YOUNG high jumper Josh Cowdrey collected one of the four athlete-of-the-match awards as the combined Guernsey/Jersey team produced their best UKA Young Athletes League result of the season in Basingstoke.

Sarnian Cowdrey (11) won the under-13 boys event with a fine clearance of 1.41m, one of a number of excellent performances from the strong CI side only lacking a group of under-17 girls.

The most senior of the three age-groups is where the bulk of the points are scored in YAL matches and with meetings consistently clashing with the Channel Islands’ Southern Women’s League which utilises under-17 and under-15s, the YAL team were immediately handicapped by fielding no U17 girls.

It probably made all the difference as host club Aldershot & Farnham won the match by 68 points from the Guernsey/Jersey team who finished well clear of Kingston and Oxford City.

Richard Cowling, who manages the team along with Jersey’s Karen Le Mottée and Penny Dawkins, said: ‘It was a good second place and the results speak for themselves.

‘The younger athletes were very tired from the previous day’s schools inter-insular but they worked extremely hard in warm, humid conditions to produce the team’s best result of the season.

‘They are a tenacious group who are able to mix it with the very best,’ he added.

The match yielded four national grade one performances from the Guernsey/Jersey team, three by Jersey throwers Jamie Stevenson (a personal best of 48.12m in the U17 discus) and Zane Duquemin (PB of 42.37m in U15 discus) and a fourth by GIIAC 400m hurdler Michael Batiste, who produced another lifetime best with a 57.9 sec from the unfavoured lane one.

In the U15 girls Jessica Wildman leapt to a long jump PB of 4.45m, Stephanie Le Ruez had a 75m hurdles PB of 13.5 and Jade Coombs-Goodfellow gain PBs in both the 75m hurdles, 13.7, and 100m, 14.6.

Rachel Khan also had good performances in the 200m and long jump.

The throwing team of Chelsea McNutt and Rebecca Houzé worked well together both performing respective discus PBs of 21.65 and 14.89.

Elliott Dorey and Sam Ward had a good day for the U13 Boys.

Dorey placed second in the 1500m with Sam Ward placed 2nd in the 800m.

Both stepped in at the last minute in the 4x100m, with Dorey sprinting team home to gain a third place.