West London club win Premiership crown at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham
Thames Valley and Harrow came into the third and final match with one win each and it was the Valley holders who came out on top to make it four league championships in a row.
Meanwhile the pretenders to join the Premiership for next year, two from each mini-area league, battled it out to succeed the two relegated clubs in the top flight.
It was Shaftesbury and Sheffield who made it.
Meanwhile the other 16 clubs from the areas had a chance to compete in a one-a-side team competition in a match reminiscent of the old Plate finals and it was Chelmsford who came out on top.
PREMIERSHIP, round 3, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, August 3
The track action started early at 11:45 and Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow, who were already assured of remaining in the premiership for next summer off to a good start.
It was through Tyri Donovan with a 49.28 in the 400m hurdles as hosts Birchfield, who needed to do well to stave off relegation, had Efekemo Okoro was also under the 50-second barrier.
This was at the same time as their James Tomlinson was winning the men’s discus with 57.17m and third ranked Alexander Farquharson the long jump with 7.83m.
Donovan had set his personal best in the June match at Eton at 49.23 while fellow Windsor athlete, Charlotte Payne, the UK championship silver medallist, won her third league match of the season with 67.56 in the women’s hammer.
Thames Valley also started well as Jess Tappjn took the women’s low hurdles with 58.45 and followed it immediately as Basil Rock won a tight men’s 800m in 1:53.60 to throw down a marker to their Harrow rivals who were having a lack lustre start to the match.
However, it was Sale who led after the first four track events, thanks to good minor placings, before Nick Walsh led them to a double in the men’s 100m with 10.28 that was adjudged the best track performance of the day and they led from TVH after the first six track events.
But after eight had been scored Sale and the Valley were tied on 111 points ahead of Blackheath & Bromley’s 96, as Harrow had moved up to fifth thanks to a double in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, led by Tom Dugre’s 9:13.55. However more than two hours after the early field events had started, none had been added to the team scores.
Finally, the first event on the programme, the women’s long jump was declared and it was a win for Windsor’s Alice Hopkins with a legal 6.32m.
Glasgow had made the longest trip to the meeting but had two early women’s wins through Beth Ansell’s 2:08.92 800m and Alison Bell’s 11.51 100m.
After nine events had been totalled, holders Thames Valley were narrowly ahead from Sale
But, after 15, had taken a near 30-point lead over Harrow and looked set to retain their title despite a loss to their rivals in an earlier match and it had stretched it to 40 after 18 events. This was after their many-year top-ranked and 2022 Commonwealth silver-medallist Jade Lally had won a tight women’s discus competition against Shadine Duquemin, with a 53.65m throw.
Thames Valley’s Kate Olding then added the 3000m in 9:27.32 in a close race with Ellie Stevens of Birchfield, whose 9:30.64 tops the W40 2024 rankings, a time that went seventh on the all-time W40 lists.
As the match progressed, Windsor were languishing well down the table but their top-ranked Jake Norris, the UK champion, produced his third best of the year, a 76.93m winning hammer throw.
Harrow kept up the pressure on the leaders as Marli Jessop, the England Athletics and BUCS champion, won the women’s 100m hurdles, from English Schools champion Freya Dockerty, in 13.39.
Birchfield had moved up to third after 24 events thanks to wins from Efekemo Okoro’s 46.65 men’s 400m and William Richie-Moulin’s high hurdles, in 13.97, before English National Junior cross-country champion Aron Gebremarian’s 3:49.13 again won the men’s 1500m.
At this point, Sale had slipped back but did see Tess McHugh win the women’s 400m in 53.84 before Rachel Bennett took the 200m in a windy 23.23, a performance that was said to be the second-best track effort of the meeting. Behind, Alyson Bell’s 23.30 was third best of the afternoon.
Sale also saw fourth ranked women’s pole-vaulter Sophie Ashurst score with her second-best performance of 4.23m.
Although TVH were leading, Harrow had not given up hope and had Suzannah Monk win the women’s 1500m in 4:23.07, before Jahade Williams added the men’s 200m in 21.27. But the Valley’s Daniel Offiah was on fire in the B race, albeit with a 2.3m/sec wind behind, with 21.17.
