Team Kennet brought their 2026 Wessex Young Athletes League campaign to a close at Swindon on Sunday, with soaring temperatures and blustery conditions making for a challenging final fixture of the season.

Despite several athletes being unavailable due to holidays, other competitions and the extreme heat, Team Kennet produced another determined team performance to finish 4th overall, only a handful of points behind second place. Hosts Swindon Harriers claimed victory on the day with a dominant display.

The standout achievement came from the Under 14 Girls, who arrived at the final fixture unbeaten and leading their age group league. Although they were narrowly beaten into second place on the day by the hosts, it was enough to secure the 2026 Wessex Young Athletes Under 14 Girls League title – a fantastic reward for their consistency throughout the season.

The day began perfectly in the 1500m, where Quin Joyce and Maisie McCurtin delivered a superb one-two for Team Kennet, winning the A and B string races in 5:03 and 5:07 respectively.

Another victory followed in the High Jump, where Orlagh Stratford, currently ranked UK No.1 for her age group, comfortably won after clearing 1.50m, only just clipping the bar on her next attempt. McCurtin added another B string victory with 1.30m, while Joyce matched that height in the non-scoring competition.

There were more strong performances in the throws. Isla Ladds threw 25.69m for second in the Discus, while Ayla Wyvill claimed second in the B string with 14.68m. In the Javelin, Matilda Clare finished second with 28.10m, while Ella McDonald won the B string with an excellent 23.83m. Ladds also took second in the Shot Put with 6.35m, alongside Affra Bailey, who finished second in the B string with 5.35m.

The Long Jump saw Ladds jump 4.30m for third, with Clare also taking third in the B string with 3.76m. Bailey battled well for fourth in a fast 800m A race, clocking 2:37.3, while Stratford finished third in the B string. Clare was involved in a thrilling finish in the 200m, being awarded second place in 28.54, while Stratford finished third in 29.83. In the 100m, Karaleia Bamfield placed fifth in 14.3, with McCurtin sixth in the B string in 15.5.

Team Kennet also fielded two relay teams in the 4×100m, with Stratford, Clare, Bamfield and Ladds finishing runners-up in 57.5 seconds, closely followed by Wyvill, McDonald, McCurtin and Bailey in 59.0 seconds.

Returning from the English Schools Championships, Turkay Altuntas produced a sensational clean sweep in the Under 18 Men’s throws, winning all three events. He set a new Wessex League Discus record with 51.13m, while also winning the Shot Put with 14.06m and the Javelin with 24.80m.

The Under 16 Boys also enjoyed an outstanding afternoon in the field events. Noah Lauder Clark opened with a superb 50.09m Javelin throw to take victory, while fellow English Schools competitor Berkay Altuntas claimed wins in both the Discus and Shot Put. Berkay threw 45.16m in the Discus, narrowly missing his own league record, before completing a hat-trick of victories with 14.80m in the Shot Put. Noah added valuable points with fourth in the High Jump, clearing 1.45m, while Owen Tilsley won the B string with 1.40m.

On the track, Lauder Clark and Oliver Young both finished third in their respective 300m races, recording 41.88 and 41.99. Young later finished fourth in the 200m (25.1) and fifth in the 100m (12.09), while Tilsley placed fourth in both B string sprint races.

With only one Under 14 Boy available, Alfie Cronk showed great commitment by contesting three throwing events, finishing second in the Discus (18.71m), fourth in the Shot Put (6.91m) and third in the Javelin.

Competing as Team Kennet’s sole Under 18 Girl, Zoe Dickson won the Discus with 20.67m before taking second in the Shot Put with 7.81m.

The Under 16 Girls finished third overall in their age group. Olivia Bentley ran an excellent race to finish second in the 800m in 2:28.9. Olivia Rayfield placed fifth in the 100m before improving to fourth in the 200m with 29.7, while Ella Cronk finished fourth in the B string 200m in 29.89 and fifth in the 300m in 48.88. Rayfield and Cronk both secured third places in the Long Jump with jumps of 4.10m and 3.57m respectively, while Jessie McCurtin was unfortunately forced to withdraw from the High Jump through injury after clearing 1.20m.

