NAL Premiership Round 3 – Eton – Saturday 22nd August
Written by Alex Seftel
Thames Valley Harriers are looking to reclaim the National Athletics League Premiership title in the final match of the season at Eton this Saturday 22nd August.
The four-time NAL winners are leading the standings by two league points ahead of reigning champions Harrow AC. That means that a top two finish on Saturday would seal the title for TVH, as Harrow must be at least two places higher than their rivals in order to make up the deficit.
If Harrow do finish two places higher than TVH to draw level on league points, they must also make up the gap of 149 individual match points. If Harrow finish three or more places higher than TVH, the title would simply be theirs on league points. TVH have consistently been in the top two since the NAL was reformed for the 2021 season, and were nearly 200 points ahead of third place in their most recent victory in Woodford.
Their team includes a strong sprinting contingent featuring world medallists Bianca Williams (4x100m) and Annie Tagoe (100m), along with Commonwealth Games relay runners Kaya Slater (100m, 200m, 4x100m) and Louise Evans (200m and 4x100m) and European semi-finalist Emma Nwofor (100m and 100m hurdles). The depth available over those shorter distances is such that former GB under-20 international Jasmine Wilkins – a 2025 BUCS champion over 200m – looks set to make her competitive 400m debut. In the field, their squad includes European long jump finalist Archie Yeo, 2024 UK indoor triple jump champion Lily Hulland and 2025 UK indoor pole vault gold medallist Nemiah Munir. After doing the 800m and 1500m double in Derby and achieving a 3000m win and 800m second place in Woodford, Charlotte Buckley will do the 400m and 800m in Eton.
Harrow have selected Commonwealth Games pole vault bronze medallist Owen Heard, with Poppy Malik in the 4x400m coming off the back of being in the squad that won silver in the mixed event in Glasgow. Regular winner Nick Percy is down for the discus as well as shot put, with Charlotte Payne doing the hammer and Divine Duruaku entered for the high jump. Commonwealth Youth Games champion Stephanie Okoro will hope for maximum points in the 400m hurdles, before doing the 400m flat. Former European under-20 champion Joy Eze is set for a busy day with involvement in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m.
Woodford Green with Essex Ladies are locked in a battle for third place in the table with Glasgow Jaguars, with both level on 11 league points and separated by only nine match points. Veteran discus thrower Kirsty Law features for those in green and white, along with former GB under-20 international Olivia Dobson in the shot put and 2022 UK indoor champion Sam Khogali in the long jump. Rising talent Noa Chodokufa – a recent World Under-20 4x400m bronze medallist – is down for the 200m and 4x400m. She ran a sensational leg to secure top spot in the latter event in Derby and the team looks strong again with Rebecca Matheson, Kyra White and Natalie Groves entered.
The Scottish team have Alyson Bell and Lucy Fraser returning from Commonwealth duty to take part in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m, with 2024 World Under-20 silver medallist Dean Patterson down for the same three events on the men’s side. Jaguars won the 4x100m in Woodford after a second-placed finish in the first match in Derby, so should be a threat in that event with hurdler Erin Campbell, Kathryn Christie and Sarah Malone among potential inclusions. Multi-eventer Amy Kennedy should pick up a decent handful of points across the high jump, javelin, shot put and 200m.
The fight to avoid relegation is likely to go down to the very final events of the afternoon. Swansea Harriers are four league points behind their three nearest rivals and therefore face an uphill task to avoid being in the bottom two overall come the end of the season. Above them,. Tonbridge AC, Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow and Birchfield Harriers are all level on six league points, meaning their separation goes down to points collected in individual fixtures. Tonbridge – who were promoted up from the Championship last year – are only eight match points clear of WSEH, with Birchfield a further 27.50 behind.
A third-place finish in Birmingham in the final round of last year helped hosts Birchfield escape relegation last season, but this time it’s WSEH who have home advantage. As ever, their team have GB regulars including regular winner Jake Norris in the hammer alongside Tara Simpson-Sullivan. Three of Norris’ top seven competitions have come in the NAL, though the league record has stood at 77.54 to Martin Girvan since 1984. Alex Haydock-Wilson goes in the 100m and 4x400m and 2023 European under-20 bronze medallist Michael Allison is among the top javelin contenders.
Birchfield’s side includes Commonwealth silver medallist Jake Minshull, who is joined by 48.89s runner Efe Okoro in the 400m hurdles, though the latter is also down for the 400m and shot put. 2022 Commonwealth Games eighth placer Craig Murch goes in the hammer, with sprinter Amy Hillyard in the women’s 400m and 4x400m, and 2025 UK silver medallist Tilly Hooper in the pole vault.
Tonbridge will ask a lot of Team England’s Lewis Church – who may end up doing the hammer, javelin, pole vault, shot put and 110m hurdles – while fellow decathlete Harry Kendall concentrates on the discus, long jump, 400m and 4x100m. Higgins brothers Jack and Ted could win an 800m and 1500m double between them, while Asha Root may end up involved in the 100m, 200m, 400m and both relays.
Joe Brier – part of the squad that won European 4x400m gold in 2022 with Haydock-Wilson – is down for the 200m with Swansea. His sister Hannah ended up being a late entrant in Woodford, though the team appear to be without experienced UK shot put medallist Patrick Swan in the throws events.