To beat Thames Valley overall in the league, Harrow had to win the match but after 29 events they were still down by 31.5 points and it all seemed to be over as the Valley led by 49.5 points after 32 events.
This was helped by their top ranked and UK championship winner Efe Uwaifo’s men’s triple win with a windy 15.91m, but the Valley’s Jude Bright-Davies was only a few cm down with a legal 15.84m. Woodford’s veteran Tosin Oke was again in form here with a very windy 15.80m.
Harrow had to wait a long time for their pole vault win by top ranked Owen Heard, the 2022 Commonwealth Games fifth-placer to be added to the tally, but his 5.42m was enough.
However, it was Thames Valley who kept piling up the points and second ranked Joel Clarke-Khan, the Commonwealth Games fifth placer, again won the high jump in a close competition, with 2.12m.
Harrow took second and third in the men’s shot behind Woodford Green’s English champion Youcef Zatat’s 18.29m but their effort was too late for their club.
Harrow also narrowly came out on top of a good women’s triple jump competition, where their nationally third ranked Adelaide Omitowoju won, with 12.92m from Thames Valley’s Lily Hulland’s 12.85 and Woodford’s Mary Elco*ck, the fifth and sixth ranked jumpers. All three were however below their 13-metre plus bests.
There was later a close men’s javelin where Glasgow’s second ranked junior Scott Hopper, the Inter-Counties under-20 champion, got the decision by 20cm over Harrow’s Connor Martin, with 63.66m.
Late on Thames Valley’s Amelia Campbell again won the women’s shot, with a narrow 48 cm victory over Birchfield’s Adele Nicholl, with 17.18m and that sealed the championship.
Match:1 TVH 575; 2 Harrow 519; 3 Birchfield 421.5; 4 Sale 412; 5 Glasgow 373.5; 6 WG&EL 366.5; 7 Blackheath & Bromley 351.5; 8 WSEH 336
Men
100 (0.9): 1 N Walsh (Sale) 10.28; 2 L Dorrell (B&B) 10.42; 3 J Williams (Harr) 10.61. B (0.4): 1 A Robertson (Sale) 10.47
200 (0.3): 1 J Williams (Harr) 21.27; 2 A Other (Glas) 21.45; 3 J Houslin (TVH, U20) 21.49. B (2.3): 1 D Offiah (TVH) 21.17
400: 1 E Okoro (Bir) 46.65; 2 C McAlister (TVH) 47.09; 3 C Neal (Harr) 47.22
800: 1 B Rock (TVH) 1:53.60; 2 A Thompson (Sale) 1:53.66; 3 J Owen (WG&EL) 1:53.93
1500: 1 A Gebremarian (Bir, U20) 3:49.13; 2 P Norman (WG&EL) 3:51.89; 3 A Milligan (Harr) 3:56.11
3000: 1 J Kavanagh (B&B) 8:27.36; 2 C Fielding (Sale) 8:32.42; 3 C Hudson (Harr) 8:36.02
110H (0.1): 1 W Ritchie-Moulin (Bir) 13.97; 2 M Perera (Harr) 14.54; 3 S Clarke (TVH) 14.61
400H: 1 T Donovan (WSEH) 49.28; 2 E Okoro Bir) 49.90; 3 B Francis (Glas) 52.15. B: 1 J Minshall (Bir) 51.43
3,000SC: 1 T Dugre (Harr) 9:13.55; 2 T Fawden (Harr) 9:16.21; 3 A Rowe (TVH) 9:35.22
