AFTER a tough injury-hit Southern Men’s League Division One campaign, the Sportingbet CIAC team ended the season with a morale-boosting win in Reading. On his first outing for the club this summer, Lee Merrien showed his class by easily winning the 1,500m and 800m with excellent times of 3min. 53.9sec. and 1min 53.2sec. respectively.

Meanwhile, Jersey’s Jamie Stevenson once again showed why he is considered one of UK’s best young prospects in the throwing events by winning both shot and discus, the former with a new personal best of 15.15m.

Lee Garland and decathlete Ben Kerr once again showed why they are real assets in league competition with a series of fine performances.

Garland contested four individual events – 400m hurdles, 800m, steeplechase and pole vault – and picked up very valuable points on an exhausting day for him.

Robin Cowling followed his quality Island Games long-jump showing with a more-than-useful 6.78m, this time for second place.

The women were just pipped into second place by two points by the Portsmouth club on their home track.

Highlight of the match was the 4x400m relay, with a convincing win from Steph Le Cornu, Gemma Dawkins, Laura Arblaster and Claire Lidster serving as testament to the wealth of talented 400m runners in the club.

Guernsey’s distance duo Martine Scholes and Louise Perrio also performed well.

Perrio completed a 1,500-3,000m double while her GIAAC colleague placed second in the 800m and won her 1,500m race.

Both the men and women’s teams have applied to be considered for the British Athletic League and UK Women’s League qualifying match to be held on 15 September.

The top two clubs from this match gain entry into the national leagues.

‘This provides competition of a much higher standard against the top athletes from the whole of the United Kingdom and will be of considerable benefit to the Channel Islands athletes,’ said CIAC team manager Andrew Winnie.

‘I am very confident that both the men and the women will be considered good enough to contest the qualifiers.

‘Ironically, the reward for a very hard but successful season is another very hard match. But hey, that’s why we do it.’