YOUNGSTER Ben Jones is becoming one to watch on the region’s athletics circuit, having collected a heap of medals in his under-15 age group.

Jones, a member of Weymouth St Paul’s Harriers, headed to Oxford to compete for Team Dorset in the South of England and Inter Counties Championship, with 16 counties competing at the event.

The rising star came third in his heat of the 300 metres, pitting his wits against the athlete ranked number one for his age in the UK. This was enough to secure him a place in the final, where he was involved in a tight photo finish for third and gained valuable points for the county.

That performance was just one of a number of successes in what has been a stellar year of competitions for Jones.

He claimed two gold medals and one bronze from the recent the South West and Inter Counties Championship in Exeter.

Jones, who turns 14 today, was in the javelin competition but had to miss his fourth round throw to make the start of the 200m.

After the finish, the youngster found out he had won the javelin but also had to wait for a photo finish on the 200m.

He received his gold medal for the throwing event and was then informed that he had claimed the bronze in the 200m, with a new personal best time of 24.1 seconds.

After an hour wait, Jones then competed in the 300m at the event.

He quickly pulled away from the other competitors and won by a distance in another personal best time of 38.2secs.

Elsewhere, Jones won two golds at the Dorset County Championship in Bournemouth earlier in the year in the 200m and Javelin and claimed the Dorset Schools Championship in the same two events.

“He probably trains twice a week and competed most weekends,” his mother Rachel Jones told Echosport.

She added: “He got the sponsorship from Wey Valley for his athletics last year and he has done very well.

“He has taken up rugby as well now and he is also doing very well in that.

“He is playing for Weymouth & Portland and he has had trials for the county as well.”