HUNDREDS of Hampshire primary schoolchildren took their marks for the annual Southampton City Athletic Championships at the city's sports centre.

Twelve primary schools flocked to the home of the Team Solent athletics club this week to compete for the title of Southampton's Primary School Athletics Champions.

Pupils competed over distances of 55 metre hurdles, 60 metre sprints and up to 1,000 metres on the track, while on the field the long jump, triple jump, high jump and rounders ball kept everyone busy.

Shirley Junior School's athletics team ran out overall winners over the day's 36 events when their girls topped their table helping the school to amass 111 points.

In close second with 108 points was Charlton House Preparatory School from Bitterne, who secured their position with second place finishes in both the girls and boys tables.

Few records were broken on the day but two Mansbridge Primary School pupils did manage to smash two of the city's all-time bests.

Joe Best and Ashley Dowland took the upper school boys title in the 1,000 metres and the long jump respectively.

Joe, 11, who runs for Southampton Running Club, knocked three seconds off the all-comers Southampton schoolboys' record in the 1,000 metres finishing in a time of three minutes 19 seconds.

"I thought I was going to break the record," he said.

Meanwhile Ashley, ten, added 16 centimetres to the Southampton schools boys' long jump record when he leapt to four metres and 22 centimetres.

"I don't know how I did it, I just did," he said.

Event organiser Denise Hannon, a teacher at Townhill Junior School, was pleased with the way the day went.

"It's been very hectic but fun," she said.

"All the kids seem to have enjoyed themselves."