The final fixture rounded off another successful Wessex League campaign for Team Kennet. While fourth place overall reflected a squad stretched by absences, the performances across all age groups once again demonstrated the club’s strength and depth. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the Under 14 Girls, whose consistency throughout the season earned them the 2026 Wessex Young Athletes League title—a fantastic achievement and a fitting end to another memorable campaign.

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Team Kennet travelled to Swindon on Sunday for the third round of the Wessex Young Athletes League, looking to strengthen their position inside the league’s top six. With several key athletes away competing at the South of England Championships and other events, the squad faced a difficult challenge but still produced a host of outstanding performances across the track and field.

Match Result

1. Abingdon – 337
2. Marlborough – 306
3. Slough – 286
4. Wimborne – 273
5. Team Kennet – 237
6. Poole AC – 63

Despite finishing fifth overall, Team Kennet remains well placed in the league standings, with several athletes unavailable for this fixture.

The club’s biggest success came from the girls’ squad, who continued their outstanding season by recording another team victory to remain unbeaten and maintain their position at the top of their league.

The day began with the 75m hurdles, where Ella Parsons finished third in 16.35, while Darcy Claridge produced an excellent run to finish second in the B string in 16.20. In the Long Jump, Orlagh Stratford cleared 4.08m for fourth place, while newcomer Karaleia Bamfield impressed with 3.80m to finish third in the B string.

The 1500m produced another strong performance from Maisie McCurtin, who finished second in 5:06.9, while Claridge claimed an excellent B-string victory in 5:50.78.

There were valuable points throughout the throwing events. Ella McDonald finished second with 27.52m, while Ayla Wyvill won the B string with 14.49m. Wyvill later added fifth place in the Discus with 10.99m, while Affra Bailey finished fourth in the B string with 9.04m. Bailey then claimed second place in the Shot Put with 6.34m, matched by Wyvill with second place in the B string thanks to 5.92m.

One of the performances of the meeting came in the High Jump, where Orlagh Stratford cleared an outstanding 1.50m to take victory. The jump moves her to UK No.1 for her age group and into the Top 20 Under-14 athletes nationally, despite still having another full season remaining in the age group. Quin Joyce also impressed, clearing 1.30m to finish third on countback.

The 800m produced a superb double victory for Team Kennet, with Joyce winning in 2:25.6 before Affra Bailey secured the B-string win in 2:39.06. On the track, Bamfield finished fourth in the 100m in 14.7, while Lottie Longhurst was fifth in the B string with 15.7. Stratford then added third place in the 200m in 29.1, with Longhurst again finishing fifth in the B string in 31.1. The relay quartet rounded off another excellent day with fourth place in the 4x100m relay.

The boys’ team faced a difficult task with several key throwers and jumpers unavailable, but still produced a number of excellent performances to finish third in their section. Oliver Young clocked 12.6 in the 100m and 25.4 in the 200m for two fourth-place finishes. Matias Manrique Hueglas finished fourth in the B-string 100m in 13.4, before taking third in the B-string 200m in 26.5. Young also finished fourth in the 300m with 43.2, while Josh Brain claimed second in the B string with 41.9.

Frank Edwards recorded 2:29.07 in the 800m before returning just twenty minutes later to compete again in the 300m. In the field events, Brain and Aron Titlow both finished second in their respective Long Jump competitions with 5.48m and 4.84m, while Brain also claimed third in the High Jump after clearing 1.40m.

Team Kennet dominated the Discus, with Oscar Hook winning with 26.67m and Josh Ladds taking the B-string victory with 22.93m. Valuable points also came from the Shot Put through Hueglas (7.21m) and Edwards (6.64m), while the relay team completed the day with fourth place.

Another third-place team finish came from the girls’ squad, highlighted by a superb double victory in the 300m. Olivia Bentley won the A string in 44.23, while Ella Cronk claimed the B string in 46.95.

Jess McCurtin finished second in the 1500m before matching that placing in the High Jump with 1.30m. In the Long Jump, Izzy Payne cleared 4.73m for third place, while Cronk jumped 4.06m to finish second in the B string.

One of Team Kennet’s most consistent performers once again was Catherine Wood, who collected second place in both the Discus (23.42m) and Javelin (23.52m), before adding third place in the Shot Put with 8.43m. Cronk also finished second in the B-string Shot Put with 5.45m.

