Athletics: Powell in form for touring Harriers

Croydon Harriers' German touring group were straight into competitive action last week on their first full day in Rimbach as guests of the LG Bergstrasse Bensheim Club.

Their hosts had arranged a special meeting tailored to the Harriers' strengths and it proved an ideal opener for part two of the exchange, which started two weeks earlier in Croydon. Robbie Powell, 15, was the outstanding performer with a convincing 1,000m win in 2:51.05, finishing 4.5sec ahead of the tenacious Mark Elsworthy, with senior Martin Rowe cruising home in 3:01.05.

The shot put proved the most popular event, attracting 16 competitors, but the home athletes proved dominant. Only 15-year-old Oliver-Seymour Marsh made the frame with his promising 12.08m heave, responding well to advice offered by top German and world veteran thrower Gudrun Emmert.

Kudzai Phiri, 18, made a pleasing return after exams to win the long jump at 5.10m as as well as chasing home 400m winner Martin Rowe (54.6sec) in 55.4sec. Vicky Evans ran an encouraging 67.0sec to win the womens' race.

Harriers claim final berth despite captain’s absence

The Croydon Harriers boys' team tackled their final National Young Athletes League match of the season at Battersea Park on Sunday without the services of their inspirational captain Bernard Yeboah.

Yeboah was representing English Schools with distinction in Scotland. The 16-year-old Trinity School long jump star won with his second best ever jump of 7.27m.

His colleagues found the going tough in their Southern Premier Division match but their final thrilling relay flourish brought them within a whisker of rivals Windsor, Slough and Eton, whose second place took them to fourth in the 16-club table, one above Croydon.

Winners Harrow qualified for the Main Cup final in Birmingham next month while the other two clubs will renew their rivalry in the National Auxiliary Cup Final. This will be Croydon's 18th national final in succession.

Acting captain Martin Nelson rose to the occasion in the first track event of the day, the 400m hurdles, with a win in a personal best 61.9sec. He also took a creditable second in the 100m hurdles in 16.5sec.

Pole-vaulter Joe Ive returned to competition after injury and headed the field with his 3.15m. He received strong support from Robbie Powell, who won the B string vault with a personal best 2.45m. He also produced two more PBs when running second in the 1500m in 4.21.6 and with his 5:09.6 for third in the 1500m steeplechase.

Another returning under-17 prospect was Ylber Neziiraj, who took an encouraging third in the javelin with a 37.18m throw.

Robert Williams, winner of the 200m in 23.7, also showed he is nearing full fitness.

One of the most impressive performances came in the 800m from Iain Cocks who continued his good form to win in 2:00.7.

Martyn Rooney led the B runners home with a PB of 2:04.1.

Versatile Miles Dempster won the 400m in 53.3sec with a well timed run

The 80m hurdles provided wins for Croydon under-15s with English Schools runner-up Jordan Roye clearly heading the field in 11.6sec. B string Liam Bradshaw was also successful in 12.6sec.

Sprinters Emlyn Akoto and Danny Doyley ran well in the 100m and the 200m to take second across the board.

Akoto's times of 11.6sec and 23.8sec are a clearly indication of the high quality of the events.

The Harriers two "one lappers" David Pollen and Liam Bradshaw also picked up valuable second places with times of 55.2sec and 59.1sec.

Exciting young sprinter Jason Williams shone for the under-13s with a sharp 12.9sec 100m win and a close second in the 200m with a 26.9sec.

Adebola Odusina won the B strings with times of 13.2sec and 27.1 sec.

These two teamed up with Jordan Richards and Heaven Lee-Roach to win the 4x100m relay convincingly in 53.9sec.

Now the Harriers go for the National Auxiliary Cup Final at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on August 31, looking for their second major win since victory in 1992.

Croydon Harriers’ Junior Men & Ladies Teams blew the opposition away on home ground at Croydon Arena on Sunday. The Men’s team were nearly 100 points ahead of Bexley with 358 points to take them even further into the lead at the top of the Medway Division of the National Junior Athletics League. The ladies victory takes them to the top of their Division, although level with Maidstone & Medway on league points, they are ahead on match points.

