Athletics: East Grinstead triumph again

East Grinstead Athletic Club ladies and U15 girls team emerged victorious from their fourth league match of the season and are now undefeated.

Grinstead travelled with a much depleted squad and in the first field event of the day, the triple jump, the only two competitors were from Grinstead – Tessa Martin jumping 9.73 metres and Janice Watts 8.83.

The pair repeated their double win, with more athletes competing, in the long jump – with 4.58 and 3.89 metres respectively.

Tessa Martin also won the 80m hurdles and Janice Watts the pole vault and the B string high jump.

Jo Lister was late arriving and missed the 100 metres, but she ran strongly to win the 200m in 28.0 seconds while 1.40m won her the A string high jump.

Janet Hollamby and Kim Deville had come to the match to watch their daughters compete but they helped out in the throwing events. They picked up good second places in the two strings of the discus – Kim Deville with 16.94m and Janet Hollamby with 15.36.

Among the U15s Amy Hewitt's excellent season continued, firstly with wins in the A strings of the 100m and 75m hurdles. In the long jump her personal best was 4.65.

With her fourth jump she beat this with 4.75 and repeated this distance with her fifth jump – and then with her last jump she reached 4.77.

Chloe Hollamby came away with three first places – in the B string 100m (14.8 seconds, her first time under 15 seconds), the B string long jump and the A string 200m.

Izzy Turnbull won an excellent 800m where she led from the start and held off a late challenge by an athlete who tracked her all the way round: she was also a surprise winner of the B string hurdles.

Emily Deville has made great progress in the throws this year and she won the shot with 5.70m and later threw the javelin 15.31 and the discus 13.34.

With the help of Kim Deville the senior team were able to field a 4 x 100 metres relay team where they came second and the four U15 girls got together to win their 4 x 100 metres relay.

Grinstead were clear winners of the match with the combined Redhill & Dorking team second and Paddock Wood third.

The fifth and last match of the season will be held on September 5 at Wimbledon. This coming Saturday (August 1) the Southern Mens League team have their last match of what has been a disappointing season at Bracknell.