Written by Alex Seftel

The first round of National Athletics League fixtures are coming your way across the Premiership, Championship and National One divisions this Sunday 11th July.

Sixteen clubs will take part in the top two divisions – split into A and B fixtures which both have two groups of eight clubs – while there are five teams in a single fixture in the National One as detailed on our fixtures page.

Premiership Division Fixture 1A – Manchester

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Several Great Britain internationals are set to take part in the opening event at Manchester’s SportCity stadium, the same venue as next month’s UK Athletics Championships.

This includes shot putter Amelia Strickler, who returns for Thames Valley Harriers having won all six National Athletics League matches she has taken part in. She will compete alongside the reigning British champion Adele Nicoll of Birchfield, Chelmsford’s Jess Hopkins of Chelmsford and City of Sheffield and Dearne’s Sophie Merritt.

Nicoll also goes in the discus, which has one of the weekend’s strongest fields, headlined by Commonwealth silver medallist Jade Lally of TVH, her long-time rival Kirsty Law of Sale Harriers, and promising young athlete Zara Obamakinwa of Blackheath and Bromley who is just 15cm off Eden Francis’ UK under-20 record of 55.28m.

Olympic finalist and local athlete Abigail Irozuru is entered in the long jump for Sale Harriers, looking to get close to the 6.85 World Athletics Championships qualifying standard and 6.75, the same event’s invite consideration standard set by UK Athletics.

A strong hammer competition features two women over 65 metres – Jess Mayho (Birchfield) and Kayleigh Presswell (TVH). Other female field eventers to watch out for include Blackheath and Bromley’s Sophie Dowson, who cleared a personal best of 4.05m indoors, while Birchfield’s seven-time NAL event winner Emma Hamplett goes in the javelin looking for a hat-trick of first places in this Sportcity fixture.

Trafford heptathlete Abi Pawlett is among the other names on the javelin entry list, who comes in off-the-back of selection for the European Team Championships in the 100m hurdles in which she is set to run here against teammate Alicia Barrett.

In turn, Barrett is expected to run the 100m flat, with Diani Walker of Birchfield and Rachel Miller of TVH also listed.

Walker is on the 200m entries with Sale’s Rachel Bennett and TVH’s Annie Tagoe, but Blackheath’s Louise Evans feels the most likely winner, having improved to 23.51 in Oordegem last month.

Evans also joins the 400m which includes Trafford’s Hannah Kelly and an unusual full-lap entry for Swansea Harriers’ Hannah Brier, while TVH’s Nicole Kendall is included for the flat, as well as in her favoured 400m hurdles event too in which Birchfield’s Ese Okoro joins.

Niamh Bridson-Hubbard of Blackheath and Bromley – a winner for the Fastrax NAL team at the Loughborough International – is down for the 1500m and 3000m – with teammate Angus Harrington the pick of the names for the men’s 800m and Welsh international Jonny Hopkins going in the steeplechase for Swansea.

Another of Blackheath’s top names is high jumper Kelechi Aguocha, while other promising male field athletes include Swansea shot putter Patrick Swan, who is fourth in the UK this year, while Chuks Osammor of Sheffield and Dearne is 8th.

Another with high hopes for the Yorkshire club is George Heppinstall of Sheffield and Dearne, with the pole vaulter facing a great rival in Jake Watson of Birchfield Harriers. Watson’s teammate Jack Phipps and Swansea’s Thomas Walley are also involved – the latter two having gone over 5.10 indoors this year.

Premiership Division Fixture 1B – Eton

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European 400m bronze medallist Alex Haydock-Wilson is up to his usual versatile tricks with Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow as he goes in the 100m and 200m alongside two-time European 4x100m champion James Ellington of Newham and Essex Beagles.

The international theme continues with Harrow’s European under-23 heptathlon medallist Holly Mills entered for a number of events including the 100m hurdles and the long jump where she will face fellow a multi-eventer in the shape of Emma Nwofor (NEB) and Jodie Smith (WSEH) in those respective disciplines.

Later in the afternoon, Mills and Smith are likely to feature again in the shot put, in which Glasgow Jaguars’ Teddy Tchoudja has set a 15.33 personal best this year.

19-year-old European under-20 100m medallist Joy Eze (Harrow) is one of the most exciting talents in the women’s sprints (200m), with her team-mate Hilary Gode  – France’s Mediterranean U23 indoor silver medallist – going in the 100m and Scotland’s Commonwealth Games finalist Rebecca Matheson (Woodford Green with Essex Ladies) set to run both events.

Another top Scot who runs for the same club is 400m hurdler Jack Lawrie (WGEL) who recently won the Loughborough International for his country, with Orla Brennan (WSEH) a contender in the women’s event having lowered her best to 58.25s this season.

In terms of sprint hurdling, Cameron Fillery (WGEL), going against Miguel Perera (Harrow) and Callum Holder (Crawley) will be a battle worth watching, as well Fillery’s teammate Phil Norman’s fight against Perera’s fellow club-man Dan Howells in the 1500m.

Another competition to keep a close eye on could be in the women’s hammer where Katie Head of Newham and Essex is up against guest Lottie Payne.

It will be interesting to see what Newham’s 2021 European Team Championships representative for GB, Revee Walcott-Nolan can do in the 800m, having run 2:01.47 this year – four tenths off her lifetime best.

Crawley also have strong representation in the men’s 400m through 2021 British champion Nic Baker, with National Athletics League record-holder (all-time including British Athletics League since 1969) Rabah Yousif (NEB) entered along with Jamal Rhoden-Stevens (SBH).

There is also a reigning British indoor champion involved in the shape of triple jumper Mary Elcock (WGEL), who faces British Universities’ (BUCS) winner Adelaide Omitowoju (Harrow).

Six of the top eleven in the UK this year are on the women’s discus entry list, led by Amy Holder (WSEH) and also including Phoebe Dowson (WSEH), Taia Tunstall (Harrow), Samantha Callaway (NEB), Danielle Broom (WGEL) and Meghan Porterfield (Glasgow Jaguars).

Top men’s field hopefuls include Greg Thompson (Shaftesbury Barnet) Youcef Zatat in the shot put (WGEL), Jake Norris (WSEH) in the hammer, Akin Coward (SBH) in the high jump, and Bera Ajala (Jaguars) in the triple jump.

Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth finalist Ellen McCartney (WGEL) goes in the pole vault, as does Megan Bailey (Harrow), and Felicia Miloro (Notts AC).