at the semi-final stage in a time of two minutes 5.14 seconds.