Junior Man of the match was richly deserved by Croydon’s Phil Greenland who’s consistent Long Jumping over 7.00m earned him the award followed by an easy victory in the ‘B’ string 200m with 23.3 sec. It was a close call as fellow club mate Gavin Dublin stormed to an outstanding victory in the 200m with a pb of 22.1 sec and followed this with a storming final leg of the sprint relay and a club seasons best of 43.7 sec. As usual Jake Elsworthy held the team together with a victory in the 400m hurdles victory (62.6 sec) and solid performances in all throws events. Ugochi Anomelichi looked sharp coming back from injury with victories in the 100m with 11.2 sec and u17 star Bernard Yeboah taking the ‘B’ string in the same time. Matt Hall scored comfortable double victories in the 3000m and 2000m Steeplechase with seasons bests of 10:34.6 and 7:42.3. He was ably backed by Mark Elsworthy who scored victories in both ‘B’ strings (10:41.9/7:46.6). We had nearly a clean sweep of victories in the jumps events with Daniel Campbell taking the High Jump (1.88m), Anthony Nelson/ Bert Nnanyere (pb) in the Triple Jump (14.00m/13.82m) and Joe Ives/ Luke Elsworthy in the Pole Vault (2.60m/2.40m). Joe was unable to vault higher as he was rushed to hospital as a result of a broken thumb when landing awkwardly on the Pole Vault mat. Richard Aidoo easily won the 100m hurdles in 15.6 sec but was just 0.4 sec short of the English Schools qualifying mark. Luke Elsworth backed him well by winning the ‘B’ string in 19.6 sec. Another double was made in the 400m where Andrew Jenner and Miles Dempster recorded victories with 54.4 sec and 54.2 respectively but they were both surpassed by non-scorers Chris Morlese and Iain Cocks who recorded season’s bests of 53.2 and 53.7. Iain having earlier clocked a personal best in the 800m of 2:01.9 with Liam Campbell taking the ‘B’ string in 2:06.9.

In the Junior Ladies match Danielle Fidge scored a double win in the High Jump and 100m hurdles, leaping an outstanding 1.69m and a quick 17.9 in the hurdles. She was only narrowly edged out in the 400m hurdles with a time of 76.3 sec. Rosemary Garnett secured an easy victory in the Long Jump with 4.95m closely followed by club mate Michelle Watson (4.81m). Rosemarie went on to win the ‘B’ High Jump with 1.35m and Michelle to win the 100m in 12.9 sec. International Triple Jump star Azaria Francis was unchallenged in the Triple Jump with 12.16m. Cara Smith secured a narrow victory in the Javelin with 33.06m over Stroud (31.84m) of Paddock Wood. She earlier won the ‘B’ Hammer with 16.09. Kate Gillett threw a fine 31.27m in the Hammer to take 2^nd spot behind Dartford’s star thrower Forgie (42.63m). She followed this with 3^rd in the Shot Putt (9.09m) and 2^nd in the Discus (23.76m). Junior Lady of the match went to Kate Morris of Medway & Maidstone for her 12.05m in the Shot Putt. Croydon finished on a high with a 0.5 sec victory over Dartford in the 4 x 100m. They finished on 195 points ahead of Medway (156) and Dartford (150).

Croydon, somewhat weakened by a Junior Fixture on the following day, put up a creditable performance finishing 4^th. There were many strong performances in the field, Betrand Nnanyere winning the Triple jump and finishing 2^nd in the long and high jumps, Warren White lost his unbeaten record in the league Pole Vault but equalled his P.B for the second time in 4 days and then raced over to the triple jump to win the B-String on his first and only jump. Ugochi Anomelechi had strong opposition in the 100m but managed to achieve a fast time in 4^th that should see him make the Surrey team for the English Schools next month. Manny Nsodoh injury limiting him to only the discus but he still managed to pick up a 1^st place and a personal best. Injuries also effected the middle distance team and Dave Warren battled round the 800, 5000m and Steeplechase for valuable points. Jack Ellsworthy back from University managed the most events covering the 110 and 400m Hurdles, the pole vault, Javelin and Long jump and brought the day to an end with the final leg of the 4 x 400m.

