Jul-Sep 05

July 2005		August 2005		September 2005
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	18/07/05		22/08/05		19/09/05
	11/07/05		15/08/05		12/09/05
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			1/08/05

Wimbledon's longest running road race takes place on Sunday with the staging of the 45th annual Wimbledon open 10 miles event by Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club, starting and finishing in Wimbledon Park.

Hundreds of runners will be taking part in the event which starts at 11am. Because of refurbishment work to the athletics track the start and finish of the race has been changed and the race headquarters will be at the Bowls Pavilion. It will start near the north east corner of Wimbledon Park and end close to the bowls pavilion.

Last year's winner, Robin Copestick from Walton was not among the pre-race entries but one of those taking part will be new Hercules Wimbledon signing Ian Horrocks who will be returning to Wimbledon Park where earlier this month he caused a surprise by leading the field home on the opening leg of the Surrey County road relay championship.

Horrocks will have another reason to do well on Sunday. It was his late father-in-law Geoff Moulden who helped launch the Wimbledon 10 in 1961. Moulden, who died suddenly earlier this year, was also a founder member of Wimbledon Athletic Club in the 1950's after moving to the area from Farnham. His widow, Claire has been invited to start Sunday's race.

While the date for postal entries has passed, entries are still being accepted on the day and would-be participants should arrive in plenty of time. All entries on the day will cost £10. There will be prizes for the leading category finishers and medals for every runner. Details of the event can be found on the Hercules Wimbledon website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Another Hercules Wimbledon runner taking part in Sunday's 10 miles race Hugh Saxby who warmed up for the event by winning the veterans over 50 category prize at the Wimbledon Audi 10 kilometres road race at West Wimbledon on Sunday. He led the Hercules Wimbledon contingent home finishing 33rd in 37 minutes 54 seconds.

His Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Maurice Sharp just missed out on the veterans over 60 prize finishing second in the category in 40:11 just 12 seconds behind the first over 50 runner. Another Hercules Wimbledon finisher, veteran Nigel Froud, was 110th in 43:52 with his teenage daughter, Victoria, finishing 299th in 52:48. Supervet Paul Wignall finished 111th in 44:13.

While Hercules Wimbledon's seniors are involved in the 45th Wimbledon open 10 miles road race on Sunday, the club's youngsters will be competing in the Surrey County Young Athletes cross country relays at Stoke Park, Guildford.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's youngsters ended the season on an encouraging note with a record-breaking turnout in the Lily B League Plate final at Kingsmeadow Stadium and with star long jumper Emily Martin smashing the league record in winning her event.

At the end of a long and at times difficult summer season, 16-year-old Martin ended her season as an under 17-year-old by winning the under 17 long jump with 5.71 metres to add a massive 20 centimetres to the league record. She also bettered her previous personal best by five centimetres. She completed a hat-trick of wins taking the shot with 8.31 metres and the 100m in 12.9 seconds.

Double Surrey champion Amelia Richards also achieved a hat-trick of wins in the under 13 section taking the 100m and 70m hurdles in 13.9 and 11.9 and the long jump with 4.27 metres. Another winner was newcomer Gaby Restieno in the under 13 discus who linked up with Natasha Skeet, Jade Brooks and Hayley Hennessey to help the Hercules Wimbledon quartet to second place in the sprint relay.

Skeet was also second in the 200m and long jump B events and third in the javelin B, Brooks was second in the 100m B and javelin A and fourth in the 800m, and Hennessey third in the shot and fifth in he 200m.

Jennifer Fernando won the under 15 800m in 1:33.1 while her twin sister Rosemary was runner-up in the 1500m. Jennifer also won the javelin B and was second in the 100m before linking up with Rosemary, Mary Brandon and Hannah Long to help the Hercules Wimbledon squad take second place in the sprint relay. Rosemary won the javelin A and was fourth in the 200m A.

Brandon was also second in the 75m hurdles and third in the 200m B, Long won the 800m B and was second in the discus and third in the shot and Holly Golding won the discus B, was second in the shot B and finished third in the 100m B race.

