BOLTON Harriers women's teams travelled to the Isle of Man last Sunday ready to battle to defend their position in Division Three of the Northern league.

Athletes took every available place on ferries and planes from Manchester and Liverpool to ensure that the maximum number of athletes got to the match.

Liz Proctor had two good wins in the 800m and 1500m together with good performances in the 400m, long jump and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Emma Richardson was determined to make her reappearance in the team a memorable one, competing in the seven events, including a gruelling 100, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles and triple jump.

Josie Greenhalgh competed in nine events including a win in the 100m hurdles in her debut at the event.

Debbie Hales, who is normally more used to officiating, was intent on making an impact on the club's best performance listings. She was second with personal bests in the discus and shot putt and was almost drafted into a spare place in the 400m.

Chris Parker justified her late inclusion with a personal best in the discus for the first in the 'B' event together with a win in the 800m 'B'. Chris and Debbie only managed one throw in the javelin before they had to be rushed off by taxi to make their return flight. The under-17 and under-15 squads were the strongest the club has put out for a number of years. There were a host of personal bests and first places as they battled for every point.

There were wins for Emma Holt in the javelin and newcomer Carla Elding in the 'A' 200m, 'B' discus and long jump.

Hazel Carwardine had second places in the 80m hurdles, 100m and long jump and, as a guest in the senior triple jump, increased her personal best by almost a metre with an effort which would have won the event. Karen Dodds and Kelly Ratcliffe made up the final members of the under-17 squad, Karen competing in the 100m and 300m while Kelly performed in the 800m, 300m and high jump before combining with Carla and Hazel for the team's best performance in the under-17 relay to snatch second position.

In the under-15, county champion Sam Aspen dominated the field in the 800m to win in 2.24.9 and also competed in the long jump and relay.

Emma Thornton continued her improvement in preparation for the English Schools this weekend by breaking the 30m barrier for the first time in the javelin with a win with 30.98m.

Her all round ability was also shown with a win in the 'B' 200m and a solid run in the 100m.

Leanne Wrenn also smashed her personal bests in the discus and shot throwing 7.39m in the shot and then combining with Gemma Brabbin for a double win in the discus in which she threw 26.06m.

The other individual winner of the afternoon in the under-15 was Laura Gerrard in the 'B' long jump with 3.92m.

Emma Lowe had good runs in the 100m and 200m, taking third position with 13.5 and 27.9. Emma Sheehy took second in the high jump with a competition best of l.37m and then went on to compete in the 8Om hurdles and did the 1500m to cap the day. Deborah Walsh completed the line-up in running the 1500m in 6mins 22. These performances put the Harriers in contention from the start and throughout the afternoon, it became apparent that the team was not fighting relegation but had a chance of winning the match.

Kendall were particularly strong, but at one stage the team was in the lead.

The club could not afford to lose any points as the last events neared. The only difficulty was that there were not sufficient senior members for the relays as the timing of the return flight meant that some of the team had to return before the end of the match.

Eve Aspen and Sandra Ratcliffe had travelled to the Isle of Man to watch their daughters compete. As the only available people they were immediately signed up as team members, kitted in club colours and put on the track. Both ran the 4x100m relay and then Sandra doubled up by competing in the more gruelling 4x400m.

Their efforts secured second position for the team and lifted them to second overall in the league.

With one match remaining, the Harriers will not be fighting against relegation but for promotion. Any spectators wishing to travel to the match at Whitehaven on August 10 are advised to take their kit just in case!

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