ASHFORD AC women roared into fourth place in the Southern Women’s League with a resounding victory in their Division 1 match at Guildford.
They finished 13 points clear of Sutton and are now just five adrift of Southampton AC who are one of the competing clubs in the final match at Bromley on September 4.
That promised to be a thrilling finale to the 2010 campaign with Ashford delighted to be in the top four after targeting a mid-table place after promotion last season.
Another big achievement is an invitation for Ashford to compete in the UK League qualifier match at Abingdon on September 18 and a full squad will be needed to be competitive in this top match.
Pole vaulters Kara Gibbs and Emmeline Rendell set the tone for Ashford success at Guildford with a brace of victories vaulting 3m and 2.60m respectively.
Hannah Hogben and Amber Regardsoe were outstanding in the field events both second in the hammer with 39.83m and 22.50m and Hannah was joined by Sarah Snare in the discus for second in the A clash and a B string victory both nearing the 30m mark.
There was another fine win and second in the triple jump by Rachel Hanagan and Lucy Holmes recording 10.97 and 9.09m respectively and they were also part of the victorious 4x100m relay squad with Sam Beckett and Eleanor Campbell.
Kate Austen, Amanda Jukes, Lesley Hall and Helen Wheeler (battling the flu) piled on more valuable match points in the middle distance races. Deborah Martin continued her high jump success along with Katie Hamilton both clearing 1.50m for second in the A string and a B string win.
As the season draws to a close the girls can feel proud of their excellent achievements over the last two years. This is basically a young new team reminiscent of the quality teams the club have boasted in years gone by with excellent team spirit.

Tags: Kara Gibbs, Lesley Hall, Relays