Lucy England also gained a double success in the under 17 events winning the 809m hurdles in 15.9 and the long jump B with 4.43 metres as well as finishing second in the javelin with 14.01 metres. The scoring team was underpinned by three athletes, Chloe Hodge, Eleanor Smith-Hann and Alex Restieno who performed well in the non-scoring events.

At the other end of the age scale, Hercules Wimbledon's veteran summer track and field team captain John Webster, showed his considerable ability by taking the silver medal in the Surrey Combined Events Championships at Crawley. He was second in the veterans men's pentathlon with 2823 points. His best individual effort came in the javelin where he threw 37.26 metres to score 760 points. He was also second in the long jump and 1500m and third in the discus.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon are sending teams to compete in the South of England road relay championships at Aldershot on Saturday.

There is still time for runners to enter Wimbledon's longest running road race, the Wimbledon open 10 miles which is being staged for the 45th time from Wimbledon Park on Sunday, October 2, starting at 11am. Details and an entry form can be found on the Hercules Wimbledon website: www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's supervet road running quartet maintained their impressive medal-winning series of performances in the annual Surrey road relay championships at Wimbledon Park when they clinched the silver medals for the four successive year.

The medal-winning effort maintains a superb run which dates back to 1998 when the quartet of Dennis Williams, Maurice Sharp, Mike Fuller and Martin Miller took the gold medals. With Marco Ciglia and Vince Hancock replacing Miller and Sharp in the squad, Hercules Wimbledon again took the title in 1999 before taking the silver medals in 2000.

Hercules Wimbledon returned to winning form in 2001 with Ciglia, Hancock, Grenville Tuck and Steve Badgery taking the gold medals and since then the club's teams have won silver medals each year.

The quartet were in second place on all four legs with first stage runner Hugh Saxby running a strong opening leg ion 17 minutes 50 seconds to post the fourth fastest time of he day. While former marathon international Badgery was slower with 18:06 he managed to close the gap on the leaders handing over to Miller, a member of the winning team back in 1998, keeping the team in second place with 19:06 on leg three.

Another member of the 1998 winning quartet, Sharp, kept the team in silver medal position with a 19:36 final leg.

Hercules Wimbledon newcomer Ian Horrocks sprung a major surprise on the opening leg of the senior men's relay as he led the field home on the opening leg. Horrocks, 34, and son-in-law of former Hercules Wimbledon president Geoff Moulden, was having his first serious race for two years but seemed to cope well with the testing, hilly circuit. He headed the field home in 15:24 to post the third fastest time of the day.

"I was a bit surprised to come in first," said Horrocks who added: "I was quite a useful runner when I was a student about 15 years ago." He finished third in the Suffolk cross country championships in the early 1990's and represented British Universities in the annual Margate cross country international meeting about the same time. He also finished 40th in the Southern cross country championships in 1995.

"I've always been running but I've run very few races in the last five years. This was my first race since 2003 but I'm getting back into it." Horrocks was running for the Hercules Wimbledon B team. Best effort from the Hercules Wimbledon A team came from teenager Alex Bodin, back in action after a long spell of injury, who clocked 16:44 on the second of the six legs.

Andy Thwaites was the fastest member of the Hercules Wimbledon over 40 veteran quartet with 17:57 in moving up from sixth to fifth place on the third leg. The quartet which also included Eric Blackmore (18:25), Martin O'Halloran (18:53) and Steve Sinnott (18:10) finished just a minute off a medal position in fifth place.

First leg runner Catherine Cann was the fastest Hercules Wimbledon runner in the senior women's championship. She came in eighth on the opening leg in 19:26. Other members of the quartet were Serena Brotherton, Amandine King and Jennifer Fernando.

Entries are still being accepted for Wimbledon's long running road race, the 45th Open Wimbledon 10, organised by Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club. It takes place from Wimbledon Park on Sunday, October 2. Details of the event can be found on the Hercules Wimbledon website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club supervet sprinter Geoff Walcott ended his summer track and field season on a high by winning a gold medal at the World Masters track and field championships in San Sebastian, Spain.

