JENNA Blundell fired an early season warning to her rivals for a place in the Great Britain team for the European U20 Championships in Sweden this summer.

The 17-year-old, from Staverton, smashed her personal best to win the 100m hurdles and go straight to the top of the UK U20 rankings at the Bill Whistlecroft Track & Field meeting held over two days in Yeovil.

Blundell not only ducked under 14 seconds for the first time in her career, but came agonisingly close to the European U20 Championships qualifying standard as she won in a time of 13.67secs.

The time will go down as wind-assisted at 2.8m, just over the legal 2.0 limit, but nonetheless it was a top-class effort that was fast enough not only to put her top of the UK U20 rankings – but also second in the senior lists.

“It is early days, but I am so excited with that time,” said Blundell.

“None of us could feel the wind behind us, so I think we’ll ignore that, but as a first run-out of the season in the event and to get so close to the qualifying mark of 13.65secs, it is so promising.”

For good measure, Blundell came back the next day and added another big PB of 12.40secs to win the 100m – this time into a headwind to underline that the hurdles time was certainly no fluke.

To put that into context, it puts Blundell fifth in the UK U20 rankings – and this from an athlete whose best hopes of making the Europeans may still be the heptathlon, which she will tackle for the first time this outdoor season this weekend at Millfield School.

“I knew my 100m time should be faster, so it was great to come out and run that fast as that equates to 13.5/6 seconds for the hurdles,” explained Blundell.

“It is so nice to come out and post those sort of times early in the season but I cannot afford to relax yet. There is still a lot of hard work ahead.”

Elsewhere, the St Gregory’s Catholic School pair of Rory Howorth and Jonathan Evans recorded three personal bests.

Howorth clocked two in the 100m (12.06secs) and 110m hurdles (15.94secs) ,while Evans cleared 5.59m to win the U20 men’s long jump.

Southwick’s Joel Mattacks had a busy couple of days tackling five events and posting a PB of 28.99secs in the U20 men’s 200m, while Calne sprinter Joe Carter recorded PBs in the U17s 100m (11.63secs) and 200m (23.83secs).

Bradford on Avon youngster Phoebe Card clocked a PB of 28.76secs in the U17s 200m .

Bill Whistlecroft Spring Festival Open, Yeovil (Team Bath AC unless stated)

Senior women100 (-1.4w): 2 Abi Davies 13.00; 200 (-0.5w): 5 Louise Jeffries (W60) 35.95 (PB); 1500: 5 Ella Treby (U17) 5:07.07; 9 Jeffries 6:05.61.

U20 women – 100 (-0.7w): 1 Jenna Blundell 12.40 (PB); 4 Rebecca Ousby 13.74; 200 (-0.6w) 3 Ousby 28.15; 100H: 1 Jenna Blundell 13.67 (+2.8w) (PB); 2 Lucy-Jane Matthews (Southampton, U17) 13.67; 1500S/C: 2 Enya Maylor (U17) 5:22.06; SP: 3 Blundell 9.66; LJ: 2 Blundell 5.41.

U17 women – 100 (-1.2w): 1 Imogen Leakey 12.83; 5 Anisah Qazi 14.24; ht2: (-0.2w): 2 Phoebe Card 13.43; 3 Gemma Baker 14.14 (PB); 200 (-0.8w): 2 Leakey 26.01; 4 Card 28.76 (PB); 5 Qazi 29.57.

U15 girls – 100 (-3.1w): 2 Eleni Francis 13.96; 4 Caitlin Mander 14.26; 200 (-0.5w); 3 Mander 29.80; 75H: 4 Caitlin Mander 13.24; LJ: 5 Francis 4.76; TJ: 1 Francis 10.29 (PB); 3 Mander 9.23 (PB); SP: 5 Mander 8.58 (PB).

Senior men – 100 (-0.3w): 4 Iman Qazi (M40) 12.53; 200 (-1.0w): 7 Qazi 25.54; Ht 2 (-2.1w): 5 Joshua Wareham 24.09 (U20) (PB); 400H: 1 Harry Meredith (U20) 56.89 (PB); 4 Joel Mattacks (T20, U20) 70.28.

U20 men – 100 (-2.0w): 1 Joshua Wareham 11.88 (PB); 2 Harry Meredith 11.89 (PB); 3 Rory Howorth 12.06 (PB); 4 Jonathan Evans 12.27; 5 Joel Mattacks (T20) 12.56; 200: 1 Joel Mattacks (T20) 28.99 (+2.7w) (PB); 400: 1 Meredith 52.05 (PB); 4 Evans 56.08; 7 Mattacks 59.58; 110H: 2 Rory Howorth 15.94 (+2.3w) (PB); LJ: 1 Evans 5.59 (PB): 3 Mattacks 4.63.

U17 men – 100 (-0.9w): 1 Luka Williams 11.50; 2 Joe Carter 11.63 (PB); 3 Alex Burton 11.73 (PB); 6 Callum Bell 12.18 (PB); 200 (-0.5w): 2 Carter 23.83 (PB); Ht 2 (-0.5w): 3 Burton 23.90 (PB); Jav: 2 Keelan Tucker 33.32.

U15 boys – 100 (+0.2w): 3 Luke Game 13.40 (PB); 6 Byron Mander 14.08 (PB); Ht 2 (-0.6w): 5 Charlie Staddon 13.87; 200 (-0.4w): 5 Staddon 28.59 (PB); 7 Mander 29.14; 1500: 6 Toby Baker 4:58.90; 80H: 3 Charlie Staddon 14.37 (PB); DQ Dylan Stoneman; 1500: 1 Dylan Stoneman 5:08.43 (PB); LJ: 6 Game 4.24; SP: 2 Charlie Staddon 7.57 (PB); 3 Byron Mander 7.43 (PB); DT: 1 Mander 18.07 (PB); Jav: 5 Mander 15.08 (PB).

Under 13 boys – 800: 3 Yusuf Qazi 2:47.38.