YDL National Finals – Team Bronze and 64 Medals for Woodford
Three years ago, Woodford’s Lower Age Group team qualified for their first ever YDL National Final having joined the league in 2013. On Saturday 5 September, qualifying as Southern Premier League runners-up, Woodford returned to the National Final for the third consecutive year to compete against the UK's leading junior clubs at Liverpool Harriers' Wavertree Stadium.
Qualifying for the Final - A Season of Change
2026 brought significant change to the YDL. Following England Athletics' revised age groups, the Lower Age Group competition moved from the traditional U13/U15 structure to U14/U16 with the Hammer, Discus and Pole Vault all introduced for the U14s and 300m hurdles for U16s.
For athletes, this meant adapting to new events, while our younger U14s, particularly the Year 7 athletes, faced another season competing against older, more physically mature Year 8 athletes. For coaches and team managers, it meant having the strength in depth to cover the expanded timetable.
Qualifying for the National Final – Southern Premier League Runners-Up
Despite the changes to the competition, Woodford adapted well from their very first fixture. The team scored around 600 points in each of their four Southern Premier League matches, competing against Blackheath & Bromley, Brighton & Hove, Reading AC, Tonbridge and Winchester & District.
Woodford finished runners-up to Blackheath & Bromley in all four fixtures and second place in the League thus qualifying for a third consecutive National Final. Joining Woodford in the final were the regional champions from across the UK: Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC, Cheltenham & County AC, City of York AC, Edinburgh AC, Liverpool Harriers AC and Rugby & Northampton AC.
In 2025, Woodford secured bronze in the closest final in the competition’s history, with just two points separating the top three clubs. The challenge in 2026 was to take another step forward and continue closing the gap to reigning champions Rugby & Northampton, and Blackheath & Bromley who have set the benchmark in recent years.
The National Final – Scoring
Clubs select an A-string and B-string athlete in each of the 58 events, with points awarded according to finishing position. A-string winners score 10 points, with 8 for second and so on, while B-string winners score 8 points, with 6 for second. Medals are awarded to the first three athletes in both A and B-string events. The favourites were last year’s winners, Rugby and Northampton, looking to retain their title, followed by four-time champions Blackheath & Bromley AC.
2026 YDL National Final – Overall Team Result (after 58 events)
1. Rugby & Northampton AC – 673.5 points
2. Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC – 635 points
3. Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies – 601 points
4. Liverpool Harriers AC – 582.5 points
5. City of York AC – 575 points
6. Cheltenham & County Harriers – 537 points
7. Edinburgh AC – 466 points
After 58 events, it was Rugby & Northampton who retained their title, with their strength in the field events proving decisive. They scored 310.5 points in the field compared with 241 for Blackheath, while Blackheath had the highest track score with 301 points, ahead of Rugby’s 269.
Woodford finished third overall with 601 points, scoring 230 points on the track and 270 in the field. The 270 field-event points were the second-highest total of any club, while the team’s 45 relay points were also the second-highest total. These contributions were crucial in securing a third consecutive National Final bronze medal.
Individual Medals
Woodford athletes won 48 individual medals across the A- and B-strings, surpassing the 47 won in Liverpool in 2025 and the 43 won during the club's first National Final appearance in Manchester in 2024.
A-string - 4 gold, 11 silver, 11 bronze
B-string - 4 gold, 11 silver, 7 bronze
In addition, four relay teams won medals, contributing a further 16 athlete medals:
Gold - U16 Girls 4 × 300m
Silver - U16 Girls 4 × 100m; U16 Boys 4 × 300m
Bronze - U14 Girls 4 × 100m
The quality of the performances was further reflected in the Points for Performance (P4P) standings, where Woodford ranked third overall with 69,333 points. Leading the way for Woodford was Isabella Moulton, whose record-breaking U16 Girls 80m Hurdles victory was the club’s highest-ranked Points for Performance result of the day.
However, the individual medal tally only told part of the story, with the points scored by athletes outside the medals ultimately proving crucial to securing another overall team bronze.
Match Report – YDL National Finals
The fixture got underway in overcast, breezy conditions, with occasional rain and sunny spells.
Hammer
U16 Boys – Kian Traynor continued his excellent season, throwing 35.83m to claim bronze in the A string. David Ciolac stepped into his first hammer competition, throwing 22.23m for 5th place in the B string.