4^th Croydon – 94.5 points

Cameron Johnston and Warren White equalled their PBs in the Pole Vault clearing 4:80m and 4:00m respectively. Cameron's clearance left the bar bouncing dramatically but it stayed up. In the 1500m Ian Wright managed a season's best of 4:18.13 but limped of the track with a calf injury.

True to form, an impressive number of Croydon school boys and girls competed with distinction in the Surrey Schools Athletics Championships at Kingsmeadow on Saturday, writes Mick Fleet.

Representing teams from North and South Croydon, they won sixteen titles, had ten runners up and seven third places.

Senior sprint glory was more than consolation for Trinity ace Ugochi Anomelechi (N), who powered to 100m victory in 11.2sec, in happy contrast to his last appearance on the track, when seemingly en route to Surrey AA victory he pulled up injured in the final strides.

Another athlete to bounce back, was Croydon High 18 years old middle distance hope Eleanor Baker (S). The was certainly no sign of reaction from a recent harsh disqualification in the South of England Championships as she strode strongly to the front in her senior 800m to win comfortably in 2:15.88.

Double County winner Gavin Dublin (N) made it a Surrey hat trick when he took the Schools senior 400m title with consummate ease in 50.7. Charli Croll (N) was in a class of her own taking the senior girls title comfortably in 29.9sec. Richard Aidoo (S), in his first year in the age group, snatched a good third, in a red hot 110m hurdles in 15.6sec

There were senior wins in the field events too, with the boys triple jump especially rewarding for South Croydon. Coulsdon College student Anthony Nelson (S), won at 14.30m, with Whitgiftian Enyioma Anomelechi second just 13cm back. The long jump proved similarly successful for North Croydon courtesy the Trinity duo of Philip Greenland 6.98m and Bertram Nnanyere 6.71m. High jumper Danielle Fidge (N), won with a 1.64m best, and fellow Coloma girl Joanna Weller (N) took long jump first with 4.95 effort.

Trinity boy Bernard Yeboah (N), although not able to emulate his astonishing 7m plus long jump record of last year, retained his title with a very respectable 6.83m leap. Gary Wilson, St Josephs, made it a North Croydon double taking second place with a 6.71m effort. Cara Smith (N) a Coloma student took the javelin title with a throw of 32.28m. Jacob Salt Berryman (N) Harris CTC took second in the Shot with his 11.50m put. High jumper Daniel Campbell (N) entered new territory with his first ever 1.90m clearance, but frustratingly had to settle for 3rd on count back.

Further intermediate successes came Croydon way in the 800m through Eve Bugler (N), Old Palace, who ran with determination to win the girls race in 2:22.3 and Iain Cocks (S) Whitgift, who took 2nd in the final in 2:06.0, having run a 2:08.5 heat in the morning. In the 400m fellow Whitgiftian Miles Dempster (S) made more significant progress with a fine 53.3sec run, which earned him second place. Robert Williams (N), Brit School, recovering from injury, showed encouraging form to take second in the 100m in 11.6sec.

Five Croydon juniors topped their events too, which augers well for the future. Oliver Ralph (S), a Woodcote High pupil stormed away powerfully from his rivals in the boys race to win the 800m in 2:07.0, and Shirley High sprinter Emlyn Akoto (N) skittered effctively away from his 100m rivals to win easily 11.7sec.

Archbishop Tenison's sprinter Joscelyn Hopeson (S) took the girls title in 12.6sec. In the field, Whitgift high jumper Daniel Cipriani burst onto the scene to win at 1.68m, ahead of Ashhley Hamilton (N) Archbishop Tenisons 1.60m. Croydon Highs talented thrower Kate Gillett (S) opted for the shot, and won comfortably with a 9.75m put

The junior boys 80m hurdles proved to be the outstanding event of the day with record of 11.6sec being bettered four times. Croydon Harrier Jordan Roye, a Warlingham School pupil, finished an admirable second in 11.4sec certainly not allowing the winner from Sutton to relax! Whitgift hurdler Nick Canty (S) improved to 120sec in third.

Many of the successful athletes now nervously wait to find out if their efforts have earned them selection for Surrey Schools team in English Schools Championships next month, in Nottingham.

Croydon's Donna Fraser did not travel to the English Commonwealth Games Trials in Manchester last weekend, deciding to rest her injured ankle and hope the England selectors give her extra time.

