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Updated 30-06-03

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club - NEWS

30/06/03 - HW JUMPERS DOMINANT AT HENDON

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club athletes dominated the jumping events at the fourth of this season's Southern Men's League matches at Barnet Copthall Stadium, Hendon.

Between them they gained maximum points in the long and triple jumps and took the B string contests in the high jump and pole vault. Hercules Wimbledon gained 36 points out of a possible 40 in the jumps.

Team captain Royden John led by example with a hectic afternoon of activity. He won the sprint hurdles, the high jump B and pole vault B events, and was third in both the 100 and 200 metres A races.

Surrey schools champion Ike Mba and London schools long jump bronze medallist John Grayson secured maximum points by taking the A and B triple jumps while Chris de Jager and Grayson won the long jump A and B events. De Jager also won the sprint hurdles B race. Mba was also runner-up in the 100 metres B race.

Steve Davies raced to a lifetime best of 57.4sec in winning the 400 metres hurdles. He also won the 200 metres B race in 24sec and was also runner-up in the high jump A with 1.75 metres. Nigel Stone was second in the javelin with 44.08 metres and fourth in the pole vault B.

Hercules Wimbledon ended the day with two second places in the 4x100 and 4x400 metres relays.

Hercules Wimbledon's Stuart Milton posted the club's best javelin throw of the season when he hurled the spear a winning 45.36 metres at the Rosenheim League meeting at Sutton Arena.

Next Wednesday (July 9), Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club stage their annual HAC Memorial Trophy meeting at Wimbledon Park, starting at 7pm. Youngsters from local schools and clubs as well as Hercules Wimbledon's athletes will be in action at the meeting.

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23/06/03 - BAGFUL OF MEDALS AT VETS CHAMPS

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's veteran athletes showed impressive form at the annual Surrey Veterans track and field championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston, and returned with a load of medals.

Best of the Hercules Wimbledon bunch was supervet Geoff Walcott who gained a hat-trick of gold medals. He took the men's over 50 100, 200 and 400 metres titles in 12.35, 24.93 and 56.36sec. His 400 metres time broke the championship record for the event.

Stu Littlewood was a double title-winner in the same age group taking the 1500 and 5000 metres gold medals in 4min 52.6 sec and 18min 20.61sec. Former marathon international Steve Badgery showed winning form in taking the over 55 5000 metres in 17min 19sec, more than a minute faster than Littlewood's time in the younger age group.

With injury preventing him from running, Peter Giles showed his all-round ability by turning out in the over 55 throwing events and winning the javelin title! He was also third in both the shot and discus.

Frank Haque, who was a sprint reserve for the Pakistani team at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, and now is a valuable asset to Hercules Wimbledon as one of the club's sprint and throwing coaches, also showed he still has some of his old flare left as he gained a hat-trick of medals. He took the long jump gold with 4.37 metres, and was seconds in the 100 metres in 13.64sec and triple jump with 9.50 metres. Unfortunately, Haque, who will be 65 next month, hurt his back with his opening triple jump attempt and had to withdraw from the rest of the competition. He was visiting an osteopath this week to try to find a cure to the painful injury.

Hercules Wimbledon's veterans team manager John Webster, the British Masters' silver medallist, won gold in the men's over 60 javelin with 35.71 metres. He also took silver in the hammer with 34.87 metres.

In the youngest veterans age group, Mark Baker gained two titles taking the over 40 100 and 200 metres in 11.81 and 24.30sec. Hugh Saxby gained a hat-trick of medals in the over 45 age group. He won the 400 and 800 metres in 59.53sec and 2min 16.19sec and was also the silver medallist in the 1500 metres in 4min 57.62sec.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon compete in their fourth Southern Men's League match of the summer at Hendon on Saturday and are sending a squad to Portsmouth for the club's fourth National Young Athletes League match of the summer.

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16/06/03 - GOLDEN QUARTET AT SCHOOLS CHAMPS

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's youngsters achieved a quartet of gold medal winning performances in various county schools track and field athletics championships.

Heading the gold medal-winning squad was the club's outstanding teenage prospect Emily Martin who comfortably retained her London Schools junior girls long jump title at the Millennium Arena, Battersea Park. She cleared a winning 5.33 metres, a big improvement on her 4.97 metres gold medal winning effort in 2002 and not that far off the championship record of 5.45 metres set in 1994 by Jade Johnson, who last year took the silver medals in both the European and Commonwealth long jump championships. Emily also collected a silver medal in the 100 metres in 13.2sec, getting through to the final by winning her heat in a slightly slower 13.3sec.