U16 Girls – Isla Barron threw 27.58m for 5th place in the A string, while Isabelle Stander won silver in the B string with a throw of 26.29m. An appearance in the finals was excellent reward for Isabelle, who had been injured earlier in the season.
U14 Boys – Ashton Jokhiya stepped into one of the new U14 events throwing 21.49m to finish 4th in the A string. More accustomed to running 800m, Ashton has been a real find in the hammer this season.
U14 Girls - Padikie Padi, competing in her first season, threw 26.64m in a tightly contested competition to finish 7th, despite being less than two metres outside the medal positions.
Shot
U14 Girls – Ammarah Marshalleck threw 9.38m to win silver in the A string. This was a terrific result for Ammarah, who shows potential in combined events. She was unable to compete in her preferred hurdles event due to a hip injury. In the B string, Daisy Whelan won Woodford’s first gold of the day with a throw of 8.77m.
U14 Boys – Blake Edwards performed well in a stacked shot competition, throwing 11.33m for bronze in the A string. This was a tough set-up for Blake, who was also long jumping at the same time because of a timetable clash. In the B string, Keerit Uberoi threw a personal best of 7.30m for 6th place.
U16 Girls – Tyleah Edwards threw a personal best of 9.98m to secure bronze in the A string. This was the first of several excellent results for Tyleah, who had an exceptional day on the track and in the field. In the B string, Zarah Roman produced a season’s best of 9.09m to take silver.
U16 Boys – Nathaniel Sandy narrowly missed out on the medals, throwing 11.19m for 4th place in a high-quality A string competition and securing valuable points for the team. David Ciolac doubled up after the hammer and threw 10.28m in another high-quality B string event to finish 5th.
High Jump
U14 Boys – Blake Edwards was the outstanding jumper in this event. Ranked 2nd in the UK he cleared 1.75m to win gold in the A string. In the B string, Henry Richards cleared 1.55m to take silver and complete an excellent return from the boys.
U14 Girls – Grace Cherry cleared 1.35m for 6th place in a closely contested A string competition, while Daisy Whelan cleared 1.25m to finish 5th in the B string.
U16 Boys – Toby Taylor cleared 1.65m to finish 4th in the A string, narrowly missing out on the medals. This was a good result for Toby, who has overcome a lot of challenges this season with niggles and losing training partners. David Ciolac continued his busy morning, clearing 1.60m for 4th in the B string, which was highly impressive given this is his first summer of competition in the event.
U16 Girls – Emma Frisby cleared 1.55m to finish 4th in the A string. UK No. 1 Alessia Scala (B&B) won with 1.72m. Emma has been outstanding this season, with her personal best of 1.65m ranking her 11th in the UK.
In the B string, Phoebe Whelan won bronze with a clearance of 1.40m. Phoebe was unlucky not to win silver, with Smith (Edinburgh) clearing the same height but taking second on countback.
Long Jump
U14 Boys – Blake Edwards continued his remarkable day, adding a bronze medal in the A string with a jump of 4.98m. In the B string, Owen Yogalingam, competing in his first National Final, leapt 4.68m to secure silver. Owen joined the club late this summer and looks to be a fine prospect for next year.
U14 Girls – Grace Cherry has been terrific this season, representing Essex in the long jump and 800m, and produced a fantastic jump of 4.55m to win silver in the A string. Grace shared the best jump of the competition with O'Connor (Edinburgh) but was awarded silver on countback. In the B string Phoebe Woods, who only recently joined the long jump group, won bronze with a leap of 3.88m.
U16 Girls – Emma Frisby continued her excellent jumps performances to win silver in the A string with 5.04m. Emma finishes the season ranked 6th in the UK, with a PB of 5.61m. On this occasion, she was beaten by Smith (Edinburgh), who jumped 5.27m. Isabella Moulton followed up with bronze in the B string, jumping 4.58m and adding another string to her bow as an all-round athlete.
U16 Boys – Toby Taylor competed in a high-quality A string competition, with the winner, Mumbure (Rugby), jumping 6.31m. Toby had not competed in the long jump this season but was happy to step in, jumping 4.83m for 7th place. Hayden Kushin also stepped in, jumping 4.34m for 6th in the B string. The event has been a challenge this season, and team managers were grateful to both boys for their commitment.
Pole Vault
U14 Boys – Idris Bernard continued Woodford’s impressive morning in the field, clearing 2.40m to win bronze in the A string. Idris was delighted with his personal best performance.