HJ: 1 J Clark-Khan (TVH) 2.12; 2eq L Owona (WSEH)/K Aguocha (B&B)/S Ebonne (Sale) 2.07
LJ: 1 A Farquharson (Bir) 7.83/(0.0); 2 A Yeo (TVH 7.51/(0.2); 3 S Khogali (WG&EL) 7.50/(0.0)
TJ: 1 E Uwaifo (Harr) 15.91/(2.1); 2 J Bright-Davies (TVH) 15.84/(1.9); 3 T Oke (WG&EL, M40) 15.80/(4.1)
PV: 1 O Heard (Harr) 5.42; 2 T Walley (Sale) 5.03; 3 J Phipps (Bir) 4.63
SP: 1 Y Zatat (WG&EL) 18.29; 2 A Lockhart (Harr) 15.54; 3 Z Davies (Harr) 15.05
DT: 1 J Tomlinson (Bir) 57.17; 2 M Plowman (WG&EL) 47.85; 3 K Aubury (Harr) 47.10
HT: 1 J Norris (WSEH) 76.93; 2 C Murch (Bir) 68:14; 3 J Paget (TVH) 67.62
JT: 1 S Hopper (Glas, U20) 63.66; 2 C Martin (Harr) 63.46; 3 G Millar (Bir) 61.69
4×100: 1 WG&EL 40.66; 2 TVH 40.76; 3 Harrow 41.27
4×400: 1 Birchfield 3;11.65; 2 Harrow 3;13.83; 3 TVH 3:14.25
Women
100 (1.7): 1 A Bell (Glas) 11.51; 2 S Eduan (Sale) 11.59; 3 J Eduwu (B&B) 11.65
200 (2.1): 1 R Bennett (Sale) 23.23; 2 A Bell (Glas) 23.30; 3 Z Clark (TVH) 23.92
400: 1 T McHugh (Sale) 53.84; 2 A Hillyard (Bir) 53.94; 3 Z Clark (TVH) 54.47
800: 1 B Ansell (Glas) 2:08.92; 2 L Armitage (Sale) 2;10.80; 3 C Buckley (TVH) 2:10.98. B: 1 J Spilsby (Sale) 2:10.80
1500: 1 S Monk (Harr) 4:53.07; 2 C Buckley (TVH) 4:26.89; 3 B Gunn (Bir) 4:27.91
3000: 1 K Olding (TVH) 9:27.32; 2 E Stevens (Bir, W40) 9:30.64; 3 Y Lock (TVH) 9:33.53
100H (0.7): 1 M Jessop (Harr) 13.39; 2 F Dockerty (Sale, U20) 13.85; 3 J Davidson (WG&EL) 13.86
400H: 1 J Tappin (TVH) 58.45; 2 S Elliss (B&B) 60.12; 3 E Okoro (Bir) 60.71. B: A Hill (B &B) 60.16
2,000SC: 1 V Weir (Bir) 7:08.27; 2 A Paton (Glas) 7:09.21; 3 L Stoddart (Glas) 7:14.29
HJ: 1 P Rogan (TVH) 1.77; 2 B Coulson (Bir) 1.72; 3 Z Loughrey (Glas) 1.57
LJ: 1 A Hopkins (WSEH) 6.32 (0.0); 2 C Nwafor (TVH, U20) 6.07 (1.6); 3 R Jerges (Harr) 6.06 (1.2)
TJ: 1 A Omitowoju (Harr) 12.92; 2 L Hulland (TVH) 12.85; 3 M Elco*ck (WG&EL) 12.86
PV: 1 S Ashurst (Sale) 4.23; 2 N Munir (TVH) 4.03; 3 I Smith (Stoke, gst) 3.83
SP: 1 A Campbell (TVH) 17.18; 2 A Nicholl (Bir) 16.72; 3 S Thompson (Sale) 14.60
DT: 1 J Lally (TVH, W35) 53.65; 2 S Duquemin (WG&EL) 52.49; 3 P Dowson (WSEH) 52.38
HT: 1 C Payne (WSEH) 67.56; 2 J Mayo (Bir) 63.63; 3 K Presswell (TVH) 61;86
JT: 1 S De Kremer (TVH) 47.54; 2 D Russell (Glas) 41.49; 3 L Britaine (TVH, W35) 40.70
4×100: 1 Sale 45.63; 2 Harrow 46.32; 3 Blackheath & B 46.35
4×400: 1 TVH 3;47.85; 2 Sale 3:51.44; 3 Birchfield 3:52.27
Final Premiership standings after 3 matches:1 TVH 23; 2 Harrow 22; 3 Glasgow 13; 4 WG&EL 12; 5 WSEH 10; 6 Birchfield 10; 7 Blackheath & B 9; 8 Sale 8
Relegated: Blackheath & Bromley and Sale.
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP QUALIFIER, Bedford, August 3
Sheffield battled with Shaftesbury throughout the match before both secured promotion to the Premiership for the 2025 campaign.
