hundreds of young athletes turned up at Erith Sports Centre on Sunday all hoping to secure a place in the Bexley borough team taking part in next month's adidas Mini London Marathon.

The annual event is run over the last two and a half miles of the full marathon course on Sunday, April 14.

Bexley will field a 45-strong squad and the first five in last Sunday's six age grouped races have automatically qualified.

The qualifiers in the boys' 11/12-year group were: Oliver Ronan, Joshua Lawless, Richard Gunther, Robert Still and Laurence Diment; 13/14-years: Robert Don- nolly, James Smith, Christopher Thompson, Edward Tully and Shaun Gale. 15-17 years: Tom Campney, Jack Webb, Danny Costner, Ben Clark and Tony Collins.

Girls 11/12 years: Sarah McLellan, Amy Turner, Suzannah Sherin, Lauren Locke and Elizabeth Donnolly. 13-14 years: Kenny Heaphy, Kirsty Dobberson, Jessica Roberts, Sarah Foster and Rachel Stock; 15-17 years: Alex Lenzan, Sophie Cowdry, Natalie Mann, Rebecca Harris and Steph Ashwin.

Sunday's event was supported by Bexley Athletics Club, which has training sessions held on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6.30pm at the Erith Sports Centre.