Walcott, 52, clinched his gold medal on the final day of the championships when he ran the third leg for the British quartet which comfortably won the men's over 50 4x400m relay gold medals.

Earlier, he had been bitterly unlucky not to get a medal in the individual 400m where he finished fourth in the final in a season's best of 53.82 seconds. During the qualifying round he had also posted his best time of the year. He reached the final by winning his heat in 56.54, the fifth best time of the round and then posted his first season's best of the event in finishing third in his semi-final in 54.52, the fourth best time of the round.

Walcott realised he was in with a chance of a medal in the final. "As i lined up I was extremely nervous," he said. In the end, he just missed out on a medal.

Walcott had a busy time across the two weeks of the championships in Spain, reaching the finals of all three individual events he had entered. He started off well by winning his 100m heat in 12.18. He was third in his semi-final in 12.30 and then finished seventh in the final in 12.23. He had a harder time in the 200m where he was third in his heat in 25.17, finished fourth in his semi-final in a faster 24.87, just scraping into the final, and then finished eighth in the final in 24.87.

It was touch and go whether Walcott would actually make the championships. He had been suffering from an Achilles tendon problem all summer which had severely curtailed his racing programme. But, he decided to make the trip after testing his fitness and injury in Hercules Wimbledon's final Southern Men's League match at Chelmsford. While in Spain, he received regular physiotherapy to avoid any recurrence of the Achilles tendon problem.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon host the annual Surrey Road Relay championships at Wimbledon Park. The club will also have teams in action in the event. Normally, the relays start and finish on the athletics track but, because the track is currently closed for refurbishment, they will start and finish from near the Bowls Pavilion. The start time has been put back to 1pm.

Places are still available for the 45th annual Wimbledon Open 10 miles road race being held from Wimbledon Park on Sunday, October 2. Details of the event can be found on the Hercules Wimbledon website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented youngster Emily Martin enjoyed another busy weekend competing in a Southern Women's League meeting at Hoo, Kent and then representing Surrey in an inter-county match at Portsmouth.

Teenager Emily got her team off to a good start in the match at Hoo where she won the senior 100m in 12.8 seconds. She also won the high jump B with a personal best of 1.50 metres and finished third in the shot.

Laure Caussemille ensured maximum points in the high jump by winning the A competition with 1.55 metres. She also won the 200m in 26.8 and during a busy afternoon also finished second in the 100m hurdles A and shot B events and was third in the discus A competition. Newcomer Shannon Kasper gained valuable team points competing in three events finishing third in the 100m, 200m and discus B competitions.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando contested six events between them in the under 15 section. Jennifer gained a double success winning the 200 and 800m and finishing second in the javelin while Rosemary won the 1500m and was second in the 100m A and javelin B events.

Emily competed in three events to help Surrey to third place in a women's under 17 inter-county match at Portsmouth the following day. She achieved a winning leap of 5.45 metres in the long jump to win the event by 10 centimetres and was close to her best in a keenly contested 100m where she was third in 12.5 just 0.5 seconds behind the winner. She also ran a leg for the Surrey 4x100m relay team which finished in fourth place.

Hercules Wimbledon supervet Dennis Williams was second veteran over 55 in the monthly Veterans Athletic Club five miles road race in Battersea Park.

In the Self Transcendence two miles race also in Battersea Park, Hercules Wimbledon's Jonty Summers finished 11th in 11:21 with Williams second supervet finisher in 12:06 and Stu Littlewood eighth supervet in 12:58.

Entries are still pouring in for the 45th annual Wimbledon Open 10 miles road race being held from Wimbledon Park on Sunday, October 2. Details of the event can be found on the Hercules Wimbledon website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's top all-rounder Royden John enjoyed a hectic time in both the Rosenheim League final at Kingsmeadow Stadium and the club's final Southern Men's League match at Chelmsford, Essex.

