The men of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers and women of Fenerbahce, the defending champions, celebrated team glory in the European Champions Club Cup Junior Group A in Castellon on Saturday.
MEN
Seven points separated Shaftesbury from Fenerbahce in a competition where the pair won 15 events as hosts Playas de Castellon, the defending champions, finished third.
The last race, the 4x400m final, could have seen the final gap between the top two closer but as the British team won in a season’s best of 3:17.92, the Turks were disqualified.
But there was relegation for Estonia’s Audentes Sports Club and Switzerland’s COA Lausanne-Riviera.
As personal bests were achieved consistently in all events by all the teams, a fine standard with the outdoor season edging towards its close, nine of the victories were achieved by the Britons who were third in Istanbul in 2015.
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George Evans, who won the shot put in the morning with his first effort of 16.65m from Otoniel Badjana, of Sport Lisboa, then triumphed in the discus in the evening with 55.14m to beat Fenerbahce’s Emrecan Ercan (54.78m) with Badjana in third (48.74m) as he completed a fine double.
Shaftesbury’s other winners along with Evans and the 4x400m relay team were: Gerald Matthew (200m, 21.78), Matthew Pagan (400m, 48.47), Omar Parsons (800m, 1:53.54), George Groom (3000m steeplechase, (9:29.17), Jacob Spence (110m hurdles, 14.25) and Niall Carney (400m hurdles, 54.55).
Fenerbahce, last year's runners-up, had first places with Kayhan Ozer (100m, 11.07), Omer Oti (1500m, 4:13.97), Ramazan Barbaros (3000m, 8:35.11), Alperen Acet (High jump 2.08m), Hakan Mert Sozudiri (Hammer, 63.18m) and the 4x100m relay (42.79) while Castellon's one victory came from Thierno Amadou Barry in the long jump with 7.18m.
FINAL RESULT
1. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers (GBR) - 123 points
2. Fenerbahce Sport Club (TUR) - 116
3. Playas de Castellon (ESP) - 93
4. Sport Lisboa e Benfica (POR) - 93
5. Atletica Vicentina Club (ITA) - 86
6. Nike Klaipeda (LTU) - 64
7. COA Lausanne-Riviera (SUI) - 53
8. Audentes Sports Club (EST) - 53
WOMEN
Fenerbahce proved that points mean prizes as they won the trophy for the third time in a row - despite finishing first in only two events.
Picking up a series of second and thirds banked them enough scores on the board to take the title from Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC and Sparta AM as Leiden Atletiek, of the Netherlands, and Switzerland’s LAS Old Boys Basel were relegated.
And those second and third finishes were so crucial as Blackheath won seven events but Fenerbahce retained the crown with an eight-point margin, even though both clubs took so many of the top two spots.
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Fenerbahce’s first winner was Deniz Yaylaci, as she threw 53.10m in the third round to beat the personal best of 47.03m from Blackheath’s Victoria Wiltshire, and then, as expected, world junior bronze medallist Eda Tugsuz won the javelin with 49.12m from the first round with the Czech Republic’s Iveta Mocharova, of AK Olymp Brno, achieving a personal best of 45.76m in second.
The 100m saw Blackheath’s Charmont Webster-Tape run a season’s best (11.87) to beat Fenerbahce’s Melike Malkoc (12.05) and the Turkish side’s runner was also second in the 200m (24.99) behind Blackheath’s Maya Bruney (24.04).
It was a similar story in the 3000m final, as Blackheath’s Jessica Keane (9:45.00) beat Fenerbahce’s Pinar Demirtas (9:49.49) and in the long jump, with Holly Mills’ second round 5.83m just enough to defeat the lead set by Ecem Calagan, who cleared 5.82m with her opener.
Blackheath also won the 800m with Katie-Ann McDonald home in 2:09.71, the 100m hurdles with Isabella Hilditch (14:55) and their 4x100m relay team triumphed in 46.80, a personal best, from Fenerbahce (47.69) who also picked up second-place points from Mizgin Ay (400m, 54.93).
Sparta were knocking at the door of the top two with victories from Anna Sofie Kirkegaard in the 400m (54.76), Anna Mark Helwigh (1500m, 4:29.23, and she was also fourth in the 800m) and personal bests in winning forSophie Søefeldt (3000m steeplechase, 10.58.16) and Laura Tølløse (Triple jump, 12.01m).
FINAL RESULT
1. Fenerbahce Sport Club (TUR) - 114.50
2. Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC (GBR) - 106.50
3. Sparta AM (DEN) - 102.50
4. AK Olymp Brno (CZE) - 102
5. Playas de Castellon (ESP) - 77
6. Atletica Bergamo 1959 Creberg (ITA) - 62.50
7. Leiden Atletiek (NED) - 61.50
8. LAS Old Boys Basel (SUI) - 55