Holders Surrey had to settle for second place at this year’s women’s UK Inter-Counties Track and Field Champion-ships at Bedford over the bank holiday weekend.

They made a flying start when Sutton & District’s Sarah Wellstead matched the success of Olympian Jade Johnson 12 months earlier in winning the long jump.

Wellstead, 29, who struggled with an ankle injury throughout last season, was spot on at the take-off board for her opening jump of 6.13m – her best leap since 2007 – to win by 6cm.

“My ankle held up okay,” said Wellstead, who intends to take part in this Sunday’s Bedford International Games.

“The trouble now is that my calves are a bit tight.”

Wellstead was Surrey’s only winner.

Helen Pryer took silver in the 200m (23.90 seconds) and, watched by new coach Linford Christie, bronze in the 100m (11.95).

Surrey’s other runners-up were Epsom & Ewell’s Julia Machin, formerly Julia Bennett, in the high jump (1.80m) and Zainab Ceesay in the triple jump (12.78m).

Epsom & Ewell’s Emily Parker faded to fifth place as she struggled in the finishing straight in the 400m hurdles final where she clocked 61.43.

Clubmate Sandra Seaton, 18, failed by just two-hundredths of a second to make the 100m hurdles final after finishing fourth in her heat (14.76).

Epsom’s Jo Bennett was sixth in the shot (12.48m) while veteran Charmaine Johnson, representing Hampshire, was 11th (11.01m).

Having won her 800m heat (2:14.42), Clementine Adams was sixth in the final (2:15.96).

Epsom & Ewell’s Isabel Brinsden was seventh in the women’s 1,500m (4:51.15).

Kingston & Polytechnic’s Camilla Thrush, who took four golds in the Surrey Championships the previous day, was 14th in the hammer (40.40m).

Herne Hill’s Jennifer Honeyball came 10th in the pole vault (3.10m), with Angela Mitchell ninth in the discus (32.67m).

Sutton’s Susan Bovill went out in the 400m heats, where she came fourth in her race in 57.37. Sophie Cowper was 11th in the 5,000m final (18:38.40).

Fiona Bishop was eighth in the 3,000m walk (18:57.86), a place behind Belgrave’s Maureen Noel, representing Middlesex (18:05.59).

Bedford Plate: 1 Essex 81; 2 Surrey (holders) 60; 3 Middlesex 58; 4 Hampshire 42; 5 Yorkshire 39; 6 Kent 34.