FRIDAY the 13th proved lucky for seven Harlow-based Newham and Essex Beagles runners who competed in a track meeting at Welwyn.

The youngsters all notched up personal best performances which should allow them to confront the new league season, which begins in May, in high spirits.

Richard Mead, 13, made an improvement on his 800m time with an excellent 2min 15.3sec, while 15-year-old Ben Hellmers hit top form in the 1500m clocking 4min 34.5sec.

Training partner James Waggit, 15, tackled both the 800m and 400m, setting personal bests of 2min 23.7sec and 60sec respectively.

Katherine Foy led the girls home in the 600m with a very impressive time of 2min 4.7sec, finishing ahead of fellow Beagle Hannah Mead who recorded a time of 2min 20.5sec.

A great battle in the 800m between teammates Robert Mead and Sam Hellmers saw the pair dead-heating, with a shared time of 2min 52.3sec.