Percy, Eze, Haydock-Wilson and Payne headline NAL Premiership opener entries

NAL Premiership Round 1 – Derby – Saturday 23rd May

Start lists and results on OpenTrack

Written by Alex Seftel

Harrow AC will hope to start off their National Athletics League (NAL) Premiership title defence with a strong performance in Derby on Saturday, as Thames Valley Harriers (TVH) look to reclaim the crown.

The reigning champions’ team features some of their regular stars including Olympian Nick Percy, who won all three discus competitions in 2025. 2023 European under-20 champion Joy Eze is down for the 100m, having won the B string event in Birmingham last August, the day before she smashed her personal best with a time of 11.14 at the Stratford Speed Grand Prix.

One event in which Harrow and Thames Valley athletes feature in an exciting head-to-head battle is the men’s high jump. Great Britain international Joel Clarke-Khan (TVH) and Harrow’s Divine Duruaku have cleared 2.22m this year, the latter setting that new personal best at the University of Birmingham last month. Charlie Husbands (Birchfield Harriers) – a the joint-reigning UK gold medallist alongside Duruaku – also features.

There were just 3.5 league points between third and sixth in the overall standings last year, with Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow (WSEH) always sending a team full of international quality. Two-time Olympic medallist Alex Haydock-Wilson is down for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, with UK champion Michael Allison in the javelin, and hammer thrower Charlotte Payne additionally entering the discus and shot put.

In her favoured event, Payne faces strong opponents in the shape of Woodford Green with Essex Ladies’ (WGEL) Katie Head and TVH’s Kayleigh Cresswell. The same men’s event is missing Jake Norris, but WSEH do still have Olympian Taylor Campbell, who is set to face the likes of Commonwealth Games eighth-placer Craig Murch (Birchfield). Another of WGEL’s throwing hopes will be experienced discus thrower Kirsty Law.

One of Glasgow Jaguars’ best opportunities for points could come in the long jump through Hannah Wallace. She was fourth in Derby last year, but none of the three who finished ahead of her appear to be entered this time around. The Scottish team won the women’s 4x400m at the opening round of the season 12 months ago, with Mhairi Patience and Kathryn Christie returning to their relay pool again. Patience is expected to do the shorter individual events of 100m and 100m hurdles, instead of the 400m hurdles in which Harrow’s Steph Okoro is the favourite. Bera Ajala goes in the men’s long jump and triple jump, facing Great Britain’s Archie Yeo (TVH) in the former. In the women’s event, UK bronze medallist Silver Nwabuzor’s new personal best of 12.61 this month will boost her hopes of doing well in a competition headlined by 2024 UK indoor champion Lily Hulland, who competes alongside her sister Jasmine (both TVH) and UK silver medallist Shanara Hibbert (WGEL).

The London side have another national champion in the women’s pole vault, with 2025 UK indoor title winner Nemiah Munir meeting last year’s UK outdoor silver and bronzer medallists Tilly Hooper (Birchfield) and Felicia Miloro (TVH), along with BUCS indoor champion Hollie Jupp (WGEL).

The NAL welcomes Swansea Harriers and Tonbridge AC, who were promoted from the Championship last season. As ever, Tonbridge rely on herculean multi-tasking efforts from their decathletes and heptathletes and it is great to see Harry Kendall and Lewis Church at the league’s top level. The former has entered for the 110m hurdles, javelin, shot put and discus, with the latter down for the 200m, high jump, long jump and 4x100m. Also looking busy is their British Universities’ indoor silver medallist Asha Root, who could be involved in the 100m, 200m, 400m and both relays.

11-times UK shot put medallist Patrick Swan played an important role in Swansea’s promotion push and he goes in the discus and hammer too.

It will be interesting to follow the progress of world masters record holder Kirstie Booth in the steeplechase (TVH), while her club’s long-time women’s team manager Manuel da Silva appears to be entered himself in the men’s pole vault. You can never write off Thames Valley in terms of spirit and depth and the likes of BUCS indoor champions Ariyanna McGee doing the 100m and 100m hurdles and Charlotte Buckley down for the 800m and 1500m will give them a great chance of success.