It was Shaftesbury who had a good start in the women’s 400m hurdles as Hayley McLean won in 58.48 to help her club take an early lead after seven events, before the 800m was taken by City of Sheffield’s Robert Shipley with 1:51.94.
It was tight in the women’s high jump where four women all cleared 1.73m before failing at 1.78. The event resulted in a tie for first between Cardiff’s Hannah Tapley and Tonbridge junior Matilda Secker.
Cardiff also won the women’s 800m thanks to Rhiannon Hawker’s 2:12.53, but it was local Welsh rivals Swansea whose Stanislav Kovalenko who took advantage of a strong 3.9m/sec gust, to just win the men’s 100m in 10.39, from Sheffield’s Callum Winchester-Wright’s 10.40. These were later judged as the second and third best efforts of the day.
However, Shaftesbury were ahead after 10 events had been scored, from Tonbridge, as Mark Pearce won the 3000m steeplechase in 9:14.05.
City of Sheffield were having a good start too and their Leonie Ashmeade ran a legal 11.55 to take the women’s 100m but Swansea was also doing well. as Jake Cover won the 110m hurdles in 14.55.
After 11 events had been scored, it was Shaftesbury who were now well ahead of Tonbridge and Swansea, who had Pat Swan win the shot with 17.19m, as the early field event scores were added to the totals.
Swansea then saw 2023 Welsh champion and World relay runner Joseph Brier take the 400m in 46.54, a performance that was adjudged the best of the meeting.
Sheffield began to close and had Alicia Barrett win the 100m hurdles in 13.56 but, after 15 events had been totalled, Shaftesbury still led by almost 20 points from Sheffield and Tonbridge.
Down the table, Bournemouth too got in on the wins as fourth ranked and first year under-17 William Launder had a windy 6.98m and legal 6.84m long jump.
Tonbridge were having trouble getting in on the winning acts before Kirsty-Anne Ebbage won the women’s discus with a fifth round 48.72m.
By the time that 19 events had been scored, Shaftesbury were more than 20 points clear of Sheffield and then 30 clear after 30 events had been tallied, with Tonbridge another 30 down.
Trafford had not won much all day before last year’s top ranked junior Daniel Akinradewo, the BUCS champion, won the men’s triple with 15.12m, which was only his second valid attempt.
Shaftesbury still led and had the top two in the men’s high jump, as UK silver medallist and fourth ranked Akin Coward’s 2.08m led Kimani Jack’s 2.03m and they completed the job with more wins.
Their Mark Pearce, with 8:14.74, and Tom Butler took the top slots in the men’s 3000m before Greg Thompson again won the men’s s discus and Daniel Banbridge the javelin with 63.40m and so the victory was Shaftesbury’s despite not winning any of the four relays.
The match did not feature a pole vault in either women’s or the men’s programme but points were awarded to clubs based on performances in earlier rounds via a paper match.
Match: 1 Shaftesbury 593.5; 2 Sheffield 539; 3 Tonbridge 506; 4 Swansea 485; 5 Cardiff 425.5; 6 Trafford 381; 7 Belgrave 378; 8 Havering 281.
Promoted: Shaftesbury Barnet and Sheffield
Men
100 (3.9): 1 S Kovalaenko (Swan) 10.39
200 (2.9): 1 D Chapman (Sheff) 21.26. B (3.9): 1 K Aiken (SB) 21.28
400: 1 J Brier (Swan) 46.54
800: 1 R Shipley (Sheff) 1:51.94
1500: 1 J Higgins (Ton) 3:54.52
3000: 1 M Pearce (SB) 8:14.14
110H (2.0): 1 J Cover (Swan) 14.55
400H: 1 N Maczugowski (Card, U20) 53.22
3,000SC: 1 M Pearce (SB) 9:14.05
HJ: 1 A Coward (SB) 2.08
LJ: 1 W Launder (B’mth, U17) 6.98(2.8)/6.84 (1.9)
TJ: 1 D Akinradewo (Traff) 15.12
PV: no competition
SP: 1 P Swan (Swan) 17.10m
DT: 1 G Thompson (SB) 56.22
HT: 1 J Hamblin (SB) 52.24
JT: 1 D Bainbridge (SB) 63.40
4×100: 1 Swansea 40.82
4×400: 1 Tonbridge 3:14.06
Women
100 (1.6): 1 L Ashmeade (Sheff) 11.55
200 (2.9): 1 D Chapman (Sheff) 21.26. B (3.1): 1 K Aiken (SB) 21.28
400: 1 H Brier (Swan) 53.86
800: 1 R Hawker (Card) 2:12.53
1500: 1 M Carter-Davies (Swan) 4;36.34
3000: 1 L Cooper (Card) 9:55.80
100H (1.7): 1 A Barrett (Shaff) 13.56
400H: 1 H McLean (SB) 58.48
2,000SC: 1 L Cooper (Card) 7:05.77
HJ: 1eq H Tapley (Card)/M Secker (Ton) 1.73.
