CAMBRIDGE Harrier Heather Butcher kicked off her track season at the Slater Bryce memorial walks meeting at Horsham, smashing her previous personal best over 3,000m with a winning time of 15m32.6s.

This was 1m44s quicker than the time she recorded at Ashford in August and removed 62s from the U15 girls’ club record and seven seconds from the U17 women’s club record, both of which have stood for more than 30 years.

For the second year in a row, a Cambridge Harrier won the U15 boys’ indoor pentathlon at Lea Valley.

Matthew Taylor who led a field of 16 competitors from the first event and went on to record personal bests in all events (hurdles, high jump, shot, 800m and the high jump) as he recorded 2,434 points.

In fact, his effort of 1.75m in the high jump took him to second in the UK rankings for that discipline.

Also competing after moving up from the U13 age group was reigning U13 multi-event Kent champ Ben Stanbury (1,338 points) who came 11th while gaining three personal bests.

It is not often Cambridge Harriers get most of its leading senior male distance runners competing in the same road race but they did so at the Paddock Wood half marathon in Kent.

With clear blue skies, warm sunny weather and no wind, Ben Shearer just missed a top three placing, achieving an excellent performance of 70m16s to take fourth.

Matt Winn-Smith, Mark Penny and Clem Dixon completed the four-man team.

Although not quite in the same league as Medway & Maidstone AC, Dulwich Runners and Paddock Wood AC for close packing of runners, it was great to see a credible Cambridge Harriers team towards the front of the race.

Cambridge were unofficially the fourth team at the time of going to press.

Unfortunately, the Harriers’ senior women could not match the men, with only Kate Aldridge and Maria Macdonald competing.

Second claim member Clare Elms, running for Dulwich Runners, easily won the women’s race, just breaking the 80 minute barrier.

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