John, 33, was Hercules Wimbledon's only individual winner in the closely contested Rosenheim League final winning the long jump with his final attempt of 6.54 metres. He was also second in the pole vault, equalling his personal best of 3.20 metres and was also runner-up in the sprint hurdles in 16.4 seconds. He completed a busy evening by running the anchor leg for the 4x200m relay team.

Teenager Alex Bruce-Littlewood had a good run in the 800m where he was runner-up in 2:08.9 while another teenager, Adam Przedrzymirski was fourth in the 3000m in 9:28.8, just outside his personal best and just ahead of Hercules Wimbledon clubmate Richard Xerri who was competing as a non-scorer.

Throwing exponent John Brown found the opposition challenging as he finished fifth in the hammer and sixth in the discus.

Hercules Wimbledon supervet Geoff Walcott warmed-up for the World Masters Championships in San Sebastian, Spain, with some useful sprinting at Kingsmeadow. First, he equalled his personal best in clocking 12.0 in the 100m and then he ran the 200m in 24.9. Another of the club's supervets, Hugh Saxby, turned out in the 400m.

Roden John had an even busier time in the final Southern Men's League match at Chelmsford where he scored a surprise win in the javelin. Stepping into the breech at the last minute due to the absence of Hercules Wimbledon's top three throwers, Royden saw off the opposition with a winning throw of 39.12 metres. He also won the long jump by one just centimetre with 6.76 metres, was second in the triple jump with a season's best of 12.94 metres and was third in the pole vault with three metres before anchoring the Hercules Wimbledon team to third place in the sprint relay.

Former English schools 400m hurdles champion Austin Ferns also had a busy time at Chelmsford. He started by winning the 400m hurdles in 55.6, competing in blustery conditions, and the finished second in the 200m B race in 23.0 and fourth in the 100m B in 11.7.He then helped the 4x400m relay team to second place.

Another winner at Chelmsford was teenager Jack Kennedy who took the triple jump B competition with a personal best of 12.13 metres and also threw the hammer a personal best of 32.28 metres. Clubmate John Brown was second in the hammer B event, fourth in the shot, fifth in the discus and third in the javelin B.

Camille Duval was just pipped in the 800m where he was close to his best with 2:01.8 while clubmate Edmond Ferns took the B race in 2:02.7and was runner-up in the 400m B race in 53.7. Team captain Steve Davies was also runner-up in the sprint hurdles B race, fourth in the 400m hurdles B and fourth in the high jump A.

Teenager Neil Fraser was third in the 3000m steeplechase B race in 11:51.2. Adam Przedrymirski made an impressive 5000m debut finishing third in his race in 16:37.8, the fastest time this year by a Hercules Wimbledon runner. After spending three hours football training in the morning Dave Fleming finished a good fourth in the 400m.

Despite being hampered by torrential rain, Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's talented young teenager Emily Martin showed her best form of the summer when she competed in the AAA age group championships at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

The weather conditions proved a testing challenge for young Emily in the women's under 17 long jump where she equalled her lifetime best with a leap of 5.66 metres. Unhappily for the double Surrey champion, she was just two centimetres off the bronze medal position. It is the second year that she has finished just outside the medal position in the long jump. Last year, she was fourth with a personal best of 5.62 metres.

Emily had an equally galling experience in the women's under 17 triple jump where she added one centimetre to her previous lifetime best in clearing 11.33 metres. Frustratingly, in another really tight competition, she was only seven centimetres off the bronze medal position.

Now, Emily is preparing to compete for Surrey in an under 17 inter-county match at Portsmouth this weekend.

Another of Hercules Wimbledon's young guns, Surrey boys under 15 long jump silver medallist Praful Nargund, who just failed to make Surrey's team for the English schools championships, also performed creditably at Birmingham. Nargund, who finished runner-up in the Surrey junior boys 200m championship at Kingsmeadow in June, gained invaluable experience when he competing in his first national championship.

Nargund, 14, was not far off his best in the 200m where he got through his first round heat in 24.09 seconds and then clocked a faster 24.04 in his semi-final race. Nargund fared slightly less well in the 100m where he was clocked 12.09.

