A SUPERB weekend of athletics at the FB Fields ended with a thumping 146-point victory for Jersey Spartans in the annual inter-insular against Guernsey IAC.

A SUPERB weekend of athletics at the FB Fields ended with a thumping 146-point victory for Jersey Spartans in the annual inter-insular against Guernsey IAC.

Eighteen championship records were set with Jersey winning all but one of the categories that counted for the Combined Trophy.

That one, however, was the prestigious senior men’s category, with Guernsey’s international star Dale Garland almost single-handedly ensuring victory.

He broke three championship records, in both hurdle events and long jump, on the the way to six victories and a whopping 39 individual points – and that’s not including the ten points he helped earn in the relays! Yet Jersey’s reaction to the Garland threat was a positive one, exemplified by captain Peter Irving.

The Island Games gold medallist pushed himself to an incredible three personal bests (400 hurdles, 400 flat and 200) in urging his team on in a 111-88 defeat.

Garland, almost inevitably and without really stretching himself in any one event, won the athlete of the match award, but few (certainly on the Jersey side) would have objected if it had gone to Irving.

Paul Derrien, soon to acquire official veteran status, had got Jersey off to a great start by breaking the championship record, twice, in winning the hammer with 46.89m.

Jersey dominated the circle throws with Garland only once able to split Derrien and juniors Jamie Stevenson and David Felton from a Jersey one-two.

The Sarnian superman did, however, win the javelin with a 53.59m throw.

Personal bests abounded, with 15-year-old Stevenson winning the shot and discus.

Commonwealth Games-bound Phelan, gamely entering a plethora of categories, won his specialist high jump event, but only on a countback, as Jersey youngster Jason Fox cracked the two-metre height for the first time.

Jersey’s senior ladies dominated their event, winning 122-64, with captain and athlete of the match Lauren Thérin, their top points scorer, winning all four throws events.

Thérin now begins her heavy training schedule, designed to help her peak at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March.

Thérin was not the only notable success, with Claire Lidster performing superbly for the team, particularly in the sprints and hurdles.

Jo McGarry was unable to set a Commonwealth qualifying time for Melbourne, despite smashing the championship record for the 5,000m by an astonishing 2 min 10 sec.

Claire Forbes had an impressive middle distance double, winning the 800m before carving seven seconds off the championship 1,500m record with her time of 4.447.7.

Stephanie Le Cornu, Sophie Twinam and Fiona Carry recorded victories for Jersey in the jumps, high, long and pole vault respectively.

That made it two wins for Le Cornu, following her 400m victory.

The U15 matches were also held on the Saturday with Jersey’s boys romping in 94-52 and the girls 77-48.

Zane Duquemin won shot and discus, with athlete of the match Daniel Tardivel first in both 100m and 400m.

Stephen de la Haye crossed the throw/jump divide by winning hammer and triple jump.

Ross Jeffs and Chris Mourant won the other jumps, high and long respectively, while Aaron Quaeck won the 80m hurdles and A Carpenter the 200m.

Guernsey’s Kimberly Gleeson won the U15 girls top award for her three victories, but sustained excellence from Jersey’s throwers, in particular, gave Jersey a clear victory.

Kathryn Rothwell won discus and shot, well supported by Emma Wilton, while Chelsea McNutt took javelin and hammer honours.

Jenna Murphy (high jump) and Amy Dingle (75m hurdles) recorded Jersey’s other victories.

The U11 matches, not part of the Combined Trophy competition, were both won by Jersey, with the girls edging home 39-34 and the boys, more comfortably, 41-32.

Captain Amelia Jones won the 60m in record time, Molly Jehan the 55 hurdles and Grace Bravery the long jump.

For the boys, Nathan Stone enjoyed a double, in the 60m and 60m hurdles, with Thomas Morgan first in the long jump.

Jersey had a sizeable overall lead to take into the second day, which was far closer in some of the categories.

None more so than the ladies U17 match with Jersey winning by just a point! Guernsey’s Gemma Tingay, athlete of the match, won three throws while Kimberly Gleeson went one better than the previous day by also achieving a hat-trick, in the short sprints and long jump.

But Sophie Twinam, Stephanie Le Cornu, Natalie Warner, Jenna Murphy and Becky Duquemin all achieved firsts to edge home, despite the Sarnians winning the relay.

The U17 men were clear winners, 100-75, with thrower Jamie Stevenson again in great form, smashing championship records in discus, shot and hammer to earn the athlete of the match award.

Paul Dingle also created a new championship best in the triple jump (13.27m) to go with a victory in the 400m.

Only a championship best in the long jump from Robin Cowling (6.56m) stood between Dingle and a hat-trick of firsts.

Callum Forrest (100m h), Ryan Hodgson (3,000m), Jason Fox (high jump) and Stephen de la Haye (javelin) won to help ensure victory long before Guernsey set a new meeting mark in the 4 x 100m relay.

The U13s produced excellent efforts, with Jersey again edging home, 66.5 to 61.5 in the boys and 63-54 in the girls.

Lucy Crossman set a championship best in the high jump (1.52m), which, along with her long jump victory earned her the athlete of the match award.

She was ably supported by Kathryn Rothwell who won discus and shot.

Other Jersey winners were Robyn Edwards (800m), Felicity Johnson-Deely (1,500) and Lisa Luce (200m).

The top athlete in the U13 boys was Guernsey sprinter Andrew Colman who won three events including the long jump.

But again it was Jersey who generally prevailed, with Richard Sinel leading the way with wins in the discus and shot.

Other Jersey winners were Nick Wildman, 80m hurdles, Kamen Nafkha, 400m, Conor Hubert, 800m and Robert Wilkinson, high jump.

A superb weekend of athletics in which Guernsey played their part to the full was also notable for the friendliness of compeition, an obvious plus gained from the formation of the highly successful Channel Islands AC.

The trophies were presented by Chris Blampied of Jersey Spartan AC’s sponsors Royal Bank of Canada on Saturday and club president Richard Wilkinson on Sunday.