Birchfield’s women ended their league campaign with a superb performance and their first match win of the century to secure second place in the table.
Lyn Orbell’s squad, which flirted with relegation from Division One of the UK Women’s Athletics League only last summer, produced eight wins to finish runners-up in the table to all-powerful City of Manchester.
Indeed with 21 league points Harriers were only two behind the champions, who are bank-rolled by their local authority, as they completed a remarkable turnaround in fortunes from 12 months ago.
But on Copthall on Saturday impressive displays abounded, none more so than Henrietta Paxton who finished third in the long jump and then went on to set a divisional record in the pole vault with a clearance at 4.10 metres.
Berlin-bound Zoe Derham and Louise Hazel both featured in their last competition before the IAAF World Championships and while neither over-stretched themselves, Derham at least won the hammer with a fifth round effort of 65.21m.
The high jump was especially pleasing with victories in both the A and B events from Vicki Hubbard and Jessica Leach.
Hubbard sailed over 1.86m, her highest in three years, to move to joint second with Leach in the national standings.
The inconsistent Leach meanwhile managed 1.83m.
There were also wins for Meghan Beesley in the 100m hurdles, Eden Francis in the shot, Louise Butterworth in the second string pole vault and an outstanding effort from the 4x400m relay team.
Their male team-mates, meanwhile, did reasonably well to finish fourth in their penultimate BAL fixture, which was won for the third straight time by champions elect Newham and Essex Beagles.
They too have a decent chance of finishing runners-up as they trail second-placed Woodford Green & Essex Ladies by just one league point going into the last match at Newham on August 22.
Dave Lawrence’s men did the double in the 5,000m with wins for Cheban Chemp and Jean Ndayasenga while in the sprint hurdles Chris Baillie came third and Edirin Okoro won the B race.
