NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES look certain to be crowned British League champions for the second year in a row after a stunning victory at Barnet Copthall at the weekend. As with the previous match in Manchester, the Beagles won by less than 10 points, to secure

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES look certain to be crowned British League champions for the second year in a row after a stunning victory at Barnet Copthall at the weekend.

As with the previous match in Manchester, the Beagles won by less than 10 points, to secure their third triumph in a row, with the fiercest competition coming from Woodford Green.

The Newham club completed 10 victories and the first points of the day came from British international Abdul Bhari and newcomer Nick Webb in the discus, with Webb throwing a PB of 49.13 in the first round of his first-ever appearance.

This was closely followed in the pole vault by Max Eaves and Richard Hurren, with Eaves almost taking the scalp of Berlin-bound Luke Cutts, while the Green brothers (Steve and David) returned to form in the 400m hurdles, with both finishing in the top three.

The men's long jump again saw Andre Fernandez provide the Beagles with valuable points, while Paige Haines and Nathan Riding performed solidly in the 800m.

Simon Bown produced a lifetime best in the hammer of 68.67m to secure second, beaten only by athlete of the match, Mark Dry, with a UK leading mark for 2009 of 70.81m.

The men's 100m provided the Beagles with a mixture of fortune, Mark Findlay was unfortunately disqualified in the A string and Ryan Scott ran well to win the B string with a time of 10.66, into a notable headwind.

Sam Farah was the sole representative of the Beagles in the steeplechase and emerged victorious, with a time of 9.09.89.

Under-23 European silver medalist and 2009 World Championship competitor, Gianni Frankis, delivered a solid performance of 13.98 in the 100m hurdles gaining the Beagles another win despite the strong headwind of 2.4m/s.

Alex Al-Ameen also earned the team valuable points, coming third in the B string event.

Kieran Kelly gave a sterling performance in the shot, to record his third win of the season in the British League.

Additionally, newcomer Nick Webb stepped in at very short notice to throw an impressive distance of 15.61m.

Saturday also saw the welcome return of high jumper Matt Roberts, with a clearance of 2.13m and an incredibly close attempt at 2.18m.

In the men's 400m, Ben Higgins battled hard in the A string along with Andre Fernandez performing exceptionally in the B event, with a fine performance of 47.12.

The Beagles enjoyed double glory in the 1,500m, with Moumin Geele and James Shane bringing home maximum points.

Josh Edjinkonye and Nelson Oboh also gained valuable points for the team in the triple jump.

Findlay bought home maximum points in the 200m, with Bruce Tasker coming a close third in the B string.

Chris Hughff won the men's javelin and was supported by Jon Lundman, who unfortunately had to withdraw with a shoulder injury.

The last individual event of the day was the men's 5,000m, where Kevin Skinner recorded a brilliant second place and the evergreen Ian Grime performed valiantly and finished third in the B string.

That ensured that going into the final two events of the day, Newham and Woodford Green were left neck and neck in the standings.

In the absence of established sprinters, the team management turned to the help of pole vaulter, Max Eaves, who admirably volunteered to run the lead-off leg of the 4x100m relay.

The subsequent win demonstrated the strength and team spirit of the Beagles, while, the final event of the day required the 4x400m relay team to bring the baton home safely to secure victory, which they did in a time of 3.13.86.