MEDWAY and Maidstone travelled to Sutcliffe Park on Saturday for the second Southern Womens League. It was a difficult day as the wind was strong, which affected some of the results. However, there were three new club records, some personal bests, and the team finished only three points behind Dartford in a close finish.

Nicola Plews took the 100m hurdle club record down to 14.5secs as she decimated the opposition to win the A string, then completed a double hurdle victory as she won the B 400m hurdles.

Natalie Gray was another to break a club record in the 1500m as she won in 5m0.9secs with Emma Harraden claiming another double as she won the B race in 5m8.5secs.

The third club record to go was the U15 shot putt as Rebecca Shelton increased it by 1cm to 8m18cm. She also contested the javelin with Tamsin Burling who had a great series to improve her personal best to 15m76cm.

U17 Claire Welch had a good day as she won the senior 100m with a personal best of 12.6secs and also the 80m hurdles in another personal best performance of 12.3secs.

Hannah Biddiss was another U17 athlete on form as she equalled her personal best of 26.6secs winning the 200m with Chloe Williams just being pipped for first in the B race.

Stacey Gardiner was unlucky to be disqualified in the 75m hurdles as she touched the first hurdle with her hand but she more than made up for it by winning the U15 100m in a new personal best time of 12.9secs. She had a full day also throwing the discus where she was joined by U13 athlete Simone Marner.

Catherine Wearing won the A 75m hurdles in 11.7secs and also claimed second in the high jump.

Another athlete in top form was Dawn Copping with 4m58cm in the long jump and she then increased her triple jump best by nearly a metre to 8m13cm.

The windy conditions affected Gemma Dowsett in the pole vault but in spite of her disappointment at her 2m90 vault she gained maximum points for the team.

The conditions didn't seem to affect Sophie Copping as she ran an excellent 64.2secs in her first attempt at the 400m to claim second.

Laura Tapson came close to breaking the U15 club 100m record in a personal best of 12.8secs to win the B string by nearly 5m. The U15 200m sprinters had a much tougher task on their hands, but both Charlotte Mackie and Yasmin Joseph added to the points tally.

Jenny Collins claimed victory and a new personal best in the 300m hurdles, although she is likely to improve that further soon as she stuttered coming into the penultimate hurdle.

The U15 middle-distance runners had a tough task but Harriet Fairhurst, 1500m, and Kelly Saul, 800m, both grabbed some more vital points.

The relays provided more excitement. The senior 4 x 100m team of Plews, Williams, Hussey and Welch were third in a close race, while the 4 x 400m team of Harraden, Hussey, D. Copping and S. Copping finished second.

The U15 girls provided the most thrilling finish as the team of Tapson, Shelton, Mackie and Gardiner just squeezed out Tonbridge by two one hundredths of a second.