CHELMSFORD Athletics Club's Thomas Hewes claimed a new county championship record at the Essex and Eastern Counties Indoor Championships, at Lee Valley.

The pupil from Lanfham won both the Essex and Eastern titles in the under-17 high jump, after clearing 1.93 metres.

It was a seven-centimetre improvement on his previous personal best (PB) and lifted him up to third in the early 2015 UK rankings.

He said: “I was obviously delighted to grab a new PB but it was also fantastic to find out that I had equalled the Essex Championship record.

“That means I now hold the record for all three age groups – under-13, under-15 and under-17!”

Hewes now takes his fine form forward into the pinnacle indoor event of the season – the English National Indoor Championships in Sheffield – later this month.

He added: “Winning the national indoors last year was the highlight of my 2014 season.

“I’ll be going in as an underdog this year as a first year under-17 athlete but who knows what might happen on the day!”

Hewes has started his first season as an under-17 athlete in superb style.

Having finished his time as an under-15 athlete ranked third in the UK, he has taken the move up in his stride.

Hewes made an impressive under-17 debut at last month’s South of England Indoor Championships at Lee Valley, winning the high jump with a clearance of 1.83m.

And the East Bergholt High School pupil equalled his PB of 1.86m a fortnight later at the London Indoor Games, where he won silver.