WITH the track and field season well underway, a number of Taunton AC athletes are making their mark on the United Kingdom rankings.

In fact the club currently boasts seven athletes ranked in the top five.

Steeplechasers Charlie Maclean (Under-20) and Blair Brown (U-17) both top their respective age group rankings.

The two travelled to Milton Keynes to record very fast times for their respective distances in what were very hot conditions at 24°F for distance running.

Maclean broke the six-minute barrier setting a time of 5.54.57 while Brown ran 4.22.94 a time that places him ahead of the second-ranked athlete Zac Seddon, who has just medalled at a European Youth Olympics.

The water jump, which usually presents the biggest challenge for the runners, came as a welcome break on this unusually hot occasion.

Coach Charlotte Fisher was delighted with their performances. She said: “This was their first real quality competition over the barriers and both athletes looked comfortable.

“They look set to improve their times even further before the season is over.”

Meanwhile, in the field events Taunton AC’s expert javelin coach Simon de Wilton has steered four of his throwers to top five UK rankings.

Robin Danaher (U-17) tore through the 60-metre barrier setting a new personal best of 61m10 in Cornwall last weekend.

Izzy Jeffs (U-20) who trains with the Taunton squad, is currently ranked at number two and in the the younger age groups Will Larkman (U-13) is placed third and Charlie Granville (U-15) is fourth.

In addition to the endurance athletes and throwers, the naturally gifted Ashley Harper (U-13) finds himself ranked second in the 75-metre hurdles after only his first competitive outing of the season.

Other high ranking athletes in the club include Catherine Blew (U-20), who is gradually coming back to the outstanding form she showed 18 months ago.

A 1,500m time equal to her personal best of 4.33.7 ranks her 14th in a very strong event for girls in this age group as a result of the Kelly Holmes effect.

High jumpers, Elspeth Grogan and Megan Toon are both leaping heights of 1.65 metres, while shot putter Hayden Tyler and decathlete Ben Thompson are all ranked in the top 20 in the UK.

Another member of Taunton AC who continues her run of good form is England international Naomi Taschimowitz, who ran 4.49 over the classic distance of the mile to win the Oxford versus Cambridge Varsity match.

It was run at the famous Iffley Road track in Oxford, where Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier in May 1954.