Over at the Surrey Schools Championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston, Hercules Wimbledon's Ike Mba had to show the form of his young life to win the intermediate boys triple jump title. He leapt out to 13.41 metres to add three centimetres to his previous best, also set at Kingsmeadow Stadium, to secure the gold medal by just four centimetres.

Another gold medal-winning performance came from Jade Lally, who also showed her best form to take the intermediate girls discus with a fine throw of 31.11 metres. Completing Hercules Wimbledon's gold medallist was Oliver Stogdale who led the field home in the Berkshire junior boys 80 metres hurdles final at Reading in 12.5sec.

Backing up the title-winning quartet were a host of medal winners and near medal winners. Marie Kiuber was third in the intermediate girls javelin at the Surrey meeting where Paul Drake and John Grayson also took bronze in the senior boys 800 metres and long jump championships. Another medallist at the London Championships was Matthew Zacsek who was third in the intermediate boys javelin with 35.39 metres.

Alex Bodin was just edged out of a medal in the Surrey intermediate boys 3000 metres where he finished in fourth place, as did Lucy England in the junior girls 75 metres hurdles, Amadine King in the intermediate girls 800 metres, Laura Wignall in the intermediate girls 200 metres and Medina Knepsl in the intermediate girls 1500 metres. Richard Vanderpuije was sixth in the intermediate boys 1500 metres.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon athletes will be in action at the Surrey Veterans championships at Kingsmeadow and the Lily B Girls League match at Walton, both on Saturday, and the South of England senior championships at Portsmouth, which take place on both Saturday and Sunday.

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9/06/03 - SILVER MEDAL FOR "MASTER" JOHN

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's veterans team captain John Webster returned with a silver medal from the annual British Masters track and field championships at Moorways Stadium, Derby. Webster took second place in the over 60 javelin with a throw of 36.88 metres. He was also fifth in the hammer with 34.31 metres.

Another Hercules Wimbledon athlete to do well at Derby was Mark Baker. He just missed out on a medal in the over 40 200 metres where he finished fourth in 24.28sec after taking third place in his heat in a slower 25.03sec. Baker also reached the final of the 100 metres where he finished sixth in 11.90sec after taking second place in his heat in 11.98sec.

Earlier in the week, both Webster and Baker were in action at Battersea Park, helping the Hercules Wimbledon squad to their best team performance of the season in the third of this season's Southern Veterans League Mid London division meetings.

At the other end of the age scale, Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters gave another encouraging display in their third National Young Athletes League meetings at Watford. Once again, South of England under 15 girls long jump champion Emily Martin proved the outstanding member of the team achieving a hat-trick of wins. She took the girls under 15 100 metres (12.7sec), long jump (5.32 metres) and high jump, with a personal best of 1.45 metres.

Jade Lally also gained an individual hat-trick in the under 17 events winning the shot, discus and long jump a events while newcomer Narie Khuber made a winning debut in the javelin with Maureen Njuguna guaranteeing maximum points in taking the B string. Lucy England also gained a hat-trick of wins in the girls under 15 events winning the 800 metres a and 75 metres A races and the long jump B.

Other Hercules Wimbledon winners were Serena Brotherton (girls under 15 75 metres B and 800 metres A) and Rosemary Fernando (girls under 13 1200 metres). Best of the boys were Jack Kennedy and Josh Martin, who won the under 17 hammer A and B string events and Derrick Hunt who won the javelin B.

Hercules Wimbledon athletes will be among those chasing titles in the annual Surrey and London Schools Championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston and The Millennium Arena, Battersea Park, on Saturday.

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2/06/03 - FINE EFFORTS BY YOUNG AND OLD

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's youngsters and senior athletes both gave encouraging performances when they competed in the third of this season's Southern Men's League matches at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston. The club's senior men's team produced their best performance of the summer.

Best race of the day was the 800 metres where Hercules Wimbledon's Tom Kennedy and Mahmoud Aboattaya battled it out all the way to the line with the Palestinian World Indoor Championships representative just getting the verdict although the timekeepers were unable to split them giving them both 1min 58.7sec.