Hercules Wimbledon runners Peter Giles and Maurice Sharp filled the top two places in the over 60 category in the Surrey five kilometres road running championship at West Wimbledon. Giles, fresh from winning the South of England 5000m title at Exeter, took the title in 19:16 with Sharp second just 14 seconds later. First Hercules Wimbledon finisher in the race was Richard Xerri who was 28th out of more than 200 runners in 17:24.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon senior men are in action in their final Southern League match at Melbourne Park, Chelmsford while the women contest their penultimate Southern League match at Hoo.

During major refurbishment work on the athletics track at Wimbledon Park, Hercules Wimbledon's track training sessions have been moved to the neighbouring Bowls Pavilion. Hercules Wimbledon coaches will be in attendance at the bowls pavilion on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.45 to 8.45pm and on Sunday mornings from 10.30am until 12 noon.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Peter Giles has added the South of England title to British Masters crown he won at Birmingham last month when he led the field home in the veterans over 60 5000m championship at Exeter.

Giles's time in winning the South of England veterans title in 18 minutes 15.99 seconds was fractionally faster than the 18:16.45 he posted when winning the national title. His runaway victory at Exeter continued a notable summer on the track which began in May when he won the Surrey veterans 1500 and 5000m titles at Kingsmeadow.

Another Hercules Wimbledon veteran, Geoff Walcott, who has been hampered by injury this summer is hoping to be fit enough to compete in the World Masters Championships in San Sebastian later this month. He tested his fitness when he ran the 100m for Hercules Wimbledon in their penultimate Southern Men's League match at Reading and finished a promising fourth in the 100m in 12.4.

Walcott is entered for the men's over 50 100, 200 and 400m events in San Sebastian and will make a decision in the next few weeks whether to make the trip for the World Championships which start on August 22. In May, he won the Surrey Veterans men's over 50 100 and 200m titles at Kingsmeadow in 12.3 and 24.8.

Meanwhile, entries have been pouring in for Wimbledon's longest running road race. The 45th Hercules Wimbledon open 10 miles road race is being held from Wimbledon Park on Sunday, October 2 starting at 11am. Postal entries are still be accepted and details can be obtained by logging onto the Hercules Wimbledon website www.herculeswimbledonac.org.uk Postal entries close on September 28.

There are prizes for the first three men and first three women to finish as well as for the leading veterans in each age category. There will also be a medal for each finisher.

Last year, Robin Copestick from Walton won the race in 53:58 from Belgrave's Malachi Byansi (54:13) and Aldershot's Kevin Quinn (55:34). Lucy Hasell from Thames Hare and Hounds was the first woman in 58:24.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon's talented young long jumper Emily Martin will be battling for honours when she competes in the AAA women's under 17 long jump championship at Birmingham. Meanwhile, her younger clubmates will be in action in the penultimate Lily B Girls League match at Guildford and next Wednesday (July 17), Hercules Wimbledon's senior men contest the Rosenheim League final. They won the trophy last year.

Two Hercules Wimbledon athletes 400m hurdler Austin Ferns and javelin thrower Bekele Tola have been selected to represent Surrey in an eight-sided men's inter-counties match at New Rover Sports Centre, Wood Green, North London on Saturday.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club have succeeded in reaching this year's Rosenheim League final at Kingsmeadow on Wednesday, August 17, where they will defend the trophy they won last year for the first time since 1993.

The historic trophy dates back to 1964 when the late Jim Braben took a party of Hercules athletes on a sporting trip to Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany. As team leader, he was presented with a gilt plate and presented this for annual competition between clubs in South London. Hercules Wimbledon first won the trophy in 1975 with further victories in 1987, 1992 and 1993.

Traditionally, the final has always been held at Tooting Bec but this year it will be staged for the first time at Kingsmeadow Stadium.

