Manx athletes excel in Northern Track and Field League

Team Isle of Man athletes produced another outstanding display in the Northern Track and Field League recently to secure a convincing victory at Wavertree in Liverpool.

This meant the islanders strengthened their position at the top of the six-team West 1S Division standings.

The Manx squad amassed an impressive 448 points, finishing nearly 100 points clear of their nearest rivals and extending their overall league lead after two of the four matches.

The result was built on a combination of individual excellence and squad depth, with Isle of Man athletes delivering across the full programme of track, field and relay events.

Significantly, the team topped both the men's and women's standings on the day, underlining the strength of the squad.

Among the standout performances was Sam Perry, who travelled up from Loughborough University to claim victory in the men's 800 metres A race in one minute 56.30 seconds.

Ben Sinclair also enjoyed an excellent day, storming to victory in the men's 400m A race in 49.78 seconds before adding valuable points with a third-place finish in the long jump.

Fellow sprinter Daniel Stewart-Clague was another key contributor, finishing second in the men's 100m and 200m A races while also collecting points in the throwing events.

In the field, Zac Woodward continued his impressive development by winning the men's pole vault with a clearance of 4.30m, one of the performances of the day and a new personal best. He also finished third in the triple jump to add further points to the Manx total.

The women's team matched their male counterparts with a series of outstanding performances. Aimee Christian led the way by winning the women's 400m hurdles in 66.26 seconds and later finishing second in the 100m hurdles.

Elsewhere, Carla Teece returned from injury to produce a strong second-place finish in the women's 100m, while Abi Sinclair claimed second place in the 800m A race and played an important role in the team’s later relay success.

The distance runners also made a major contribution, with Dawn Atherton winning the women's 3000m A race and Laura Dickinson taking victory in the B race to complete an Isle of Man double.

Team Isle of Man's dominance was particularly evident in the relay events. The men's 4x100m team of Alex Bell, Finlay Taggart, Ben Sinclair and Daniel Stewart-Clague secured first place, while the women's quartet of Lucy Ormsby, Molly Phillips, Lara Smith and Carla Teece also claimed victory in the 4x100m relay.

The mixed 4x400 metres relays were run in the league for the first time, with Team IoM winning both to complete a quartet of relay victories.

The A team of Alex Bell, Aimee Christian, Abi Sinclair and Ben Sinclair therefore set a new Isle of Man record for the event with their time of 3m 49.78s.

With victories spread throughout the programme and strong scoring performances in almost every event contested, Team Isle of Man demonstrated both quality and depth with many personal best performances.

They look set to win the division and return to the Western Premier Division next season.

Many thanks go to team manager Petra Atchison and all the officials who travelled with the team for their contribution to a very successful day in Liverpool.

DAVID GRIFFITHS