IT was a golden weekend for Bournemouth at the Aviva English Schools Track and Field Champion-ships in Gateshead as Phoebe Dowson claimed top step on the podium in the senior girls’ discus.

The Bournemouth Athletic Club thrower, competing for Hampshire, recorded a best of 44.71m to take gold as she beat Middlesex’s Renee Hector and Surrey’s Carla Letheby into the silver and bronze medal positions respectively.

The 18-year-old, who attends Ringwood School, admits it was a dream come true to sign off with the gold in Gateshead – she will now head to the University of South Alabama this summer to study next year.

“I am happy with the gold medal because there was a bit of pressure on me going into the competition,” said Dowson, who follows in some illustrious footsteps by claiming a medal at the English Schools – London 2012-bound Jess Ennis, Jack Green and Andy Turner having all started their careers at Aviva Athletics Academy schemes.

“I was ranked first going into it but you can never know what will happen in a competition like this but I managed to just keep my head and end up with the gold medal so I am really happy.

“I didn’t throw overly that well. My PB is 47m and I threw 44 so I could have done better but I am still happy to stand here with the gold medal.

“I think having expectation on you is a good thing as it spurs you on and that is definitely what happened to me here.

“This was my last major competition. I am going to university in America in August so this was a nice way to wave goodbye to not just this season but also England.”

Meanwhile, Bournemouth high jumper Nicholas Hunt, who is a member of Southampton Athletic Club, won gold in the intermediate boys’ competition, representing his home county Dorset.

He cleared 1.93m and despite jumping the same height as Christopher Mann and Patrick O’Connor – Hunt won the competition on countback.

n Aviva has been backing the British athletes and the GB & NI Team since 1999. Now it’s your turn. #BackTheTeam or search for ‘Aviva Athletics’ on Facebook • Poole's Ashleigh Power admits she surprised even herself as she claimed silverware in Gateshead.

The 14-year-old multi-eventer (pictured) headed north to work on her shot put technique, having won the Dorset County Championships with a throw of 10.55m in May.

But the Parkstone Grammar School pupil blew her best out of the water as she improved her personal best to 11.16m in the north east, good enough for silver in the junior girls shot put.

Power might have been more than two metres off Sophie Merritt in first place but there was no dampening her mood.

“I didn’t expect to get a medal at all so I am really happy,” said Power, who follows in some illustrious footsteps by claiming a medal at the English Schools – London 2012-bound Jess Ennis, Jack Green and Andy Turner having all started their careers at Aviva Athletics Academy schemes.

“I came to the English Schools expecting to come around eighth but it got down to the last few throws and I found out I was fourth and thought I just need to go for it.

“That meant I was more determined and managed to throw a personal best by 37cm.

“It’s the first time I’ve been to the English Schools and the whole competition was really amazing and I was just so happy to be involved.

“I am a multi-eventer and I am glad I chose this to compete in this year because this is one of the best medals I have ever won.”

Elsewhere, in the junior girls’ 1500m Elisabeth Hood, who attends Bournemouth School for Girls and competes for Poole AC, took gold as she clocked 4.33.48.

After a 4:39.75 run to win the first heat on Friday, the Poole AC starlet ranked fourth on times going into Saturday’s final. Winding up the pace from the bell, however, Hood surged clear at 200m to seize victory in a personal best 4:33.48.