NAL Premiership Round 3 – Birmingham – Saturday 16th August
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Written by Alex Seftel
Harrow AC won their first ever UK league title at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, breaking Thames Valley Harriers‘ (TVH) hold on the crown that the latter had won four times in a row.
Tony Bush’s team had never been crowned champions across either the National Athletics League, or it’s previous guises as the British Athletics League (BAL) or UK Women’s Athletics League, when genders competed separately.
They had been level on league points with TVH going into the decider and took their second match victory of the year by a comfortable 97-point margin, thanks to wins from international athletes such as Nick Percy, and impressive sprint performances from the likes of Joy Eze that included a lockout of all four 100m victories.
While Percy’s distance of 55.69 may not have been that much to write home about, his career record speaks for itself. He has now won nine NAL discus competitions, maintaining his unbeaten record since the event reformed for 2021. But he has a total of 13 A-string victories since 2014 if you include the old BAL meetings.
TVH still got off to their usual strong start on the track. Samuel Clarke and Chris McAlister took what-are-by-now their customary 400m hurdles wins. Sophie Elliss and Jessie Tappin nearly repeated the feat in the women’s event, with a second place in the A race and first place in the B race respectively.
That gave the reigning champions a slender lead in the overall standings, but Harrow soon turned that around as Luke Dorrell, Jahde Williams, Nia Wedderburn-Goodison and Eze enjoyed first places in the 100m.
As a result, the club led by 32 points approaching the halfway stage, and by 87 points with 10 disciplines left to be scored. It meant that the pressure was off by the time that European under-23 champion Poppy Malik brought them home for victory in the 4x400m.
Indeed, both the crowd and viewers at home were on the edge of their seats for a cracking last race of the day in the men’s 4x400m. Harrow’s Adrien Coulibaly held of a charging Efe Okoro to seal victory in yet another discipline by just 0.04 seconds from hosts Birchfield Harriers.
Last year, the home club achieved third place at the season-ending meeting to stay up by the skin of their teeth. They were third and very strong again this year, and fortunately had already all-but secured their place in next season’s Premiership before the day started. Okoro’s 46.99-clocking was good for victory in the individual 400m, before Kadar Omar and Omar Ahmed secured a glorious one-two in the 3000m. Consequently, the club moved up three places in the overall season standings, pipping Glasgow Jaguars to third place.
Jaguars’ started the day off strongly with top spot for long jumper Hannah Wallace achieved by leaping out to 5.99. In doing so, she beat Harrow’s Ruby Jerges and Alice Hopkins, who represented Great Britain at the World University Games and European Athletics Indoor Championships respectively.
Later in the day, maximum points were again collected by another woman in pink and black as Beth Ansell dominated the 3000m to win by over nine seconds in a time of 9:42.27. That allowed the Scottish side to clinch fifth in the match standings and a fourth-placed finish in the end-of-year table.
One place above them in Birmingham, City of Sheffield and Dearne again benefitted from Lee Thompson’s resurgent form, as he won the 200m in 21.09. Meanwhile, Rob Shipley extended his unbeaten record in NAL 800m races to six, holding off a strong field that included Harrow’s Dan Howells and TVH’s Basil Rock. But, the club’s relegation after a year in the Premiership is confirmed, along with bottom of the table Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.
Hayley McLean did the 400m hurdles and 400m flat double on what was otherwise a tough day for those in the black and white stripes.
Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow (WSEH) regulars Charlotte Payne and Jake Norris made sure that the club won every Premiership hammer competition this year. Payne went over 70 metres for the first time in 2025 with 70.03, while Norris’ best effort was 73.74, with both competing in hope of furthering their chances of World Championship selection. WSEH’s sixth on the day saw them claim fifth overall.
That was just ahead of Woodford Green with Essex Ladies’ in both instances. Ethan Akanni surged to victory in the 110m hurdles in what was one of the team’s biggest moments to smile.