Later, they both featured in second individual wins with Aboattaya taking the 400 metres in 52.5sec and Kennedy the 3000 metres steeplechase in 10m in 23.1sec.

Hurdler Steve Davies featured in a hat-trick of wins as he took the 400 metres hurdles in a fine 57.6sec, slicing one-and-a-half seconds off his previous best time for the event. He then took the sprint hurdles B race in a season's best of 16.7sec and completed his day's good work by anchoring the 4x400 metres relay team to victopry with a 52.5sec leg.

Christian De Jager ensured maximum points in both the sprint hurdles and long jump by taking both a string events with 16.4sec and 6.50 metres. Team captain Royden John, somewhat below his best after returning from a trip to South Africa, won the B long jump with 6.28 metres.

The oldest member of the team, supervet Steve Badgery, a former British marathon international, took second place in the 5000 metres. At the other end of the age range, two teenagers played an improtant part in the overall team effort. Two more seasoned athletes, supervet John Fenge and John Brown both got among the winners as they took the shot B and hammer B events, respectively.

Raynes Park schoolboy Mba Ike achieved a lifetime best of 13.38 metres in easily winning the triple jump and also took second place in the 100 metres in 11.7sec. Ross Savill, who goes to Rutlish School, took time off swatting for exams by taking second place in the 200 metres B race in a personal best of 23.4sec and then ran the opening leg for the winning 4x400 metres relay team.

Hercules Wimbledon stage the third of this season's Rosenheim League East Division matches at Wimbledon Park next Wednesday evening (June 11), starting at 6.45pm.

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27/05/03 - ANOTHER SUPERB WIN FOR EMILY

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's outstanding young teenager Emily Martin produced the form of her young life just where it really counted with a gold medal-winning performance at the South of England Championships at Watford's Woodside Stadium.

Emily, 14, who goes to Burntwood School, Tooting, added to her triple title-winning effort at the Surrey championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium just a fortnight earlier by taking the girls under 15 long jump with a superb leap of 5.40 metres. She might have leapt even further had she not been jumping into a slight headwind of 0.9 metres per second (about two miles an hour). All but one of the other finalists had the wind behind them for their best leaps.

Emily's effort added two centimetres to her previous best achieved at the Kingston and Polytechnic open meeting at Kingsmeadow in March.

She also posted a lifetime best in the 100 metres where she clocked 12.68 seconds in winning her heat. She was not quite able to repeat that form in the final where she nevertheless finished a fine fifth in 12.79.

This weekend, Emily nwill be returning to the scene of her victory at Watford but this time she will be back with her Hercules Wimbledon team-mates when they compete in their third National Young Athletes League meeting on Sunday. The club faces another busy weekend as it hosts a Southern Men's League fixture at Kingsmeadow Stadium on Saturday, starting at 1pm, and is helping to organise a Southern Veterans League match at Battersea Park on Monday, starting at 6.30pm.

IKE LEADS WITH HAT-TRICK

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club members were prominent in the annual Merton Schools Championships staged at Wimbledon Park Athletics Stadium.

Best of the bunch was Rutlish schoolboy Ike Mba who gained a hat-trick of wins in the intermediate boys section. His successes came in the 100 metres hurdles in 14.8 sec, the 400 metres hurdles in 63.3 sec and the triple jump where he cleared 13.30 metres.

There was a double success for Laura Wignall in the intermediate girls events where she won the 200 metres in 27.6 sec. and the long jump with 3.99 metres.

Daniel Moriarty took the senior boys 3000 metres while Richard Vanderpuije and Steven Butcher won the intermediate boys 400 and 1500 metres respectively. Two other winners were Serena Brotherton and Imogen Stoddart in the junior girls 800 and 1500 metres.

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20/05/03 - DOUBLE HAT-TRICK FOR IKE AND EMILY

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's youngsters were in fine form in their second National Young Athletes League match of the season at Sutton Arena on Sunday.

Teenagers Ike Mba and Emily Martin led the parade of winning performances with a hat-trick each. Mba, making his season's league debut after missing the opening match at Kingsmeadow, was more than a metre clear of his nearest rival as he took the men's under 17 triple jump with 12.68 metres. He warmed up for the long jump by winning the 400 metres hurdles in 62sec and then completed the treble by winning the 100 metres hurdles in an impressive 14.9sec. Had he competed in the previous weekend's Surrey championships at Kingsmeadow, his performances would have won him three medals - a gold in the triple jump and two silvers in both hurdles events. Mba completed his day by helping Hercules Wimbledon win the men's under 17 sprint relay in 49.3sec.

