Grand Finale

HW are aiming for a clean sweep of titles in the next few days, beginning with the final match in the Southern Athletics League today (Saturday 17th August) at Tooting Bec in which a win will guarantee the Division title and promotion to Division 2 in 2020.  Next up on Wednesday, 21st August is the Rosenheim Final at Kingsmeadow, in which the Club is seeking to retain the men's title and take the women's title for the first time ever. 

Following the win at Worthing, HW go into the final SAL match top of Division Three South East as the only unbeaten team in the 17- team division.

The match at Worthing was boosted by the appearance of international 400m runner Dwayne Cowan who ran a superb opening leg of 48.1 for the mixed 4x400m relay team. He linked up with Rebekah Riches, Jaleel Roper and Rebecca Afriyie to win by a massive 15 seconds.

Sprinter Ryan Facey gained a hat-trick taking the 100 and 200 metres in 11.1 and 22.5 before anchoring the sprint relay team, also led off by Cowan – followed by Jaleel Roper and Devonte Casely-Hayford – to victory. Roper won the 100m B race in 11.5 and Caseley-Hayford was second in the 200m B.

HW dominated the men’s endurance events with Tom Jervis winning the 1500m A and 3000m B races, Justin Reid the 1500m B and Finn Johnson the 3000m A race. Nicholas Thomas and Jamie Bannister won the 3000m steeplechase A and B races. Mark Andrews and Lance Power gained maximum points in the sprint hurdles while Andrews also won the 400m hurdles A race. It was another busy day for all-rounder Andrews who competed in nine individual events. He also won the discus A and triple jump B, took second in the high jump A and shot, hammer and javelin B events and third in the pole vault A. Sam Hitchings won the shot A and was second in the hammer A and discus B.

In the women's events there were wins for teenager Rebekah Riches (400m A), Alice McCormack (800m B), Heather Jones (100m hurdles B and discus B), Lisa Thomas (400m hurdles A and 1500m steeplechase B), Ellen Weir (400m hurdles B and 1500m steeplechase A), and Jenny Steinitz (pole vault, triple jump and javelin B) 

Match result: 1 Hercules Wimbledon 324.5pts; 2 Hastings 245; 3 Worthing 235.5; 4 Paddock Wood & Folkestone 99; 5 Medway park Phoenix 4.