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John Nicholls

FORMER Warrington Sports Personality of the Year John Nicholls will not be going for a 22nd consecutive shot put title at this weekend's Cheshire Championships.

The 42-year-old from Stockton Heath has won the county open-age event for 21 consecutive years dating back to 1987 but has decided to retire from the championships despite continued success on the masters circuit.

"It's 21 and out," he said.

"It will be sad because for the last 21 years, for the second weekend in May, I've been in the same place.

"But to be honest it was a really easy decision. It was harder this year to give myself a reason to go.

"I should have finished at 20 really but I didn't and I only threw regulation stuff last year.

"I look back on my record and I think more of it now than I did two years ago when I got to 20.

"It means something to me but I'm going to let it be and finish undefeated.

"And last year was my 70th county title, starting in the schoolboys when I was 12, so it's a nice round number."

But Nicholls is set to increase his number of events in the near future rather than scaling down his career.

Having won a silver medal at this year's World Masters Indoor Championships with a personal best throw of 15.46m, he has one eye on next year's world outdoor championships in Finland.

And, despite initially indicating that the only other event he was considering this year was the British Masters Championships, he is now also targeting the open age North of England Championships in Manchester and a men's over 35s international against France and Belgium in Ashford next month.

"I want to dip back into the senior ranks at the North of England Championships," said Nicholls, who took the silver medal at the World Masters Indoor Championships in March with a personal best throw of 15.46m.

"The top 15 throwers in the country are all in the north and I'll have to throw 15 metres just to get into the final.

"It would be the first time in my life I've thrown 15 metres in back-to-back events."

3:28am Friday 9th May 2008

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