Megan Searson has won the hammer throw competition at the Lancashire Schools Championships and is expected to be given another opportunity to take part in the English Schools Championships after taking fifth place last year.

The selectors were due to meet last night to finalise the Lancashire Schools’ Team which they will take to the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on the second weekend in July.

To be confident of their places, the elite athletes were aiming to win at Blackpool last Saturday and to exceed the target English School Standards – and Blackburn’s Megan was one of only three local contenders to satisfy both criteria.

The competition was particularly stiff in the intermediate girl’s hammer with Pendle’s Lucy Chadwick, last year’s English School’s Champion in the junior girls’ shot, opting to change events.

Still Searson was the only one to exceed the target of 34m with a winning 35.08m to cement her place.

Chadwick was second with 31.37m and has thrown the required distance this year, but might opt for the shot again where she has the standard, but which none of Saturday’s hopefuls got near.

Chorley’s Michaela Brindle and Jodie Farnworth set their required marks in the jumps even though it is their first year in the senior age band. Michaela made 5.46m in the long jump (ES 5.30m), while Jodie cleared 1.63m in the high jump – a single centimetre more than she needed.

Local winners: Senior Boys: Danny Maynard (Blackburn) 3000m 9:55.5 (English Standard 8:36), James Blackburn (Hynd) long jump 6.09m (6.80m), triple jump 12.70m (13.90m) Inter Boys: Joe Moores (Ross) 800m 2:01.8 (1:59), Alan McKeown (B/burn) 3000m 9:04.6 (9:01), Dominic Walton (Ross) 1500m steeplechase 4:51.0 (4:36), Oliver Aspden (Hynd) 400m hurdles 60.5 (58.0), Paul Abbott (B/burn) hammer 25.26m (50m) Junior Boys: Luke Penswick (B/burn) 800m 2:13 (2:07), MacAuley Grimes (B/burn) triple jump 11.30m (12.00m) Inter Girls: Jade Lord (Pendle) 800m 2:19.9 (2:17), Helena Leathley (B/burn) 300m hurdles 48.9 (46.8), Michaela Brindle (Chorley) long jump 5.46m (5.30m), Jodie Farnworth (Chorley) high jump 1.63m (1.62m), Megan Searson (B/burn) hammer 35.08m (34m) Junior Girls: Katie Buckley (B/burn) 1500m 4:54.9 (4:51), Rhiann Beaumont (Chorley) shot 9.65m (10m), Marnie Shirtcliffe (Hynd) javelin 25.65m (30m).