HUNTINGDONSHIRE Athletics Club emerged victorious after the third match in the Southern Men s League Division 4N at St Ives. For the first time this season they came face-to-face with early season league leaders West Suffolk/Diss AC but inflicted a massiv

HUNTINGDONSHIRE Athletics Club emerged victorious after the third match in the Southern Men's League Division 4N at St Ives.

For the first time this season they came face-to-face with early season league leaders West Suffolk/Diss AC but inflicted a massive 56-point defeat on their rivals.

Team manager Dave Connell was an inspiration to the team throughout the day and led by example by winning both A string races in the 1,500 metres and the extremely challenging 3,000-metre steeplechase and also the B string 110-metre hurdles.

Also gaining success in the steeplechase was Shane Hunt, who won the B string race by more than four minutes in this his first ever attempt at the distance.

What made this even more remarkable was that he had run and won the 5,000-metre B string race 90 minutes earlier.

Peter Downhill got the ball rolling in the first event of the day, the 400-metre hurdles, and later followed up with a win in the 110-metre hurdles.

As part of his training for the Eastern Counties Decathlon Championships later in the year, Paul Hayball took part in four field events, gaining wins in the high jump and the B string pole vault.

Hayball is one of four Hunts AC youngsters selected to compete in the English Schools Championships in two weeks.

Another athlete who'll be travelling to Gateshead to take part in the Schools Championships is Christian Roberts, who ran out an easy winner in the 200-metre sprint before making up an amazing 50 metres on the lead runner during the second leg of the 4x400-metre relay.

Mike Smith also acquitted himself by winning the 800-metres A string race to go with his earlier victory in the B string high jump.

Wayne DuBose cleared the winning height to beat a surprised West Suffolk/Diss athlete in the pole vault, while father and son throwers John and Johnathan Edwards, both picked up B string wins in discus and hammer respectively.

The man of the match trophy was awarded to 16-year-old Sam Palmer, who piled on the points for Hunts AC by competing in five events.

This included a win in the 400-metre hurdles B string race - his first ever attempt in the event - as well as running last leg in the 4x400m.

With this emphatic win by Hunts AC, the club now goes to the top of the league and seems certain to emerge as champions by the time the season ends in August.

*The next league match is at Luton on July 12.