Herne Hill Harriers achieved a resounding win at the final Southern Men’s League match in Parliament Hill to gain promotion into Division Two.

After a slow start to the season, HHH men turned up a gear and managed four successive wins including a narrow victory over Division title winners and promotion rivals, Blackheath and Bromley.

Whilst an influx of new, emerging athletes contributed to much of the Club’s success this season, HHH were able to call upon several key members of league teams from previous years, demonstrating the strength in depth.

Matt Kelly picked up a javelin for the first time in two years and promptly threw it over 40 metres and followed this up with further wins in the discus and triple jump; Andy Weir enjoyed a tough battle in the 5000m; Clarence Allen proved himself to be both a master and a mentor in the 110m hurdles, guiding the young Adam Gaabi to a new PB; Akin Oyediran returned to the team after lengthy injury to win his string of the triple jump; and, of course, Des Austin, an ever-present team member in 2009 who claimed wins in the hammer and discus to complement his 2nd place in the shot.

Former gymnast, Pablo Sisca, again raised his standard in the pole vault to 3.20m with another excellent effort while Mark White should be commended for getting to his feet and completing the race after suffering a nasty fall in a 400m hurdles race at a time when he was well-placed to record a promising time and position.

Matthew Conway improved with every round in the shot put, scoring a best mark of 8.21m and Peter Phillips again showed what a valuable asset he has become to the club with further impressive displays in the 400m and 4x400m relay races.

Despite not recording any new PBs, Sarwar Khan completed in no fewer than 4 events – the pole vault, high jump, 400m hurdles and 3000m steeplechase while Jeff Cunningham deputised for Dave Peters in the 1500m and then promptly ran the steeplechase, all this coming after having run a 10K race earlier in the day in representing his employer in a triathlon-relay.

Chris Christou showed signs of a return to form in the javelin, while Andy-Lea Gerrard chipped in by winning his string of the hammer while Simeon Ramsey-Graham underlined his status as an exciting prospect in the sprints as Rorie Robinson and Burton Dredge also gained maximum points in their races.

Chris Busaileh waited until conclusion of the 1,500m before killing the race as a contest, sprinting away to victory and recording a sub-60 second last lap in the process, having earlier partnered Deron Fagan to another double victory in the 800m, while Sam Knight delivered effectively in the 5,000m.

Any disappointment was restricted to the inclement weather which worsened throughout the afternoon but not enough to dampen team spirits.

Match result: Herne Hill Harriers – 126; Eastbourne Rovers – 90; Queens Park Harriers – 68.5; Holland Sports – 62.5