Lee Merrien.

LEE MERRIEN’S distance double at Ashford on Saturday and the growing class of Tim Druce were not enough to keep the Sportingbet Channel Islands team in Division Three of the British League.

For the first time this season they managed to climb the ladder a couple of rungs at the final meeting, but it was just not enough to stave off relegation and when Dale Garland returns to the ranks next summer, they will be in Division Four.

There were five individual victories for the Channel Islands, with Jersey high-jumper Jason Fox and 400m hurdler Peter Irving also winning, as well as Scottish recruit David Martin in the long jump.

But hopes of a miraculous last-round win and the great escape did not materialise.  Team manager Andrew Winnie said it had been ‘a good effort’ and the team had been ‘snookered’ because Leeds [the champions] had brought a depleted squad full of youngsters.