One Hercules Wimbledon athlete who did secure a hat-trick of medals at the Surrey championships, Emily Martin, secured another individual hat-trick at Sutton in winning the girls under 15 100 metres in 12.9sec, the high jump with 1.44 metres and the long jump with 5.15 metres. Lucy England secured maximum points in the 100 metres and long jump by taking bothg B string events.

Jack Kennedy helped Hercules Wimbledon to maximum points in the men's under 17 triple jump in taking the B string event.

Jade Lally, who also missed the county championships, won the women's under 17 shot and discus events with 8.63 and 27.79 metres, which were respectively both better from the bronze and silver medal winning performances at the Surrey championships.

Ross Savill was a double winner taking the under 17 200 and 400 metres a races, Richard Vanderpuije won the under 17 800 metres a and 400mmetres B races, Alex Bodin the under 17 1500 and 3000 metres races, and Ben Saxby the under 17 steeplechase A and 1500 metres B events. Andrew Killerby was joint first in the boys under 15 high jump while Damien Robertson took the 800 metres.

Dayan Knepsl and Henry Ivezic gained maximum points in winning the boys under 13 shot A and B string events with throws which were both better than the silver medallist at the Surrey championships.

Only girls under 13 winner was Roisemary Fernando who took the 1200 metres event.

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13/05/03 - BRILLIANT COUNTY HAT-TRICK FOR EMILY

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented teenage prospect Emily Martin was in outstanding form at the annual Surrey track and field championships at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston with a hat-trick of individual victories in the girls under 15 events.

Emily, 14, was the most impressive athlete at the two-day championship meeting and the only one among more than 600 athletes to secure a hat-trick of titles.

The first of her gold medal-winning performances came in her strongest individual event, the long jump. After a foul with her first attempt, Emily, who is a pupil at Burntwood School, Tooting, went into the gold medal position with her second leap of 5.12 metres and then consolidated her domination of the event with fourth and fifth efforts of 5.14 and 5.25 metres. She won the title by almost half-a-metre.

Having got her breath back from winning the long jump, Emily then set out in the heats of the 200 metres. She won her race in 26.6sec but knew she would have a fight on her hands in the final just two hours later as two other runners clocked inside 27 seconds. The final lived up to its expectation with the tall, long-striding Emily getting the verdict by a whisker as the first two runners were both clocked at 26.6. The Hercules Wimbledon runner just secured the gold medal.

After a night's rest, Emily returned to Kingsmeadow for the girls under 15 100 metres and the chance of a hat-trick of titles. Battling against a sizeable headwind, she won the first heat - but only just, by three-hundredths of a second in 13.13. The winner of the second heat was slightly faster with 13.1. Emily knew she would have real fight on her hands to complete the treble. But, she rose to the challenge in no uncertain fashion to sneak home in a thrilling 100m final by just two-hundredths of a second in 13.07 to cap three outstanding wins.

Other leading Hercules Wimbledon athletes at the championships were Paul Drake, who took the bronze medal in the junior men's 800 metres in 2min 4.76sec, Lucy England, who missed out on a bronze medal by just one centometres in finishing fourth in the girls under 15 long jump with 4.45 metres and Imogen Stoddart, who raced to fourth place in the girls under 15 1500 metres in 5min 23.9sec. Her younger brother Fergus was fifth in the boys under 13 80 metres hurdles in 16.36.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon host a National Young Athletes League meeting at Sutton Arena on Sunday, starting at 11.45am, while the club's senior men's team travels to Watford for their second Southern Men's League match on Saturday. The club's older generation of athletes are competing in the British Veterans road relay championships at Sutton Park, Birmingham, also on Saturday.

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6/05/03 - HERCULES WIMBLEDON VETS FLEX MUSCLES

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's veterans showed good form when they competed in their opening Southern Veterans League Mid London Division match at Battersea Park.

Returning to the veterans' scene after a break of several seasons, former Surrey medallist Geoff Walcott gave an impressive display as he took both the over 50 100 and 200 metres races in 12.5 and 58.6 sec, to put himself second on the Hercules Wimbledon all-time list in both events.

