Heroic Harriers hand Crawley rare defeat as they remain in title mix with huge victory

Nene Valley Harriers did everything possible to maintain their challenge for the Southern Athletics League title on Saturday as they handed leaders Crawley their first match defeat in three seasons of competition.

This home meeting, which included the top three teams in the league, started off on the track with some truly unbelievable results.

Nene Valley athletes only dropped six points in the first four track races of the day, scoring 58 out of 64 points.

Ben Jones, Sean Reidy, Rosie Jacobs and Devon Spencer all won their respective 400m hurdles races.

Spencer had opted to run the hurdles, instead of competing in the clashing long jump – and proved much faster than she had expected herself. Jones’ hurdles win changed hands in the last 100m after he led at the 300m stage. He hit a hurdle hard, but then fought back to challenge for the lead before his opponent also hit a hurdle to make it a comfortable win.

The ladies, Lily Hughes and Tash Segal, proved unbeatable in the 100m as both recorded comfortable wins. Unfortunately, only Segal was able to repeat this later in the day over the 200m.

Despite her second place, Hughes has now only dropped one point in the league in the three matches she has competed in over the 100m and 200m.

Daz Holding then produced remarkable back-to-back wins winning the A string 100m and A string 400m. Ash Sandall, on his way back from injury, won the B string.

Another athlete returning from injury, Georgie Ivens, went out strong in the ladies’ 400m before winning from team-mate Megan Pusey, who has come through well in the event this season.

Nene Valley’s ladies only dropped one point in the sprint events throughout the day, including the relays.

Two club records fell during the afternoon’s events, with Ellie Mae Stokes adding to her club under-20 javelin record with a distance of 35.99m. That was enough to win the A string event.

The ladies’ 400m relay squad finished the day by not only winning the relay but smashing the club record with a time of 4.05.6mins.

Rosie Jacobs set the team up, running her lap elegantly before passing to Cassie Hilliam in second place.

Cassie kept in touch with the Basingstoke’s athlete, again passing to Megan Pusey in second place.

She tried to attack the leading athlete but a foot injury over the last 50m stopped the comeback.

The last leg saw Ivens run the first 200m behind her rival, but then a sudden burst in the later stages of the back straight took her into the lead on the bend – and she never looked back.

Meanwhile, Simon Achurch also attained two club records for himself.

Simon’s second place in the discus was a club record 31.87m and his non-scoring hammer throw of 44.60m also a masters club record.

TOP SCORER: Ellie-Mae Stokes scored big points for the Harriers.

Top scorers for the day were Ellie Mae Stokes, with wins in the javelin, triple and long jump and a second place in the high jump, and Spencer who recorded wins in the 400m hurdles and triple jump, plus a second in the steeplechase after having been part of the winning 100m relay team along with Hughes, Ivens and Maria Hollingsworth.

Team-mates Lloyd Kempson and Alex Hampson provided one of the most eagerly watched events of the day in the men’s 3,000m, with Kempson taking the honours in the second half of the race and both lads recording team wins.

The men’s throwers produced good points with Martin Tinkler and Robbie Shaw winning the shot putt, Sam Wilson winning the hammer whilst Thomas Saunorious and David Bush taking a clean sheet in the javelin.

Elsewhere, Hollingsworth destroyed the field with some very smooth 100m hurdling – and although she spent most of the day assisting with officiating in the hammer, Alison Church achieved a good second place in the javelin.

The club beat top of the table Crawley by 39 points leaving them second in the league, equal on league points but just 15 match points behind going into the final fixture at Stevenage on August 15.

Dave Brown and Andrea Jenkins will be missing from the final fixture due to them competing in the World Masters, both of whom will be seriously missed at Stevenage.

Jenkins had scored well, once again, with wins in the hammer, discus and shot putt.

She had been well supported by Becki Hall also with wins in both the discus and shot put, throwing a personal best discus despite just standing following a recent sickness.

Result: 1st Nene Valley Harriers 232pts; 2nd Crawley AC 193pts; 3rd Bedford & County 164.5pts; 4th Basingstoke & Mid Hants 139.5pts.