ATHLETICS

WOODFORD Green Athletic Club with Essex Ladies retained the invitational Blue Island Cup on Guernsey with a hard-fought win.

The Essex-based club beat Sale Harriers Manchester by three clubs and host club Channel Islands AC.

With the 4x400m relays to run, the club held a slender single point advantage over Sale. But the women's team of Ruth Brereton, Jess Sparke, Katie Skelding and Tara Bird set a new island all-comers record of 3mins 51.1secs to win and clinch their match.

The men also beat Sale, although their race was won by a very strong Channel Islands team.

New records were also set by Nusrat Ceesay (400mH), Jess Sparke (mile), Kat Sparke(3,000m) and Damien Moss (800m).

The women produced seven individual track winners in addition to winning both relays.

Ceesay's victory over 400mH in 59.30 was followed by a second place finish in the 100mH in 14.90.

Louise Wood took both sprints, winning the 100m in 11.99 and the 200m in 25.42.

Katie Skelding placed a close second in the 400m in 57.19, while Bird comfortably won over 800m, by five seconds in 2:09.30.

There were similarly emphatic wins by the Sparke twins, as Jess took the mile in 4:43.53, and Kat the 3,000m in 9:30.42.

In the field, Jo Duncan won the shot with 14.71m, Stephane Aneto the triple jump with 12.46m and Emma Smith the javelin with 38.76m.

There were second placings for Sarah Smith in the hammer with 43.61m, Hollie Redman in the discus with 37.78m and Sam Moodie in the high jump with 1.55m.

Zainab Ceesay was third in the long jump with 5.50m.

The men were not so dominant, but performances were led by a Moss' fine 1:49.92 front-run 800m, and by Tim Abeyie, who took the 100m in 10.88.

Richard Scott was third over 400mH with 56.20, while Ashley Mildenhall picked up useful points over both 200m and the mile, clocking 22.98 for fifth and 4:35.74 for sixth respectively.

In the field, Gareth Dyball was the only winner with a 1.95m high jump clearance.

Carl Fletcher was secnd in the shot with 16.30m and third in the discus with 41.68m.Jay Boddington was second in the javelin with 55.00m.

Ezekiel Ewolu found a 7.07m long jump only good enough for fourth, a position occupied by both Sayo Ojo in the triple jump with 12.79m, and Fergus Harford in the hammer with 33.95m.

The 4x100m team was fourth and the 4x400m team placed second.

MEANWHILE, Woodford youngsters Anthony Oshodi and Alex Cornwell achieved fine second places at the UK School Games in Bath.

The multi-sport event matches teams from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with teams from the nine England Athletics regions, the Woodford pair representing East England.

Cornwell ran 8:36.46 in the 3,000m, settling down behind the leader and opening up on the last lap only to be overtaken by rival Jonny Hay with 200m to go.

Their times put them top of the U17 national rankings, while Cornwell's time saw him break the U17 club record.

Oshodi threw 18.06m, 80cm short of winner Michael Wheeler. Their positions continue to reflect their respective statuses in the current national U17 rankings.

Paul Scanlan (representing England London) finished sixth in his 800m heat in 2:03.15, before partnering Woodford's Austin Joseph and athletes from Enfield and Blackheath in a silver-medal winning London 4x400m team.

ELSEWHERE, there was a double hurdles victory for Francis Smith at the Scottish Championships.

Smith took the 400m title in 52.63 and the 110m in 14.7 (+0.2).

Andy Frost was also victorious, taking the hammer title with 66.70. In the long jump, Alasdair Strange's 6.95m effort saw him place third.

AND Olympic finalists Sarah Claxton and Jeanette Kwakye were both in action at the Aviva Gateshead British Grand Prix on Sunday.

Claxton was fourth in the 100mH in 13.16 (+0.4), and Kwakye seventh in the 100m with 11.62.