Wells City Harriers

Wells Harriers have been celebrating, with the combined team with Yeovil Olympiads being crowned champions of the South West Athletics League Division One after winning the fourth and final match on Sunday.

This was then followed by a great performance by the senior men's team in the Southern Men's League Division One where promotion to the British Athletics League was achieved for the first time in the club's history. Meanwhile, on the road, the club provided the individual winners of the Yeovil 5km Race Series.

At the final South West League match the combined team made it four wins out of four and once again had a number of the Harrier's Monday junior training group competing.

For the U13 girls, Roo Black won the long jump with her excellent 4.31m. This was a personal best and pushes Roo up to 11th on the regional Power of 10 rankings. She also finished second in the shot put, with a 7.18m, another best and into 17th on the regional rankings.

For the U13 boys, Johnny Forsey won the B string 100m in a nippy 13.8 to improve his best by almost half a second and move to 27th on the regional rankings. Johnny also won the B string sprint hurdles in 14.6, another best and went to 21st on the regional rankings.

In the javelin, he threw 20.16m for third place, another personal best, before helping the sprint relay team to first place. Curtis Stevens easily won the B string 800m in 2.30.5, not far short of his personal best, which sees him at 11th in the region. Curtis also jumped a new best of 1.30m in the high jump to place him at 30th in the regional rankings.

At the Southern Men's League play-off at Abingdon on Saturday, the team worked hard to ensure promotion to the prestigious British League.

With the Harriers traditionally providing many of the middle distance and endurance athletes, the effort this time was good enough. Pete Darton and Dave Stanfield answered late calls by the team managers when other athletes had to drop out with injury.

At the midweek Yeovil 5km Road Race, the final race saw victory by top Harrier veteran Jon James for the men and by Anna Lewis for the women. This helped seal their victories in the overall series where their best five performances were taken into account.

Dave Stanfield and Carol Buckland also picked up the Series V40 and F35 awards. Jon's winning time on the night was 15.46, while Anna recorded a nippy 18.28.Jon and Anna will be in the Harrier's teams at the forthcoming South of England Road Relays.

Other good performances at the 5km race were by Carol Buckland, setting a new personal best of 20.34; Jack Bancroft in fifth place with 16.48 and Rob Parfait in ninth in 17.02.

Seventeen Harriers competed in the field of 121. Attention switches next month to the winter 5km race series held around Street where the Harriers will once again host the monthly race starting on October 8. This will be the 20th year of the Street 5km races, and yet again there will also be races for juniors over 1km (age 9 and 10) and 2km (ages (11 and 12). Details on the Harrier's website www.wellscityharriers.org.uk.