U14 Girls – Ava Pugh produced an excellent performance in her first National Final, winning silver in the A string with a personal best of 2.10m. Ava matched the winning height but lost out on countback.
U16 Boys – The strength of the pole vault group was shining through. In the A string, Zakaria Faisal cleared 3.40m to win bronze, while in the B string, Tayo Adetona added a silver medal with a personal best of 3.00m.
U16 Girls – Emily Stockill continued this fine form, clearing 3.00m to win silver in the A string behind National Final record-holder Ella Brooker (B&B), who cleared 3.42m. In the B string, Marissa Higgs-Smith produced a superb clearance of 2.50m to win gold and add another National Final title to Woodford’s growing pole vault medal tally.
Track
After 15 events, Woodford sat in 5th position. Cheltenham & County were surprise leaders, but there were very few points separating the top clubs. The track events got underway with the 300m hurdles.
300m Hurdles
U16 Girls – Tyleah Edwards ran 50.27s to finish 4th in a high-quality A string race, with Murray (B&B), ranked 4th in the UK, winning in 44.84s. Autumn Eke-Aluong ran 55.49s for 6th in a closely fought B string race, with only two seconds separating her from 3rd place.
U16 Boys – This was a high-quality race with Liverpool’s Jay Husain (UK No1) winning in 38.78s. Zach Mordi ran 61.09s for 7th in the A string, while Eric Frith ran 52.75s for 7th in the B string. Both boys showed great commitment to the team in an event for which they both have very limited competitive experience.
100m
U16 Boys – Lawrence Foster stepped up into the A string, with team-mate Alex Osagie (3rd in UK) ruled out with injury just days before the Final. Lawrence produced a superb 11.50s to win bronze against a high-quality field led by UK No. 1 Piers Spencer-Simms (B&B). In the B string, Elisha Onilogbo ran 12.01s for 5th place in his first National Final.
U16 Girls – Joy Larinde was once again amongst the stars of the competition, clocking 12.39s to win silver, less than four hundredths of a second behind the winner, Nkpey (Rugby). Faith Franklin also competed in a high-quality B string race, running 13.01s for 6th place.
U14 Boys – Robert James ran 12.71s for 6th place in the A string, while Harrison Westcarr-Jourdan recorded 13.03s in the B string. Both boys picked up valuable points in a particularly strong field.
U14 Girls – Sprint sensation Rida Oluwa produced a superb performance to win gold in the A string with 12.40s. Rida has enjoyed an outstanding season, breaking the club’s long-standing U13 100m record of 12.42s, set in 1992, and lowering the U13 200m record to 25.21s. In the B string, Joy Emohare stepped into her first final and ran strongly for 4th place in 13.41s, narrowly missing out on a medal.
After a strong showing in the sprints, the team headed into the middle-distance events in 4th behind Cheltenham, Rugby and Blackheath.
1500m
U14 Boys – Eli Sabb and George Dolan, in their first full track season, had excellent runs. Eli ran 4:48.3 for 4th in the A string, while George won silver in the B string with a run of 5:00.4. Both boys have been tremendous additions to the team and, with another talented group moving up behind them, the future of Woodford’s middle-distance squad looks bright.
U14 Girls – Lottie Oates battled hard in a strong A string race, finishing 5th in 5:15.0. In the B string, Poppy Barker produced another excellent performance to take bronze in 5:21.8.
U16 Girls – Jemimah Ramchurn ran 5:04.1 for 5th place in the A string race, won by Hannah Lovett (York) in 4:50.9. In the B string, Chloe Summers was delighted to represent the club after returning from a hip injury. Chloe ran 5:42.3 and finished 6th.
U16 Boys – Adam Amin and Eric Frith faced particularly strong fields, with six athletes all running under 4:30. Adam ran 5:03 for 7th in the A string and Eric ran 5:06 for 7th in the B string.
300m
U16 Boys – Laurent Modeste-Lesforis ran 37.44s, just outside his PB of 37.13s, to finish 4th in the A string, only 0.03 seconds from the medals. In the B string, Josiah Franklin timed his race well to moving through the field to claim silver in 39.79s.
U16 Girls – Autumn Eke-Aluong ran 42.59s for 5th place in a high-quality A string race. In the B string, Faith Franklin produced an excellent run of 42.77s to win silver, missing out on gold by the narrowest of margins.
