TALENTED athletes need smart, dedicated coaches to thrive, so with the English Schools’ Championships underway, it seems a perfect time to shine the spotlight on the club’s group of young throwers.

Under the watchful eye of experienced coach Alan Brown, Swindon Harriers will have five throwers in action at the two-day event which starts at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham on Friday, June 30.

Javelin thrower Lucy Bull and hammer ace Billy Dickinson will be representing Gloucestershire while Holly Scott, Archie Kinnear, and Sam Innes will be wearing the Wiltshire colours.

Their success in being selected is a reward for their hard work and talent but Brown, too, has played his part in guiding and encouraging them all to realise their potential.

Bull has already enjoyed a good season, rising to the top of the south-west U15 rankings and improving her personal best to 35.15m when winning the South West Schools’ junior girls’ title. That throw puts her eighth in the UK, so she’ll he hoping to at least progress into the final of this weekend’s event in what is her debut at the event.

Dickinson also impressed at the SW Schools’, throwing a PB of 54.83m to finish runner-up and cement his third place in the south-west U17 rankings behind the impressive Yate pair of Louis Tutcher and Adam Merrett.

Indeed, such is the standard in the south west that those athletes are currently third, sixth, and seventh best in the UK - Dickinson, too, will be hoping to make the final and improve upon his seventh place in the inter-boys age group last year.

Also going in the inter-boys’ hammer is Kinnear, whose PB of 40.68m in March puts him fifth in the south-west rankings. The Harriers talent was fifth in the junior boys’ hammer a year ago and as a bottom year inter boy will be looking for a solid performance this weekend.

Holly Scott has also enjoyed a terrific summer, and her PB of 42.30m set last month to win the county title puts her second in the south-west U15s list and sixth in the UK. Scott finished a fine sixth on her debut as a junior girl last year so will be aiming to improve upon that this time.

Last, but definitely not least, the second javelin thrower in the group going to Birmingham is Sam Innes in the senior boys’ category. This will be Innes’ debut on the big stage, which is a reward for his hard work and dedication, and he’ll be looking to better his PB of 45.64m which he threw to win the South West Schools’ title and secure his place in the team.