Bentley later added third place in the 100m (13.95) and fourth in the 200m (28.34), while Payne finished third in both B-string sprint races, recording 14.66 for 100m and 29.37 for 200m. The relay team narrowly missed out on second place, finishing third in 56.7.

Elsewhere, Theo Nightingale was Team Kennet’s only Under-17 athlete in action and produced an excellent clearance of 1.90m to win the High Jump. Alfie Cronk competed across all three throwing events, taking third in the Discus (19.66m) and Shot Put (7.16m), while finishing sixth in the Javelin. Seb Lane also represented Team Kennet in the 100m, recording 14.42.

Although Team Kennet had to settle for fifth place overall, the club once again showed its strength across all disciplines despite missing a number of key athletes. With several competitors expected to return for the next fixture, the club will be aiming to climb back up the league standings while building on another weekend full of impressive individual performances.

Team Kennet Battle Through Adversity to Secure Another League Runner-Up Spot

Team Kennet continued their excellent start to the 2026 Wessex Young Athletes League season with another 2nd place finish at Andover on Sunday.

Despite six athletes being forced to withdraw before the competition through illness, injury, and school championship commitments, Team Kennet showed tremendous determination and team spirit to once again finish ahead of some of the strongest clubs in the region.

The final standings saw:

🥇 Camberley & District AC – 372 points
🥈 Team Kennet Triathlon & AC – 275 points
🥉 Southampton AC – 266 points
4th Poole Runners – 208 points
5th Andover AC – 167 points
6th New Forest Junior AC – 138 points

With warm sunshine and excellent conditions throughout the day, there were plenty of personal bests and outstanding performances across the team.

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Under 14 Girls Continue Their Dominance

The Under 14 Girls were once again the standout performers, claiming another age group victory and strengthening their position at the top of the league table.

There were impressive double victories in the field events, with Isla Ladds and Matilda Clare taking maximum points in the Long Jump, while Ella McDonald and Clare repeated the feat in the Javelin.

Further success came in the Discus where Ayla Wyvill secured a B String victory, while Sophia Mahoney and Affra Bailey picked up valuable points in the Shot Put.

On the track, Darcey Claridge, Chloe Davidson, Affra Bailey, Lottie Longhurst, Matilda Clare, and Isla Ladds all contributed strongly across the middle-distance and sprint events.

The 4x100m relay team of Mahoney, Ladds, Clare and Bailey rounded off a superb day with a second-place finish.

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Under 16 Boys Stay Top Of The League

The Under 16 Boys matched their first-round success by also winning their age group and maintaining top spot in the league standings.

The throws squad dominated proceedings, with double victories in all three throwing disciplines.

Noah Lauder Clarke and Euan Jones combined for maximum points in the Javelin, while Berkay Altuntas and Oscar Hook produced dominant performances in both the Discus and Shot Put.

On the track, Oliver Young delivered another outstanding all-round display, competing in three sprint events and securing podium finishes in each. Frank Edwards added a second-place finish in the 1500m, while Josh Brian and Josh Ladds also contributed valuable points throughout the day.

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Valuable Contributions Across The Team

Although the Under 14 Boys were affected by absences, they still produced some excellent performances.

Jenson Nichols was outstanding, winning both the Javelin and Discus before finishing third in the 100m. Alfie Cronk added strong points in both the Discus and Shot Put.

In the Under 18 age groups, Theo Nightingale cleared an impressive 1.90m to win the High Jump, while Zoe Dickson secured second-place finishes in both the Discus and Shot Put.

The Under 16 Girls also continued their strong season.

Catherine Wood led the way in the throws, winning the Discus and placing second in both the Javelin and Shot Put. In the Long Jump, Izzy Payne and Olivia Rayfield delivered a valuable double victory, while Olivia Bentley stormed to victory in the 300m.

The 4x100m relay quartet of Jess McCurtin, Olivia Rayfield, Izzy Payne and Olivia Bentley finished strongly to take second place.

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Team Spirit Shines Through

With six athletes unavailable before competition even began, Team Kennet faced a challenging start to the day. However, athletes stepped up across multiple events, filled gaps where needed, and once again demonstrated the strength and depth of the club.

Two age-group victories, numerous event wins, and another second-place team finish mean Team Kennet remains firmly in contention as the Wessex Young Athletes League season moves towards its next round.

A huge well done to every athlete, coach, official and parent who helped make the day another success.