Hercules Wimbledon managed to qualify for the final, which will involve eight teams, by finishing third in the final east division match at Tooting Bec to take fourth place overall in the east division. Last season, Hercules Wimbledon also just scraped into the final after finishing fourth in the east division but managed to put on a superb display to lift the trophy.

All-rounder Royden John was Hercules Wimbledon's only winner taking the long jump with 6.22 metres . He was also second in the high jump and anchored the quartet to third place in the sprint relay.

Throwing exponent John Brown was runner-up in the shot and javelin, with Lance Power second in the 400m was also runner-up and teenager Neil Fraser fourth in the 3000m. Dwayne Dowling was also fourth in the 200m.

Hercules Wimbledon's Austin Ferns produced another winning effort when he competed in the club's penultimate Southern Men's League match at Reading. He took the 400m hurdles in 55.6 seconds with team captain Steve Davies winning the B race.

Ferns and Hercules Wimbledon javelin thrower Bekele Tola have been selected to compete for Surrey in an eight-sided inter-counties match at New River Sports Centre, Wood Green, on Sunday, August 14.

Hercules Wimbledon's Barry White finished 60th out of more than 500 runners in the annual Elmbridge Road Runners Julie Button Memorial 10 kilometres road race at Walton-on-Thames in 37:30. Fellow marathon runners Peter Lee and Steve Badgery were not far behind finishing 74th and 75th in 38:06 and 38:09. Badgery was also the second veteran over 50.

Hercules Wimbledon's track training sessions have been moved to the Bowls Pavilion in Wimbledon Park as work is underway on a two-month refurbishment programme at Wimbledon Park Athletics Stadium. Hercules Wimbledon coaches will be in attendance at the bowls pavilion on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.45 to 8.45pm and on Sunday mornings from 10.30am until 12 noon.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Jonathan Burgess continued his impressive summer when he turned out for Surrey in an inter-counties under 13 match at Kingsmeadow Stadium.

Burgess won the 1500m B race in 4 minutes 43.17 seconds to take more than a second off his previous best time. He was also three seconds fastest than the winner of the A race.

This week, he was attending an athletics academy in Berkshire in an attempt to hone his considerable athletics talent.

Double Surrey champion Amelia Richards was selected to compete in the girls 100 and 200m and long jump but unable to take up the invitation because she was out of London.

Another Hercules Wimbledon athlete to post a personal best was Rosemary Fernando who clocked a best-ever time in winning the under 15 1500m in her club's Southern Women's League match at Horsham in 5:21.6. She was also second in the javelin B and fourth in the 100m.

A foot injury prevented her twin sister, Jennifer, joining in the action on the track , but she helped out in the throws where she won the javelin competition and was third in the shot putt.

Laure Caussemille gained a hat-trick of victories in the senior events. She took the 100 and 400m hurdles and the high jump and completed a busy afternoon by finishing third in the 200m. Teenager Emily Martin also had a busy time winning the 200m B race in 26.1, finishing second in the 100m in 12.7 and also taking third place in the shot.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon compete in their penultimate Southern Men's League match at Reading on Saturday.

Work is due to start next week on a £200,000 refurbishment scheme at Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's track headquarters at Wimbledon Park. The track, which is operated by Merton Council, will be closed while the work is carried out. Funding for the scheme is being provided by the London Marathon Trust, through a grant secured by Hercules Wimbledon, Sport England and the London Borough of Merton.

While the track is closed, club training on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings will continue to take place in Wimbledon Park but will be based at the bowls pavilion.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's Steve Newton and Peter Giles came away with gold medals from the annual British Masters track and field championships at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

Newton, now 50, made a winning debut as he took the over 50 5000m title at his first attempt in a season's best of 16 minutes 52.97 seconds, winning the title by almost 10 seconds. It continues a championship winning thread which stretches back more than three decades to 1974 when he won the Surrey junior cross country title at Guildford.

Peter Giles had a much harder battle in his quest to win the over 60 5000m gold medal. It was almost a photo-finish as he won by less than half-a-second after completing twelve and a half laps of the track in 18:16.45.