LJ: 1 R Chapman (Card) 5.75/(1.7)
TJ: 1 L Garratt (Yeo) 11.85
PV: no competition
SP: 1 S Merritt-Drew (Sheff) 12.63
DT: 1 K Ebbage (Ton) 48.72m
HT: 1 A Barnsdale (Sheff) 68.65
JT: 1 P Brown (Swan) 42.34
4×100: 1 Cardiff 47.00
4×400: 1 Sheffield 3:50.12
NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE CUP FINAL, Bedford, August 3
It was obviously one match too far for seven of the possible 16 clubs so there were just nine competing teams and Chelmsford were narrowly ahead for most of the match, eventually taking the Cup by 40 event points as just seven separated second from fourth.
Chelmsford started well and had Onyekachukwu Okoh win the men’s 400m hurdles in 52.73 as they took an early lead in the match after five events.
Hosts Bedford & County, who found things hard in the north area league, got off to a good start with an 800m win by Sam Winters in 1:56.03 and, later, their Etienne Maughan won the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.75 and third ranked under-20 Jasmine Wilkins the 100m in a legal 11.66.
The shorter track races were split into two heats and, in the men’s 100m, it was Yeovil’s Matthew Alvarez who was quickest with 10.50 as their Lottie Garratt won the women’s triple jump with 11.85m.
Chelmsford narrowly led after nine events after Kevin Wilson won the men’s discus with 44.83m.
After 15, Chelmsford still led from Notts, as Herne Hill and Herts Phoenix, whose Matthew Cox won the men’s triple jump with 14.05m, were close.
City of Portsmouth were not troubling the leaders in the team competition but had probably the best performance to add to their total. It was Serena Vincent whose fourth-round throw of 17.38m improved on her third round 17.00m and was the second best ever throw for the UK Championships silver medallist.
Chelmsford though, continued to pile up points and Thomas Hewes, the British indoor champion, had four consecutive first-time clearances up to and including at 2.08m, in the high jump, before retiring after one failure at 2.15m. With more than half of the events scored the Essex outfit led by 12 points from Notts, whose Annabelle Crossdale won the hammer with 52.65m
Yeovil also scored through Jacob Dibble’s 57.33m javelin, as Herne Hill had Olivia Stillman win the 3000m in 10:30.28.
Bournemouth were out of contention in the team stakes but also got in on the individual wins through fourth ranked under-17 William Launder who had a windy 6.98m and legal 6.84m long jump.
However, after 22 events had been added to the points tally Chelmsford still narrowly led from Herts Phoenix, whose Eloise Meakins had won the javelin with 40.73m, by 11 points and also had Oliver Graham win the men’s hammer with 59.15m, before Lauren Rule the 400m with 54.01.
After 29 events it was still Chelmsford’s to lose, as they were just 21 points clear of Notts and a rallying Bedford whose Jack Goodwin took the 1500m and junior Jasmine Wilkins the women’s 200m in a legal 24.20.
They held on to win after scoring good points in both mixed relays. There were just 33 events as some relays and pole vault competitions were omitted from the programme.
Match:1 Chelmsford 273.33; 2eq Notts/Bedford & C 241.33; 4 Herts P 235; 5 Herne H 178; 6 Bournemouth 162; 7 Kingston & P 149.5; 8 Portsmouth 138.5; 9 Yeovil 135
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