At the halfway point of the season, clubs have plenty left to fight for over the next two rounds of the National Athletics League.
For the Premiership and Championship clubs, next week’s matches represent the last opportunity to secure a place in either the Cup or Plate finals in Bedford on August 20-21.
Meanwhile, with the Cup final in Bedford offering 16 points for the winners instead of the usual eight, the overall titles remain open despite Thames Valley Harriers and Crawley posting two wins each thus far.
The top eight clubs over the first three rounds in each of the Premiership and Championship will contest the two Cup finals, while the bottom eight clubs will be involved in the Plate finals. National 1 clubs will continue on a round-robin basis for the August match.
Although points over the entire season will decide the final league positions, Cup and Plate trophies will be awarded to the winners of the two Premiership matches and two Championship matches on August 20-21.
The league tables thus far reveal a number of highlights to look forward to:
Overall winners
Thames Valley Harriers have a two-point lead on 16 at the top of the Premiership. At Hendon next week they will face Harrow and Shaftesbury Barnet, who are both on 14, while Blackheath & Bromley Harriers are also on the same number of points in the other match at Woodford. With 16 down to 9 points awarded to teams in the Cup final matches (and 8 down to 1 in the Plate), next week is unlikely to be the decider, though.
In the Championship, Crawley likewise have 16 points. In the next round in Bournemouth, they will face Chelmsford, who are two points behind. Sale, who are also on 14, will take their place in the match in Stevenage.
Who will gain the Cup places?
Just one point separates five teams from 8th to 12th in the seasonal standings in the Premiership. Sheffield & Dearne, with eight points, are currently in pole position from among them to claim one of the eight spots in the Cup final. However, Swansea, Glasgow, Birchfield and Notts are all on seven points and even Cardiff, on six points, are not out of it.
In the Championships, Herts Phoenix are eight on eight points, followed by Herne Hill (7) and Bournemouth (6).
Follow the action at Hendon
Vinco will livestream the Premiership match at Hendon on July 2, where three of the top four clubs will be in action, as well as both finals in Bedford. You can watch one match for £4.95 or purchase a season ticket for £14.95.
