The National Junior League team badly hit by lack of middle distance athletes due to the clash with the London mini-marathon finished fourth in their opening fixture at Basildon on Sunday.

The men had fewer gaps and had four winners and a winning relay squad. Adam McCarthy demolished his 400m hurdles PB in the opening track event, leading from start to finish to win in 56.9s, fifth on the club U20 all time list. Grant Twist also won from the front to set new 2000m steeplechase career marks while Joseph Ramie’s triple jump victory ended the field events on a high, as Gabriel Makinwa placed second in the B event. Laurence Goodacre stepped up an age group to win the B shot while Emmanuel Quarshie was runner up in the A string. 

Andy Lewis improved his best for second in the 400m and Kieron Nelson set PBs in both hurdles events, contributing second and third place points.  Joe Ramie storming sprint relay anchor leg after legs from Gabriel Makinwa, Marlon Moseley and Jack Edgar-Hill, brought maximum points.

Just seven women made up the squad.  Kike Oniwinde provided the only A string maximum with a narrow javelin victory and she was also second in the shot. The hurdles trio of Nicola Hill, Angela James and Lauren Edgar-Hill scored well. Nicola Hill blasted off in the 400m hurdles but suffered in the closing stages and was passed over the final hurdle and jogged in second.  Lauren Edgar-Hill set a new PB to win the B string and was second in the sprint hurdles, as Angela James capped her 100m hurdles debut with a B string win.

Holly Thomas competed in the league for the first time and set new PBs in all three events – 100, 200 & long jump. The discus pairing of Sophie Baggs and Shelley Wilson marked their league debuts with third and second places respectively

Lauren, Angela, Holly & Nicola combined well to gain third place in the sprint relay.

The next fixture is in four weeks and the team managers hope to welcome back missing athletes so that the squad bounces back strongly from this disappointing opener.