The Croydon Harrier who won three medals at the last Games in Kuala Lumpar in 2000, will now concentrate on getting fit for the 400 metres at the AAA trials in July for the European Championships.

She is still hoping that if she can meet the qualification criteria in the coming months then the selectors will consider her for Manchester 2002.

However three other Harriers did run in the trials and met with varying degrees of success in a cauldron of tough competition.

Having won the Scottish 1500m trial Jon McCallum entered the English Trial at 800m for a bit of speed work being rewarded with a personal best in the 800m of 1.49.90 in his heat and finished 7^th in the final in 1:50.54. Jon acquitted himself well, running a personal best of 1:49.90 to qualify for the final which he led through the bell in 54.7 before being overhauled by the specialists to finish seventh in the respectable time of 1:50.54.

Fellow Harriers middle distance aspirant Jeina Mitchell still hampered by injury, finished sixth in her 800m heat well behind her best in 2:10.98.

Nineteen-year-old Harrier Azaria Francis gained valuable experience in the triple jump with a near best 11.73m effort in 15th place.

Croydon Harriers' middle distance prospect Jonathan McCallum should run at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, after winning the Scottish Championships on Sunday, but Croydon's 400 metre Olympian Donna Fraser is unlikely to compete.

McCallum, a former Trinity School pupil, had achieved the required 1500m Commonwealth qualifying time in Kalamata, Greece last Saturday, by running home fifth in 3:39.5.

Then on Sunday, the 26-year-old, ranked second in the UK ratings, should have secured a berth in his first major championship by winning the 1500m at the Scottish Championships in Glasgow 3m 49.45s. Jon is now virtually assured of his place in the Scotland squad for the Games which start on July 25.

Having won the heat on Saturday in 3:53.29, McCallum bided his time in Sunday's final, before moving up a gear 200metres out, and coming home clear of the field. This weekend he will run the 800m at the English trials in Manchester to work on his speed.

Croydon came up against four other strong teams. During an exciting match Croydon yo-yo'd up and down the leader board winning 11 events. With two events to go Croydon were second after a storming sprint relay win but strong performances from the other teams saw us slip to an antagonising 4^th with only 2 points separated 2^nd from 4^th. Croydon were brilliant in the field winning 10 of the 16 events. However battling performances on the track were not enough against such strong opposition. The team must gain heart from finishing only one point behind Bedford who were lying in 7^th place in the league before the match.

1^st Bracknell – 125 points

2^nd Bexley – 106 points

3^rd Bedford – 105 points

4^th Croydon – 104 points

5^th Royal Navy – 97 points

Croydon Harriers' young athletes travelled to Walthamstow on Sunday for their toughest National Young Athletes League Southern Premier Division encounter so far.

There they met fellow unbeaten table-toppers and title holders Enfield and Haringey, Milton Keynes and Woodford Green.

The powerful home side held the initiative throughout and the spirited Croydon boys had to settle for second place.

Enfield are now the only unbeaten team with 12 points at the top of the 16-club league with Croydon third.

Harriers' only event maximum was scored in the under-13 long jump by debutante Josh Howland, a Haling Manor pupil, who cleared 4.20m and Gavin Roye, who won the B-string just 3cm behind.

Such was the sprinting strength of their North London rivals that usually dominant Croydon boys found the going tough.

Bernard Yeboah, team captain and under-17 long jump winner with 6.83m, was runner-up in his 100m at 11.4 sec while under-15 captain Emlyn Akoto took 100m and 200m seconds with sharp times of 11.6sec and 24.3sec. Adebola Odusina scored two good under-13 seconds with times of 13.6sec and 28.3sec.

Under-15 hurdles specialist Jordan Roye had an outstanding day with an 11.7sec victory in the 80m hurdles and also ran an excellent second in the flat 400m in 55.3sec.

Both the club's other wins were achieved in the high jump thanks to under-17 Daniel Campbell at 1.85m and Ashley Hamilton, who took the under-15 event at 1.65m.

Despite the testing heat, there were some encouraging middle distance performances, especially at under-17 level. In the 800m, Martyn Rooney finished second in 2:10.6 with Liam Campbell winning the B-string one second back.

