Blackheath & Bromley made a bright start to the Southern Athletics League season with a victory in their home match at Norman Park. It was no easy win as they were fought all the way by a promising Brighton & Hove team and it was only in the last handful of events that B&B pulled clear to score 204.5 points to the South coasters 192, with Basingstoke & Mid Hants third (176.5) and the City of Portsmouth fourth (143).

Highlight of the B&B performances was a new League record in the womens 4x100 metres courtesy of Dina Asher Smith, Rachel Dickens, Shannon Hylton and Vivien Olatunji. They timed 45.81 nearly two seconds quicker than the previous record and a time which is also a Club Record for an electric timed relay. In addition to her Record, Rachel also received the League Athlete Of The match award for winning the 400 metres in a new personal best of 54.48.

Steve Timmins was the Club’s Male Athlete of the Match for his A string wins in the Shot and Hammer and his B string victories in the discus and javelin.

In fact the Club achieved maximum points in the mens throws as Mike Van Den Dobbelsteen won the A string javelin with 52.19 and under 20 Louis Mascarenhas took the A string discus in his first competition with the senior implement with a distance of 41.71. He also won the B shot with 13.13 and to complete the rout Alex Pope won the B hammer with a new best of 42.40.

There were plenty of other wins and personal bests. As well as providing the photo finish equipment Luke Smallwood also found time to win the 400 metre hurdles in a new best of 54.32. Other A string wins came from under 20 Will Fuller in the 1500 metres; Mark Cryer in the high jump; Jessica Keene in the 800; and from Samantha Milner in the discus with an impressive early season throw of 48.18.

In the B string Anna Barnett set a new best of 29.46 and she also set a pb of 23.54 in coming second in the A string hammer. While Anna is just 14 her B string in the hammer Barbara Terry is slightly older at 68. Being a veteran this was the first time she had thrown the senior implement for four years and she recorded a commendable distance of 20.00. In fact it was a day for personal bests with Ife Okikiade, Ryan Poyroo, Ishmael Smith John, Joshua Dalsan, Bailey Stickings, Reynaldo Guevara, Daniel Kennedy, Natalie Jones, Parris Johnson, Elizabeth Ibidunni, Isabella Hilditch, Bethany Frost, Mel Kane, Sarah Belaon, Phillippa Croft, Anastasia Davies, Brooke Hollett, and Yemisi Sofolarin, a mix of young and older, all achieving better than they had before.

The Club will be looking to build on this result when they travel to Croydon on the 17th of May for the next match of the season.

More news and results can be found on the Club website at www.bandbhac.org.uk