Hercules Wimbledon's veterans track and field team captain John Webster made it a hat-trick of medals when he took third place in the over 65 javelin with a throw of 35.87 metres, missing the silver medal by just 26 centimetres.

Another Hercules Wimbledon veteran in form is Geoff van Klaveren who came away with a nap hand of titles from the Welsh Masters Championships at Cardiff. He took gold in the men's over 45 100m, shot, discus, hammer and javelin championships adding to the javelin and long jump titles he secured at the Surrey Veterans Championships at Kingsmeadow in May.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's youngsters were involved in a National Young Athletes League match at Kingsmeadow Stadium.

Double Welsh and Surrey champions Amelia Richards gained an impressive hat-trick in the girls under 13 events taking the 75 and 150m and long jump events. Natasha Skeete, Jade Brooks and Isabella Kerr also gained valuable points in the girls under 13 events.

Surrey silver medallist Praful Nargund gained a hat-trick of wins in the boys under 13 200 and 400m and long jump, Jonathan Burgess took the boys under 13 1500m and Tom Brandon won the boys under 13 shot.

Emily Martin was a double winner in the girls events taking the under 17 100m and long jump and also finishing third in the shot. Surrey triple jump bronze medallist Serena Brotherton was runner-up in the triple jump and discus B events and was also well placed in the 80m hurdles. Lucy England, returning to action following exams and acting as a ball girl at Wimbledon, was highly placed in the sprint hurdles and javelin while Flo King, who was unable to race because of sore feet, three the shot, discus and javelin.

Twins Jennifer and Rosemary Fernando, Hannah Long and Mary Brandon were also in action in the under 15 events.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon athletes compete in a Southern Women's League match at Horsham while next Wednesday (July 27) the club contest the final Rosenheim League East Division match at Tooting Bec, starting at 7pm.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's top long jumper Ike Mba went one better than last year when he clinched the silver medal in the senior boys event at the annual English Schools Championships at Birmingham.

Teenager Mba, who won the bronze medal in 2004, managed to secure the silver medal position by just two centimetres with his fourth attempt. He started off with a modest leap of 6.,76 metres and improved with his next two jumps of 6.83 and 6.89 metres and was third in the competition after three rounds.

He then produced his best effort of 6.92 metres with his fourth effort to move into the silver medal position and was close to that with 6.91 metres with his fifth attempt before fouling his final effort.

Mba was delighted with his medal-winning effort. "That was my best series of the summer," said Mba who spent much of a training session a few days earlier sorting out his run-up. Mba, the Surrey schools champion and Surrey County junior silver medallist, has been having problems with his run-up all summer.

"That session proved well worthwhile," said Hercules Wimbledon coach Dennis Roll. "It meant we managed to sort it out so that he got all but one of his jumps on the board. It was an impressively consistent series."

There was bitter disappointment for another Hercules Wimbledon long jumper at Birmingham. Emily Martin had terrible problems with her run-up and only managed to record two valid attempts. Emily, the Surrey County women's under 17 200m and long jump champions, was hoping to improve on her sixth place in 2004. But, her opening leap of 5.30 metres and third attempt of 5.40 metres, were her only valid efforts and her best effort was only good enough for eighth place.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's one lap hurdler Austin Ferns, himself a former English schools champion back in 1999, posted his best time of the season when he competed in the AAA Championships at Manchester. Ferns finished fifth in his heat in 53.24 seconds.

Hercules Wimbledon's South African international Estle Viljoen just missed out on a medal when she finished fourth in the women's 5000m track walking championship at Manchester in 24:19.82.

Meanwhile, Hercules Wimbledon's athletes battled hard in their Southern Men's League match at Watford. Best individual effort came from javelin thrower Bekele Tola who won his event with a throw of 54.40 metres. He was also third in the shot with 11.21 metres where clubmate John Brown won the B competition.Veterans Andy Laughton and John Webster also won the pole vault and javelin B competitions, respectively.