Powerful Robbie Powell ran third in two tough events, the 1500m in a fine personal best 4:29.7 and the 1500m steeplechase in 5:16.1. He also picked up valuable points in the B pole vault.

Adam Brooks, in only his second match, successfully deputised in the chase to take B second in 5:27.0 after taking third in the A 3000m in 10:20.8.

Under-15 Tom Crawford rushed back after a family wedding to take second in the vault with a personal best 2.40m clearance and finished second in the B hurdles in 13.8sec.

The day was rounded off with three second places in the under-17 4x400m, under-15 4x100m and under-13 4x100m relays.

Croydon Harrier athletes were in widespread and successful action at the weekend at both championship and inter-club level.

Their high spot was achieved in more ways than one by 19-year-old pole vaulter Cameron Johnston, a Surrey University student, who showed great poise in overcoming wet and windy conditions and exam pressure. He cleared 4.70m, a near best, to take a fine runners-up spot for Surrey at Bedford.

Scottish Commonwealth Games place hopeful, Sanderstead resident Jon McCallum, qualified comfortably for the 80m final after a good heat in the morning in which he placed third in 1:52.19.

In the afternoon and fractionally slower at 1:52.8, he was once again frustrated by the relatively slow early stages of the final, which played into the hands of the "kickers" present and did not suit him as primarily a 1500m runner.

He finished sixth of the eight man field. Hopefully this experience will prove good preparation for an international 1500m in Greece which he will tackle at the weekend.

The Woodside track at Watford was a wet and blustery but none the less rewarding venue for the keen young Croydon Harriers who travelled across London in search of South of England glory. Their tally of five medals, gilded by two golds, courtesy of Azaria Francis and Bernard Yeboah speaks for itself.

Azaria won the keenly contested U20 triple jump with a 12.09m best, and U17 long jumper Bernard Yeboah triumphed with a 6.78m effort. Sprinter Amy Dowsett acquitted herself well in both U20 races taking the 100m bronze in 12.32sec and the 200m silver in 25.02 sec.

U15 prospect Ashley Harris completed the Croydon medal haul with his long jump of 5.08m.It was good too, to see other non qualifying young Harriers in useful Championship action.

The Croydon harriers U13 and U15 boys and girls contested their opening Thameside league match at Battersea on Saturday, and for the boys, a first for the U13s and a good second for the U15s, both in seven club sections were most satisfactory starts.

The girls showed an encouraging advance on last years form, with more athletes in action and many more points scored.

With unfamiliar walks on the programme, the Croydon athletes were fortunate to have London to Brighton double winner Ian Statter on hand to advise, and with his son David leading home 2nd in the U13 1200m, they did well to win the other three strings. The others were Jack Shuard U13 B, and Tom Dean and Robert Agnew. Who covered the U15 1600m event.

The clubs sprinting reputation was well in evidence too, with the U15 runner Danny Doyley scoring a 100.200m double with times of 12.4sec and 25.2 sec.

He also won the B 80m hurdles in 13.4sec, with Liam Bradshaw .5sec faster, ahead of the A strings, while Tawanda Mukusha took the B 100m in 13.0sec.

The most rewarding U13 event was the 1500m won by Joe Springate in 5:19.8 with Jamie Sharrock snatching the B honours. Sprinter Adebola Qdusina did well too with two seconds clocking 13.4sec and 27.9sec.

U15 Jessica Goodwin produced the outstanding result for the girls with a brave bid to win the 1500m from the front, which almost worked! She finally had to settle for third in a fascinating race. Her time was a very pleasing 5:23.1sec.

Despite some excellent individual performances and some heroic efforts to cover all the events a severely depleted Croydon Harriers team couldn't avoid ending up bottom of the results table at Ilford on Saturday in the Men's Southern League division 2.

Warren White and Luke Elsworthy dominated the Pole Vault with the gusting wind their main adversary, Warren winning the "A" String in 3.20m and Luke the "B" String in 3.00m both passing on higher heights to do further events. Luke contested Hammer, Javelin, High Jump, 110H, 400H (2^nd 'B' string 68.0) and both relays, with Warren picking up points in the 400H, Triple Jump, High Jump and 4x 100m.

