WOODFORD GREEN Athletic Club star Chris Reynolds had a day to remember in the Essex Track and Field Championships at Chelmsford on Saturday.

The 15-year-old from Church Lane, Loughton scooped a gold medal in the under-17 800m and a silver in the 400m to add to a gold he won in the 1500m two weeks ago.

Reynolds won the 1500m in 4min 9.0sec but it was his time in the 800m that attracted most attention.

He came home in 1min 56.2sec, a run bettered in his age-group only by British international distance runner Rob Denmark.

Denmark ran 1min 55sec while at Basildon AC in the late 80s and went on to run for England in the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

And at 15, Reynolds still has another year in the age-group to break the record.

He showed his all-round ability on the track by competing in the 400m just an hour later.

Victory was this time just beyond him but he still came home second.

He said: 'I am just enjoying myself at the moment.

'I had a rough patch earlier in the year but I have definitely got my confidence back now.

'I was pretty pleased with my 800m time and chuffed with my 400m run too. I just want to achieve my full potential and I have the whole summer in front of me now.'

His coach at Woodford Green AC, Roger Bannister, was also pleased with Reynolds' success.

He said: 'To be within a second of Rob's time is fantastic and if he carries on in the same way there is no reason why he can't go on and beat it.

'After 150m there were two races: one for him against the clock and one for everybody else. The race was just for silver.

'Chris was superb. He drove himself home and he was well away from everybody else.'

Woodford almost enjoyed a clean sweep in the 800m. Two of Reynolds' team-mates Alex Hayward and Jon Hasell finished in fourth and fifth.

They were not the only Woodford athletes to enjoy themselves on a great day for the club.

The under-15 800m saw a thrilling duel between Tom Snow and Newham's Ahmed Ali.

Snow eventually had to be content with a silver and narrowly missed the two-minute barrier with a time of 2min 0.09sec.

Bannister said: 'Ahmed is the under-15s equivalent of Chris. The only person who believes he can beat him is Tom.

'He made a big effort to pull Ahmed back but it was too much for him in the end.'

Elsewhere multi-event specialist Chris Awde picked up a silver in the under-17 100m hurdles in 14.7sec and another silver in the discus with 35.96m.

Jamie Wright took bronze in the under-20 110m hurdles with 15.7sec and silver in the high jump while Anthony Sawyer was another silver medallist in the senior men 110m hurdles.

Essex Ladies star Julie Pratt made a guest appearance at the event, but it was on the track where her team-mate Sophie Cromie stole the show.

The London mini-marathon winner took silver in the under-15 girls 800m in 2min 21.2sec.