Mark Baker was another winner in the men's over 40 100 metres in 11.9sec, for 10th place on the club's all-time list.

Bearded Hugh Saxby had a busy time. In addition to winning both the men's over 40 high and long jumpo events, he was also second in the 400 metres and third in the 100 metres. Kevin Snelling was second and third in the shot and hammer, respectively, while tom Morris took second spot in the walk and Keith Hylands was fourth in the 1500 metres. Stu Littlewood was runner-up in the men's over 50 1500 metres.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's ace race walker Estle Viljoen just failed to make the South African team for this summer's World Championships in Paris in August when she finished runner-up in the South African women's 20 kilometres championship in Port Elizabeth. She clocked 1hr 45min 15.4sec, less than three seconds behind the winner.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon athletes will be in action in the annual Surrey track and field championships which are being staged at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston, on Saturday and Sunday. Next Wednesday (May 14), Hercules Wimbledon compete in the opening Rosenheim League East Division match of the summer at Croydon Sports Arena.

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28/04/03 - HERCULES WIMBLEDON FACE HECTIC WEEKEND

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club face a busy weekend with their opening matches in the Southern Men's and National Young Athletes Leagues as well as the staging of the club's annual Barry Jones 10 kilometres road race.

Youngsters from Hercules Wimbledon will be helping to make history on Sunday when they take part in one of the first joint boys and girls National Young Athletes League meetings at Kingsmeadow Stadium. The previously separate leagues have been merged.

Heading the team will be the club's outstanding youngster Emily Martin who warmed up for Sunday with a fine double in the Norman Fowler Memorial open meeting at Tonbridge. Emily, the Surrey indoor under 15 girls 60 metres and long jump champions, won the 150 metres at Tonbridge in a personal best of 19.6sec and was not far off her lifetime best in winning the long jump with 5.26 metres.

Joint girls team managers Ann and Phillip Martin and boys team manager Nick Getting will be combining their efforts to help secure the best possible result for Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters.

After enjoying their best season in 2002 for several summers, Hercules Wimbledon's Southern Men's League team manager Steve Hadley and captain Royden John are looking forward with confidence to the summer campaign ahead. The programme opens at Hemel Hempstead on Saturday.

They will be buoyed up by the club's best ever performance in the recent Kinniard and Sward Trophy meetings and the return after several seasons' absence of one-lap runner Esmond Ferns. All-rounders Chris de Jager and Simon Johnson also likely to prov invaluable to the squad.

Bank Holiday Monday sees the 22nd staging of the annual Barry Jones 10 kilometres road race from Wimbledon Park Stadium, starting at 11am. Hundreds of runners are expected to take part in the event which starts just outside the track and finishes at the end of the 100 metres straight. Postal entries for the race, which also incorporates individual London Borough of Merton Championships are now closed but anyone wanting to run should turn up on the day.

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21/04/03 - RUNNERS PREPARE FOR ANNUAL 10K RACE

May Day Bank Holiday (May 5) is the day of Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's annual Barry Jones 10 kilometres road race which is named after a former secretary of the club.

The event also incorporates the London Borough of Merton Championships to be contested between runners who live in the borough. The borough championships were launched in 1990 following the donation of trophies for the event by the then mayor, Councillor Barry Edwards, to mark the silver jubilee of the creation of the borough in 1965 by the merger of the former Wimbledon, Mitcham and Merton and Morden councils.

The 10 kilometres road race is almost as old as the borough, being staged for the 23rd time. Last year, Martin Shore from Westbury Harriers won the men's race while Hercules Wimbledon's Sarah Stodart was first in the women's section.

The race starts from Wimbledon Park Athletics Stadium at 11am and also finishes on the track. Tne cost of entering is £5 for runners who belong to UK Athletics affiliated clubs and £6 for those who are not.

Entries are already being received by race organiser Pete Mulholland and anyone interested in taking part should write to him at 71, St Julian's Farm Road, London SE27 0RJ or call him on 020 8761 4308. Full details and a copy of the entry form are available on the club's website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Further revisions of the Flora London Marathon results have shown that Hercules Wimbledon's Zoe Pike was the first local runner in the women's race. Her time has been enhanced by 45 minutes to 3hr 0min 54sec, placing her 44th instead of 127th. Her time is the second fastest marathon performance ever achieved by a Hercules Wimbledon woman runner. The club women's record of 2hr 55min 4sec was set by Sarah Massey in the London Marathon in 1999.

