Team 3rd in SAL fixture 4
Our team finished third in the fourth Southern Athletics League match of the season, cementing their mid-table position in a match won by Colchester and Tendring ahead of Serpentine. WGEL beat hosts Watford Harriers, having lost to them in our opening home fixture, with neighbours Orion Harriers last.
Provisional Results (for official results, refer to Power Of 10 later this week)
Among the A string winners, Ryan McKinlay (pictured right) won the 400 hurdles in 61.1, along with his main event the 3k chase. He teamed up with Stefan Redmond, Olaoluwa Abiodun and Adam Mountford to win the 4x400 in 3:35.4. Slick baton changing ensured a 4x100m win by Carl Rendora, Keira McCook, Adam Mountford and Tyler Bown in 45.8.
Among successes on the field there was a welcome return to competition by Lee Mathurin, who won the discus in 43.48m in his first competition for the club in five years. His performance was backed up by Hugh Williams winning the B string in 34.68. Harry Clarke won the hammer in 53.79m, with Fergus Harford taking the B string.
Busiest athlete of the day was Eike Vardja, who won the javelin and shot and also competed in the discus, long jump and triple jump. 
U17 Phoebe Fuhr won the pole vault in 2.40m and also the B string high jump, behind A string Ayamba Akim, who won in 1.64m in her first outdoor competition of the year. U17 Scott Webster similarly dominated his high jump in 1.85m.
Bradley Wattleworth showed an impressive finish in his league debut for the club, winning the 3000m. Anna Clark (pictured left) defied dizziness to win the 400m in a PB of 58.6s, while Gemma Coe led home Isabella Hoy (pictured left, below) in a dominant 1-2 in the 1500m.
B string winners included Carl Kitson in a shot PB of 8.84, U17 Adam Mountford in a 200m PB of 23.1, Keira McCook in the 100m, Sam Benge in the 800m and M45 Keith Newton in the long and triple jumps. Team manager Alan James was surprisingly the second highest points scorer of the day, not finishing lower than third in four events. Thanks also to our officials, some of whom attended this match with almost no notice to ensure both points for the team and efficiently run events. 
Overall an enjoyable, competitive team performance in warm and sunny conditions, winning a third of all events and with almost all scorers achieving a top two finish in at least one event. The final match of the year is another home fixture on Saturday 15 August, when WGEL will take on the top two teams in the league in Ryston Runners and London Heathside, alongside local clubs Loughton and Orion in what should be a fine season finale.