Best track effort came from Camille Duval who took third place in the 800m in 2:00.0 while Esmond Ferns won the B race in 2:02.3. Ross Savill and Richard Vanderpuije also gained valuable points finishing third in the 200m A and B races. All-rounder Royden John had a busy afternoon finishing second in the long jump with 6.57 metres, third in the triple jump and fourth in the high jump. He also helped the sprint relay team to second place.

This weekend, Hercules Wimbledon athletes of all ages are in action with veteran members taking part in the British Masters Championships at Birmingham and the younger generation competing in a National Young Athletes League match at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, starting at 11.45am.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club's top javelin thrower Bekele Tola and one-lap hurdler Austin Ferns showed winning form when they represented Surrey in a four-sided representative match at Aldershot.

Surrey champion Ferns got the team off to a winning start as he took the 400m hurdles in blustery conditions in a useful 54.5 seconds, winning by just one-tenth of a second in a tight finish. Later, Tola was in a class of his own as he won the javelin with his opening throw of 58.01 metres, more than six metres ahead of the second competitor. With the wind blowing against the throwers, and making it difficult to flight the javelins, Tola decided against continuing in the competition and retired after taking his second attempt.

Both Ferns and his Hercules Wimbledon clubmates face a challenging weekend. Ferns makes his debut in the senior AAA championships at Manchester this weekend when he competes in the 400m hurdles at the championships which also doubles up as Britain's trials for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki in August.

Ferns, 24, is now getting back to some of his best form as he emerges from a long spell of injury. He was an outstanding junior winning the English schools senior boys title in 1999 and the South of England junior men's championship the same year. In 1998, he took the silver medal in the AAA Junior Championship. Also in action at Manchester will be Hercules Wimbledon's South African international race walker Estle Viljoen, who competes in the women's 5000m track walking championship.

Meanwhile, Tola will be in action for Hercules Wimbledon Southern Men's League team which is battling to get promotion after lifting themselves to fifth place following a third match win at Tooting Bec. Athletes in the squad are aware they need another win when they compete in their fourth match of the season at Watford on Saturday where the opposition is led by third place Herts Phoenix and sixth placed Guildford and Godalming.

Hercules Wimbledon will be below full strength with Ferns in action at Manchester and their top long jumper Ike Mba competing at the English schools championships at Birmingham.

There was a disappointing warm up by Mba when he competed in the AAA under 20 championships at Bedford. The talented teenager, who has already won long jump silver medals in the Surrey and South of England championships this summer, was hoping to get a third medal at Bedford. But, problems with his run-up meant he only recorded two valid jumps and the best of these, 6.89 metres, was only good enough for sixth place out of the 13 competitors in the event. Mba will be aiming to make amends when he competes at Birmingham. He will be hoping to add to the bronze medal he won in the senior boys long jump last season.

Another Hercules Wimbledon athlete competing at Birmingham, Emily Martin, armed up with an encouraging hat-trick in the Lily B League match at Sutton Arena. She won the long jump with 5.47 metres, the 100m in 13.0 and the shot with 8.41 metres.

Hercules Wimbledon's Ethiopian-born road runner Dereje Kebede was well placed in the British 10 kilometres road race through Central London where he finished eighth out of almost 20000 runners in 31:26. The race was won by Ethiopia's double Olympic 10000m champion Haile Gebrselassie in 28:12.

Hercules Wimbledon's former marathon international Steve Badgery, now 58, was third veteran over 50 in the Harry Hawkes eight miles road race at Thames Ditton in 49:40. He led the Hercules Wimbledon squad home finishing 19th overall with Grenville Tuck, also an over 50 veteran, who won the inaugural Harry Hawkes race in 1985 in 40:02, finishing 26th in 50:55, Roy Burgess, having his first race after a long break, one place behind in 51:08 and another supervet Dennis Williams taking 44th place in 52:45.

Apart from the important Southern Men's League match at the weekend, Hercules Wimbledon compete in their final Southern Veterans League meeting at Battersea Park on Sunday while next Wednesday they are in action in their fifth Rosenheim League match at Tooting Bec.

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club - NEWS