Just two Hercules Wimbledon men, South African Matthew Amoils (735th in 2:58:01) and veteran Andy Waites (926th in 3:00:29) posted faster times.

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14/04/03 - GOOD RUNS BY HW RUNNERS IN MIN-MARATHON

Youngsters from Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club showed good form over the London marathon weekend.

Hercules Wimbledon runners finished well up in the adidas London mini-marathon over the final 2.5 miles of the full marathon course from Southwark Bridge to The Mall. Teenager Alex Bodin, who is still only 14, had an outstanding run when he finished sixth out of more than 230 runners in the intermediate boys race running for Merton. Another well placed Hercules Wimbledon runner in the event was Damien Robertson, who finished 16th representing Kensington and Chelsea.

Two sets of brothers and sisters from Hercules Wimbledon were in action. Brother and sister Deyan and Medena Knepsl also had good runs finishing 33rd and 17th, respectively, in the junior boys and senior girls races, also running for Merton, while Imogen Stoddart, running for Merton, was 10th in the intermediate girls race while her brother, Fergus, was down the field in the junior boys race, representing Wandsworth.

Another Hercules Wimbledon runner, Louise Mouton, led the Kensington and Chelsea team home in the intermediate girls race where she was 29th. out of more than 220 runners while Serena Brotherton, running for Merton, was 52nd in the senior girls race.

Jamie-Lee Carley, was the first of the Wandsworth team to finish in the senior boys race finishing 56th out of 220 runners.

Sisters Rosemary and Jennifer Fernando led the Merton team home in the junior girls race finishing 50th and 67th, respectively.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's Emily Martin was the individual winner of the long jump to help Surrey with the girls under 15 national Sportshall final for a record fourth successive year at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's senior men open their track and field season when they compete in the Kinnaird and Sward Trophies meeting at Kingsmeadow Stadium, Kingston, on Saturday.

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7/04/03 - RECORDS TUMBLE AT YOUNGSTERS MEETING

With six new records and a seventh being equalled, Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's annual young athletes open meeting at Crystal Palace, being staged for the 23rd time, proved a major success despite unpleasantly cold conditions.

De'onte Green from Ipswich smashed the 6.38 metres meeting record in the men's under 17 long jump with a winning 6.56 metres, while Richard Batten from Newham and Essex Beagles shattered the 1991 record set by former international Matthew Clements of 23.7sec in the boys under 15 200 metres when he clocked a swift 23 seconds. Jay Thomas from Kent Athletic Club, the UK indoor record-holder for his event, added more than half-a-metre to the boys under 15 shot putt record with a winning throw of 15.55 metres almost four metres better than the runner-up. He erased the mark set in 1998 by current junior international Carl Saggers.

Another record-breaker was Matthew Lumm from Basildon who sliced three-tenths of a second off the record set back in 1987 in winning the boys under 13 100 metres in 12.7sec. Belgrave's Wade Bennett-Jackson equalled the record set in 2000 in winning the men's under 17 100 metres in 10.9sec.

Two records also fell in the girls events. Nicole Sadler, also from Ipswich, sliced one-tenth of a second off the old mark when she won the girls under 15 200 metres in 25.5sec, while Joanna Parker from Fleet and Crookham improved by almost two seconds on the girls under 11 600 metres record with a winning time of 1min 57.2sec.

Best of the Hercules Wimbledon contingent in action on the track where some of the world's top athletes will be competing in the Norwich Union London Grand Prix in August was Emily Martin. She went home with a hat-trick of medals, winning the girls under 15 long jump with 5.11 metres, taking silver in the 100 metres where she was just edged out sharing the winning time of 12.7sec and taking the bronze medal in the 200 metres in 26.7sec.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon runners will be in action in the Flora London marathon on Sunday with Rachel Haining one of the top veterans in the women's race. Some of the club's younger members will also be competing in the adidas mini-marathon over the final five kilometres of the course from Southwark Bridge. Alex Bodin, 14, warmed up for his appearance for Merton, when he finished an impressive runner-up in Hercules Wimbledon's five miles road running championship in 29min 12sec, just 14 seconds behind race winner Tom Kennedy.

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