The 400m saw two good performances. In the "A" String, Gavin Dublin out in Lane 5, was surprised by the early fast pace. Well down coming into the straight, a battling last 100m saw him claw back the leader with every stride, but despite being given the same time (49.4) as the winner he was awarded second place. In only his first year of competition "B" string runner Anthony Acquahghanne also ran a strong last 100m to ease his way to 2^nd place (53.4)

Manny Nsodoh covered four events finished a solid 2^nd in the Discus in 36.40m.

Further heroic efforts for the team were performed by Robert Landridge who covered 100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m and both relays and by Dave Warren who despite picking up an injury in the 5000m later battled round the 3000m Steeplechase.

Lee Mitchell covered Shot and Discus finishing 4^th in the 'A' String Shot in 10.43m and 4^th in the 'B' String Discus in 28.27m.

After a good start to the season with a second place at Dartford, Croydon are hoping to bounce back at the next match in Bracknall on the 8^th June.

Several others impressed with outstanding wins.

Under-20 long jumper Philip Greenland soared to 7.19m to break the club's under-20 record and fellow Trinity School long jumper Bernard Yeboah cleared 6.48m for his under-17 win.

Under-20 triple jumper Azaria Francis won with a great 12.34m effort, another Croydon club record. The club's other county best was achieved by under-15 sprinter Emlyn Akoto, who lowered the 100m mark to 11.47sec.

Gavin Dublin starred by picking up double gold in the under-20 400m (49.03sec) and the 200m (22.24sec).

Under-15 thrower Kate Gillett went one better medal-wise with two golds and a silver. The Croydon High pupil won the shot (10.37m) and hammer (26.18m) and was runner-up in the discus.

Under-20 sprinter Amy Dowsett took the 100m title in 12.40sec and just missed 200m gold with a close second.

Harriers' high jumpers enjoyed a successful championship with two winners and a close runner-up.

Danielle Fidge took under-20 gold at 1.65m while young Ashley Hamilton excelled to clear 1.70m for under-15 gold.

Under-17 athlete Daniel Campbell was in good form as well at 1.85m but was edged into silver spot on countback.

The club's pole vaulters claimed three medals. Welsh international Cameron Johnston took senior bronze at 4.40m and under-20 Jake Elsworthy also struck bronze with his 3.50m effort, narrowly missing a PB. Under-17 Joe Ive took silver with at 3.10m.

Other medallists were Richard Aidoo (under-20 100m hurdles, silver), Liam Campbell (under-17 400m, silver) Jordan Roye (under-15 80m hurdles, silver), Nick Canty (under-15 200m, silver; under-15 80m hurdles, bronze) and Vicky Evans (under-15 800m, bronze).

a) Saturday 11th May & (b) Sunday 12th May 2002

Croydon Harriers set the standard for another successful season storming to a convincing win in their opening Southern Premier Division match at Norman Park, Bromley.

In a four-club match, they scored 241 points and finished well clear of Maidstone and Medway AC (188), Tonbridge AC (143) and Belgrave (138).

This puts them third in the 16-strong division, a crucial half-point ahead of Shaftesbury Barnet.

The young Harriers registered 15 individual A string wins and took both under-15 relays in fine style.

The team was ably captained by Bernard Yeboah, who snatched the under-17 100m in 11.4secs. He also took second in the long jump and anchored the sprint relay team.

Under-15 captain Emlyn Akoto also led by example with an A 100m win in 11.8secs, a B 200m win in 24.8secs and anchored the 4x100m team to a 48.9secs win.

Outstanding under-15 hurdler Jordan Roye dominated his 80m speciality in 11.5secs and also took the A 200m in 24.5secs.

The club's high jumpers and pole vaulters also shone, with taking maximum points.

Under-17 high jumper Daniel Campbell cleared 1.80m, while Joe Ive made an impeccable team debut to take the vault at 3.15m.

Under-15 Ashley Hamilton underlined his potential with a 1.65m high jump win and Ashley Harris took the pole vault with 2.20m.

Croydon's other under-17 victories came from Liam Campbell, with a controlled 400m in 53.5secs, javelin thrower Michael Cuff (39.61m) and hard-working distance runner Mark Elsworthy, who took the 3000m in 10:08.4.

