Belgrave Harriers will fly the flag for Britain in the men's European Champion Clubs contest in Athens next summer after comfortably retaining their British League title at Barnet Copthall Stadium, Hendon, on Saturday.

Belgrave stamped their mark on the fourth Division One match of the season from the start with maximum points in the hammer through British number one Mike Jones (72.88 metres) and Dave Smith (70.84 metres).

From then on Belgrave kept their noses in front and uniquely, for a British League match, led through all 19 events. They ended the day with 398 points, well clear of Newham and Essex Beagles (309) and Birchfield (292), also beating Puma TVH (281), Shaftesbury Barnet (270), Sale (222), Border (213) and City of Edinburgh (205).

It left Belgrave clear winners of the league with 31 points from Newham and Essex Beagles (25), Sale (21), Shaftesbury Barnet (20), Puma TVH (17), and Birchfield (16).

Commonwealth Games representative Matt Douglas got the track events off to a winning start as he stormed to victory in the 400 metres hurdles in 51.36 sec, while Lee Hurst took the steeplechase in 9 min 1.8 sec.

Brendan Reilly took the high jump with a season's best of 2.28 metres to clinch a place in Britain's European championships team, with Richard Aspden winning the B string with 2.05 metres. British record-holder John Regis showed his best form for two seasons as he stormed to victory in the 200 metres in 20.56 sec. And then he helped Belgrave take the sprint relay in 40.43 sec. Pole vaulters Mike Edwards (5.20 metres) and Ian Tullett (5 metres) maintained their clean sheet for the season to gain maximum points once again. It was the only event in which Belgrave gained maximum points at all four matches.

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