Woking Athletics Club’s senior team got their Southern Athletics League season off to a good start in their first fixture of the season at Southampton, with Woking finishing second overall behind winners Brighton & Hove.

After the first match they are sixth in their 18-team league, which is a good start as they look to improve on their final position of seventh last season.

There were a number of double wins across the afternoon boosting Woking’s final total points score. There was a clean sweep in the men’s hurdle races with David Awde and Ian Horlock getting the day off to the perfect start in the 400 metre hurdles by winning the A and B races. This was repeated in the 110 metre hurdles with multi-talented Kaspars Kazemaks winning with an impressive time of 15.8 seconds while in his debut at the senior height. Harry Findlay was just behind in 16.2 seconds.

The other double win on the tack involving barriers came in the 3,000 metre steeplechase with David Brighton winning by just over three seconds in a time of ten minutes 27.4 seconds – just two seconds outside of the club’s record – with Martin Sunderland winning the B race.

David Brighton won the 3,000 metre steeplechase
David Brighton won the 3,000 metre steeplechase (Woking Athletics Club)

In the sprints there were a number of impressive performances. There was a comfortable win for Rhys Chadwick in the 400 metres with a time of 50.8 seconds, just two tenths of a second shy of his personal best time. Jake Etherington was just outside 11 seconds in the 100 metres, running 11.1 seconds for third place before running a personal best in the 200 metres with a very good time of 22.1 seconds to finish just one tenth of a second behind the winner.

In the field events there was a double win for Woking in the men’s pole vault with George Hopkins winning with 3.60 metres, with Awde winning the B event with 3.40 metres. Hopkins was also second in the B string long jump, with Findlay filling the same position in the A event, while he was second in the triple jump and third in the javelin with Roy Chambers finishing second in the B event.

Harry Findlay in action in the long jump
Harry Findlay in action in the long jump (Woking Athletics Club)

In the women’s events the main points winners came in the endurance events with Lola Roake winning the B race of the 800 metres. Imogen Freeman won a tightly-fought 1,500 metres with just two seconds covering the first three athletes, while Klara Hassall was second in the 3,000 metres and Claire Brittain won the B race.

Woking’s next fixture will be at their home track at Woking Sports Box on Saturday, June 15.

For more information about Woking Athletics Club visit https://wokingac.com/