Under-15 wins came from Nick Canty (400m, 60.0secs), Perry Mitchell (800m, 2:30.5) and Ediz Mustafa (hammer, 26.88m) while under-13 Gavin Roye (4.36m) took the long jump.

Some excellent results in the first match of the season. Double first were scored in the Pole vault by Warren White and Luke Elsworthy and Hammer by Chris King and Stephen Lynch.. Jon McCallum opened his season with an easy win in the 800m and a leading first leg in the 4 x 400m relay. The team finished in second place.

The team were in fine form and finished a close second. Rosemary Garnett was among the team's best performers when she took the long jump with a 5.07m leap while Lizzie Goodwin used her all-round ability to win the triple jump and the high hurdles as well as running fourth in the 1500m.

On a blustery afternoon Croydon Harrier Juniors opened their season in style last weekend with an 80 point victory in the National Junior Athletic League at Ashford. 17 year old Phil Greenland smashed the 7m barrier for the 2^nd time in his career with a 2^nd round leap of 7.17m to break the 5 year old club U20 Long Jump record. The quality of jumping was outstanding with the winner achieving 7.28m and 16 year old Bernard Yeboah winning the B string with 6.31m. Bernard went on to win the Triple Jump in his first competition with a magnificent 13.58m and took 2^nd place in the 100m. Phil Greenland also showed sharp form on the track to take the B string 200m. Gavin Dublin opened his season well with a controlled 400m win and 2^nd in the 200m despite a tight hamstring. Bert Nnanyere and Richard Aidoo teamed up in the 110m hurdles to show their opposition a clean pair of heels and crossed the line together in a personal best time of 16.3 sec. Bert had an excellent day with B string wins in the High Jump (1.80m) and Triple Jump (13.59m - pb) as well as a non-scoring leap of 6.59m in the Long Jump which would have been good enough to win the B event there as well. Daniel Campbell had a comfortable victory in the High Jump with a clearance of 1.80m.

The Elsworthy family made the backbone of the team sharing 13 events between them. Team Captain Jake led the way on the track with a 400m hurdle victory in 61.1 sec. Luke ran strongly in the B event to take 2^nd place with 67.8 sec. Roles were reversed in the Pole Vault with Luke taking 2^nd A string and Jake 1^st B clearing the same height of 2.20m. With all of Croydon’s throwers unavailable to compete, both brothers covered well to earn valuable team points, without which Croydon would never have won the match. Younger brother Mark strolled to an easy victory in the 3000m partnered by Robbie Powell who won the B string. Mark finished his afternoon with a 3^rd place and a pb of 7:38.6 in the 2000m steeplechase bravely followed immediately afterwards by a leg of the 4 x 400m relay to replace an injured athlete. Robbie went on to win the 1500m and help the relay team to 3^rd place. Martin Rooney ran well to secure 1^st in the B string having earlier placed 2^nd in the B string 800m. Chris Morlese tracked the leader for 600m in the A string 800m only to be outpaced on the run in to finish a brave 3^rd. He secured a comfortable 2^nd place in the B string 400m (54.3 sec). Gumusai Mukusha made a debut for the team to gain valuable team points in the 100m and relay. An excellent team spirit ensured that all events were covered and Croydon’s winning margin was maximised. The next Junior League fixture is at Croydon Arena on 23 June.

Croydon Harriers women were unable to capitalise on home advantage in their opening Southern League match at the Arena on Saturday. However, fifth place with 105 points did reflect the worthy efforts of those in action and leaves the club 20th in the 28-strong division.

The Harriers' top performer was under-15 thrower Kate Gillett, who landed a hat-trick of wins in the shot put (9.54m), discus (21.56m) and javelin (20.27m). Senior sprinter/jumper Azaria Francis achieved a valuable double with wins in the 100m (12.7sec) and triple jump (11.67m).

She was well supported by Amy Dowsett, who won the B 100m event in 12.8sec and finished a close-up second in the 200m in 26.7sec. Cara Smith took third in the javelin with a 32.78m throw.

Croydon seniors also did well in their 4x100m relay, finishing second in 54.5secs.

Further success came from the juniors through Mirelle Fru, who won her 100m in 14.1sec, while Nathalie Thoms was second in the B race in 14.4secs. Mirelle was also second in the long jump with a 4.46m leap, just 3cm behind the winner.