Hurdles
U16 Girls (80mH) – Isabella Moulton delivered a sensational performance, winning gold in 11.16s and breaking the National Final record. Isabella led from the gun and finished ahead of strong opposition from York and Blackheath, recording one of only a handful of National Final records broken over the weekend. In the B string, Tyleah Edwards continued her excellent afternoon, running 12.64s to win silver.
U16 Boys (100mH) – The standard was also exceptionally high in the boys’ hurdles with Liverpool’s Jay Husain winning in 13.69s. Woodford’s Toby Taylor was superb in this quality field, running 15.14s to finish 4th, just outside the medals. In the B string, Hayden Kushin, competing in his first season as a sprint hurdler, was an excellent 4th in 19.78s.
U14 Girls (75mH) – Rosie Anderson clocked 12.19s to finish 4th in a tightly contested A string event. In the B string, Kehanique Lowe stepped in at the last minute following an injury to Ammarah Marshalleck and performed superbly, running 12.98s for 5th place.
U14 Boys (80mH) – Idris Bernard stepped up into the A string, running 15.7s for 7th place in a high-quality field won by Mooney (B&B) in 11.78s. In the B string, Leo Ciarlet ran 13.46s for 5th in an incredibly close final, with less than a second separating 5th from 1st place.
Isabella’s record-breaking gold and Tyleah’s silver provided a significant boost to the teams oversall scores. Ahead of the middle distance events, Woodford had now moved up to 3rd behind Rugby and Blackheath with Liverpool H in hot pursuit in 4th.
Discus
U14 Boys – Arvin Uberoi threw 17.84m for 7th in the A string, having only taken up discus regularly this summer alongside his preferred event of javelin.
U14 Girls – Sophie Zenios threw 19.74m for 4th in the A string, narrowly missing out on a medal.
U16 Boys – Elisha Onilogbo threw 33.80m for 4th in the A string, with Kian Traynor adding silver in the B string with 28.65m. Kian’s medal added to his earlier bronze in the hammer.
U16 Girls – Jessica Arnold threw 23.75m for 5th in the A string, while Isla Barron won gold in the B string with 23.40m. Both are part of a developing group of young female throwers at the club, alongside Stevie Makepeace, who was ruled out through injury.
200m
The sprint squad continued to deliver, collecting six more medals in the 200m.
U16 Boys – Following his bronze in the 100m, Lawrence Foster doubled up with another excellent run, clocking 23.13s for bronze in the A string. In the B string, Nathaniel Sandy added another bronze with a strong run of 23.28s.
U16 Girls - Joy Larinde ran 25.88s to take bronze in a high-quality A string race won by Elden (Rugby) in 24.62s. In the B string, Maya Robinson produced one of her best performances of the season, taking silver in 26.03s.
U14 Boys – Harrison Westcarr-Jourdan was unable to finish the A string after suffering a hamstring injury coming off the bend. In the B string, Robert James ran 26.89s for 5th place. Robert has balanced athletics with his commitments as a national-standard swimmer and continues to perform superbly for the team whenever called upon.
U14 Girls – Rida Oluwa completed a superb sprint double, following her 100m victory with another gold medal in the 200m, running 25.24s. In the B string, Phoebe Quorn won bronze with a fantastic run of 27.55s.
The four medals strengthened Woodford’s 3rd position in the team competition, sitting behind the leaders Rugby and Blackheath, but still closely followed by Liverpool Harriers and City of York.
800m
U14 Boys – Henry Richards continued his fine season with 2:08.9 to win bronze in the A string behind Henry Marriott (Rugby) and Archie Hadfield (York). Henry finishes the season ranked 11th in the UK. In the B string, Ashton Jokhiya added a second medal of the day, following his hammer bronze, with silver in 2:21.4.
U14 Girls – Grace Cherry ran 2:23.01 to finish 4th in a competitive A string race, with just two seconds separating her from the winner. In the B string, Chloe Ward ran 2:31.9 for 5th in another closely contested race.
U16 Girls – Eva Prince produced a strong comeback performance to win silver in the B string in 2:29.2 after a season disrupted by injury. With Eva unable to contest the A string, Isla Barron stepped up and collected valuable points despite the 800m not being her specialist event.
U16 Boys – Jonny Nash ran 2:07.4 for 4th in a high-quality A string race won in 1:59.8, continuing an excellent first track season with Woodford. In the B string, Kaden Nelson-Gursoy ran 2:24.6 for 7th after returning from injury this season.
