UK Women's Athletics League Division 3, Match 2, K2 Crawley

Creeping up to 5th at Crawley

Results of match one had been adjusted due to some unregistered athletes taking part (not Belgrave athletes we add) and our new team place of fifth there was equalled here on the day at Crawley. The home club were out in force and took the match from a Leeds outfit who had travelled well and pushed them hard. Coventry Godiva have decided to pull out of the league and will take no further part this year.

There was a delayed start to the hammer, the Channel Islands athletes having been delayed on the ferry from the Isle of Wight where they'd been taking part in the Island Games. It didn't bother Rachel Basford though, as she launched her ball and chain over the 40 metre line to win the competition. She was juggling the event with the long jump and found to her surprise that she threw less than in the opening match - but this time won - whereas she jumped longer - but finished further down the long jump field.

Louise ... opened up with a fine win

Louise Aylwyn was one of three debutantes in our UKWAL team and she opened up with a fine win in the 400 hurdles, matched by Jodie Favell in the B event. Sprinter Amala Onuora took second in the 100 metres, as did by Susan Bovill a few minutes later.

"Do you want me to run."

Amala has done a little recruiting since the first match, persuading her sister Chichi to turn out in the middle distance events. Chichi has run the London Marathon so 800m and 1500m hold no terrors for her. Three months after giving birth to baby Arthur, Sarah Murphy gave Team Manager Bob Bridges a call on the morning of the match: "Do you want me to run?" A flabbergasted Bob took her up on the offer and with veteran race walker Maureen Noel also offering her services we almost had the middle distances covered.

... she needn't have worried ...

Michelle Nestor was in good form, triple jumping her way to maximum points and going over 5 metres to gain second in the B long jump ... and get second in the B high jump. Stepping up from the Rosenheim League, Jude Turner made her first appearance in a UKWAL match and her 33+ metres third place in the javelin meant that Jodie, relegated to the B event was able to take another win. But Jodie had tweaked a calf muscle in the sprint hurdles and was now unavailable for the relays. Who could step into the breach? Rachel Basford had shown some speed on the long jump run up ... and nervously she took her place on first leg of the 4 x 100 metres. She needn't have worried; she did fine.

And by the time Susan Bovill ended her busy day by anchoring the 4 x 400 metres team the Belles were solidly in fifth and only three points off fourth. If only we could find a pole vaulter ... or a steeplechaser ... there are so many more points available.

100m: 1 A Onuora 12.4; 2 S Bovill 12.8. 200m: 5 A Onuora 25.9; 4 L Aylwyn 27.7. 400m: 2 S Bovill 58.5; 5 J Case 64.9. 800m: 7 C Onuora 2:44.0; no B competitor. 1500m: 7 C Onuora 5:33.0; 7 M Noel W45 6:05.4. 3000m: 7 S Murphy 11:48.5; 6 M Noel W45 12:42.7. 100mH: 3 J Favell; 3 J Case (times not known). 400mH: 1 L Aylwyn 64.7; 1 J Favell (time not known). 2000mSC: no competitor. LJ: 3 R Basford 5.04; 2 M Nestor 5.02. TJ: 1 M Nestor 10.74; 2 S Bovill 9.08. HJ: 4 R Basford 1.55; 2 M Nestor 1.40. PV: no competitor. SP: 7 H Mead 7.25; 7 J Turner 7.08. DT: 6 J Turner 16.63; 6 H Mead 13.60. JT: 3 J Turner 33.50; 1 J Favell 31.31. HT: 1 R Basford 40.81; 5 H Mead 21.34. 4x100m: 4 Belgrave 51.6 (R Basford, S Bovill, L Aylwyn, A Onoura). 4x400m: 3 Belgrave 4:07.0 L Aylwyn 62.7, A Onoura 62.0, J Case 63.0, S Bovill 59.3).

Match result: 1 Crawley 204; 2 Leeds City 200; 3 Herne Hill H 170; 4 Reading AC 168; 5 Belgrave H 165; 6 Liverpool H 145; 7 Channel Islands 107.

Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.