"A SOLID start, but the best is yet to come" was the upbeat verdict of Swindon Harriers' team management after the County Ground club's opening match of the 2023 Southern Track & Field League season.

It was always going to be a tough opening match against host club Team Dorset at their Poole base, but the Harriers squad - from super veterans like Allan Webb and Dorian Matts to emerging teenagers like Meredith Prosser and Emmanuel Daramola - showed great battling spirits to push them all the way.

Indeed, by the end of the day, only 23 points separated the pair with Team Dorset edging a hard-fought victory on 337 points to 314 for the Harriers. Plymouth & Tavistock & Erme Valley were a distant third at almost 150 points adrift.

“The first fixture of the season is always a bit tricky, however, second place to the hosts showed the league that we mean business this season,” said Luke Byrne, who is one of the joint team managers along with Rachel Moscrop and Keeleigh Chapman.

“There were some great performances throughout the day, with plenty of younger athletes joining the senior ranks for the first time and getting stuck in by scoring points for the team.

“Team Dorset were just a bit stronger than us on the day, but we will have more athletes available for the second fixture, which is at the County Ground in a month, where we will need to make the most of home advantage.”

Byrne led by example by winning the 800m A race and then the 400m hurdles B event – two of 10 wins for the men’s squad.

Daramola, who opened his season last month with a PB of 11.4secs in the Wessex Young Athletes League, showed great composure to win the senior men’s 100m this time clocking 11.8secs into a headwind.

Other A event winners were Elliot Doughty in the 400m and Neil Cox in the hammer. Cox also added good points with second in the 400m hurdles.

Kieran Golding made it maximum points in the hammer by winning the B event and he was also first in the B discus and second in the B javelin.

Golding also won the B shot and M60 veteran Dorian Matts was third in the triple jump.

In only his second league match after making his debut in 2022, Flinn Roberts ran a PB of 12.1secs and teenager Fletcher Hart ran his second quickest 1500m ever in second place.

Last year, junior Harry Woods clocked 10:19.2 on his debut in the 3000m steeplechase; on Saturday he smashed that with 10:03.0 for second place.

Oliver Armstrong-Froom had a busy day with the teenager tackling three events; second in the B pole vault, third in the A shot and third in the A discus.

Chloe Powell and teenager Faith Herring delivered a 3000m double in the women’s events, both running PBs and Faith slashing over 10 seconds from her previous best time.

The only other A victory came in the 4x400m relay and there was a B win for Rachel Oram in the 1500m, who was also runner-up in the A javelin with a PB as well.

Joint-team manager Chapman was runner-up in both the 100m and 400m hurdles races and then added valuable points in the long jump, discus and hammer.

Teenager Meredith Prosser was making her Southern League debut so can be very pleased with her PB of 13.0secs – again into a headwind – for second in the B 100m and second in the B high jump, just outside her PB.

Club servant Teresa Iannetelli was a fine second in both the 200m and 400m, the latter in a season’s best.

“As ever, thank you to all the athletes, parents, officials, volunteers, coaches and behind the scenes staff who enabled us to have a great day down in Poole,” added Byrne.