A WILLITON school's athletes have beaten all-comers to take first place in the first round of a national competition.

The strong performance of Danesfield Middle School's boys team against Somerset rivals puts them in a commanding position when they take on the best schools in the South West in mid-June.

Danesfield girls also made a good showing coming fourth in the English Schools' Athletic Association Cup.

The competition, held at Kings College, Taunton, attracted all the independent schools in the area.

Strong performances came from Dominic Bowden in the 800m, which he won by more than 100m, and Ricky Cox, who dominated the shot event despite being a newcomer to athletics.

For the girls, another dominant middle distance win by Tanya Batten in the 800m pushed them up the ranking.

For a full write up of this story and all the local sports news see the Somerset County Gazette this Friday.