Javelin
U14 Boys – Arvin Uberoi threw 25.01m to finish 7th in the A string. With a PB of 31.60m, Arvin was disappointed with his performance on the day, but he can take confidence from his consistency in training throughout the season. He continues to gain valuable experience across the throws events and has shown great commitment to the team throughout the season.
U14 Girls – Gracie Fayinka produced an excellent throw of 26.10m to win silver in the A string. Gracie represented Essex in the javelin this season while continuing to balance a range of other sporting activities and fully deserved her National Final medal.
U16 Boys – The A string was won by UK No. 1-ranked thrower Theo Nock (Chelt), whose 55.31m was one of the highest-quality performances of the day. Oskar Prince threw 32.10m to finish 7th in the A string, this was impressive given his very recent return from injury. In the B string, Kian Traynor finished 6th with 22.78m. Kian was a key contributor to the clubs’ points tally across multiple throws events.
U16 Girls – Isabelle Stander threw 23.45m to finish 5th in the A string. In the B string, Jessica Arnold was rewarded for a busy day's work with a bronze medal, throwing 20.37m to add another podium finish to Woodford's tally.
Relays
With the final individual events complete, Woodford remained in third, but Liverpool Harriers were within striking distance, making every relay point crucial.
U14 Boys 4 × 100m – Owen Yogalingam, Robert James, Blake Edwards and Henry Richards combined well to finish 4th in 51.09s. Blackheath & Bromley, one of the pre-race favourites, dropped the baton, allowing Liverpool Harriers to take gold ahead of Rugby & Northampton.
U14 Girls 4 × 100m – Joy Emohare, Kamiah Francis-Harriott, Phoebe Quorn and Rida Oluwa produced an excellent performance to claim bronze in 51.76s.
U16 Girls 4 × 100m – Faith Franklin, Cheriss Mason, Maya Robinson and Joy Larinde ran superbly to take silver in 50.05s, finishing less than a second behind Edinburgh and ahead of Liverpool Harriers.
U16 Boys 4 × 100m – Elisha Onilogbo, Nathaniel Sandy, Toby Taylor and Lawrence Foster combined for 4th place in 45.9s in a high-quality race won by Rugby & Northampton in 44.90s.
The final event of the day was the 4 × 300m relay, providing a fitting finale to another terrific National Final.
U16 Boys 4 × 300m – Zakaria Faisal, Bobby Archer, Josiah Franklin and Laurent Modeste-Lesforis produced a superb team performance to win silver in 2:35.5.
U16 Girls 4 × 300m – Autumn Eke-Aluong, Faith Franklin, Joy Larinde and Isabella Moulton saved their best for last, storming to gold in 2:45.6. The quartet led home Blackheath & Bromley and Rugby & Northampton to secure the title and bring the National Final to a brilliant conclusion.
Summary – Another Step Forward
This has been the most challenging season we have faced since setting out five years ago with the ambition of reaching a National Final. Fixture clashes, age-group changes and new events, combined with injuries and athlete availability, meant the squad was regularly having to adapt, with athletes stepping into unfamiliar events and team managers doing all they could to cover the expanded timetable.
Despite those challenges, the team finished runners-up in the league to qualify for Liverpool and then secured a third consecutive National Final bronze medal. That was testament to the commitment of all involved, with every athlete who scored points, covered an event, or answered a late call-up playing their part.
The final itself produced some excellent performances. Woodford recorded the second-highest field-event score of any club, won 48 individual medals and a further four relay medals, producing 64 medals in total. The U16 Girls won their age-group competition, and the U14 Girls finished second, while the boys’ teams both placed 5th in fiercely competitive age-group categories.
While the gap to the two leading clubs showed the level still required to challenge for the title, Woodford once again led the chasing pack, finishing 18.5 points clear of Liverpool Harriers in fourth and 26 points clear of City of York in fifth.
A huge thank you to all the coaches, officials, team managers, volunteers, parents and the committee who made the season possible, and to our Club President Keith Newton for his support at the final. Thanks also to Karen Higgs-Smith for her extraordinary work coordinating transport and accommodation for more than 100 athletes and parents in Liverpool, and to Johnny Ng for his photography throughout the season.
Everyone who played a part can be proud of what they achieved as a team again this season and here’s to 2027!