YDL Lower Stage Remarkable Fightback at Norman Park
Our team produced a superb performance in the second fixture of the Youth Development League Lower Age Group Southern Premier Division at Norman Park on Sunday 31 May 2026, finishing 2nd behind hosts and perennial national champions Blackheath & Bromley Harriers.
The achievement was even more impressive given the timing of the fixture, with half-term holidays and fixture clashes leaving the team without several regular athletes. After 15 events Woodford were 5th, but the squad showed outstanding competitive spirit to fight back and secure another vital 2nd-place finish.
Match Scores
Blackheath made full use of home advantage to win the fixture with 628 points, but Woodford’s late charge lifted the club to 561 points, ahead of Tonbridge AC on 549, Brighton & Hove AC on 511, Reading AC on 427 and Winchester & District AC on 397.
After two matches, Blackheath lead the Southern Premier League with 12 league points, with Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies 2nd on 10. Tonbridge and Brighton & Hove sit level on 7 points, with Reading on 4 and Winchester & District on 2.
Link to results: UKYDL 2026
U16 Girls
Woodford’s U16 girls again produced one of the strongest age-group performances of the day, finishing 2nd overall with 142 points behind Blackheath. It was a valuable result with Reading, Tonbridge, Brighton and Winchester closely packed behind.
In the hurdles, Tyleah Edwards was once again a key contributor, finishing 3rd in the 80mh A string in 12.75 and adding further points with 6th in the 300mh A string. Talya Aladekomo backed this up with a superb 3rd on her debut in the 80mh B string in 13.92, while Autumn Eke-Aluong was 4th in the 300m hurdles B string in 49.99.
The sprint group had to work hard in competitive races. Faith Franklin finished 3rd in the 100m A string in 13.16 and later placed 3rd in the 300m A string in 43.31. Maya Robinson was 2nd in the 100m B string in 12.75 and placed 3rd in the 200m A string, with Chanae Andrews 3rd in the 200m B string in 27.10.
One of the highlights came over 300m, where Autumn Eke-Aluong was first in the B string, running 41.87 to take maximum points. The middle-distance athletes also added important points, with Livia Wolowska 4th in the 800m A string in 2:28.73 and Eva Prince, making a welcome return after injury plagued winter 2nd in the 800m B string in 2:23.18. Eden Dunnage covered both the 1500m B string and the throws, underlining the kind of team-first versatility that helped Woodford recover through the match.
In the jumps, Emma Frisby continued her excellent YDL season with a victory in the long jump A string, jumping 5.14m, and a fine 2nd place in the high jump A string with 1.55m. Chanae Andrews added 3rd in the long jump B string with 4.41m, while Phoebe Whelan produced another important win for the team in the high jump B string, clearing 1.45m.
Emma Frisby (U16G) - Another fine display in the Long jump
The pole vault was another strong event for Woodford. Emily Stockill placed 3rd in the A string with 2.90m in a competition won by Florence Matten of Brighton & Hove with 3.40m, one of the top performances of the fixture, while Marissa Higgs-Smith won the B string with 2.50m.
The throws squad also made a significant contribution to the team. Tyleah Edwards was 5th in the shot put A string with 9.29m, with Eden Dunnage 4th in the B string with 8.24m. Jessica Arnold placed 4th in the discus A string with 24.40m, while Isla Barron won the B string with 24.15m and also added points in the javelin A string with 23.56m. Phoebe Whelan was 3rd in the hammer A string with 29.70m, completing an impressive all-round contribution across jumps and throws.
The relays rounded off a good day for the girls. The 4x100m team of Talya Aladekomo, Chanae Andrews, Emma Frisby and Maya Robinson finished 3rd in 51.02, while the 4x300m quartet of Tyleah Edwards, Autumn Eke-Aluong, Livia Wolowska and Faith Franklin also placed 3rd in 2:54.97. These relay points helped secure 2nd place in the age group and kept Woodford’s overall comeback going right to the end!
U16 Boys
Woodford’s U16 boys were short of some regular A string athletes but battled hard to finish 4th overall with 121 points in a competitive age group headed by Blackheath and Tonbridge. Their contribution was important to the club’s fightback, particularly in the sprints, pole vault and late on in the relays.
Alex Osagie again led from the front in the sprints, winning the 100m A string in 11.11 and following it with victory in the 200m A string in 22.54. Nathaniel Sandy added excellent points finishing 2nd in the 100m B string in 11.73, while Elisha Onilogbo placed 3rd in the 200m B string in 24.50.
Over 300m, Laurent Modeste-Lesforis produced one of the best track performances of the day, winning the A string in 37.13 ahead of a strong field. Josiah Franklin was 5th in the B string in 38.93, adding further points for the team.
In the hurdles, Oskar Prince made his debut over 300m hurdles, finishing 5th in the A string in 47.19. Sadly, Oskar hurt his foot in the final stages and had to withdraw from the 100m hurdles. We all wish Oskar a speedy recovery. Zachary Mordi backed him up in the 300m hurdles B string, placing 5th, before later adding points in the high jump B string where he cleared 1.40m.
The pole vault again proved to be a crucial event. Zakaria Faisal finished 2nd in the A string with 3.40m, while Tayo Adetona won the B string with 2.90m. Tayo also stepped into the 800m, finishing 6th in the B string in 2:21.36, another example of athletes covering events to help the team.
In the jumps, David Ciolac made an immediate impression after signing for the club only days before the fixture following a recommendation from school. Competing for the first time at club level, he showed exactly the motivation and commitment the team needed, taking on a demanding programme across the javelin, long jump and high jump. He finished 6th in the long jump A string with 4.45m and 6th in the high jump A string with 1.45m, before adding an excellent 3rd place in the javelin B string with 31.21m. Zachary Mordi also added valuable B-string high jump points, clearing 1.40m.
David Ciolac (U16B) - YDL debut running, jumping and throwing
The throws group also made valuable contributions. Nathaniel Sandy was 4th in the shot put A string with 10.04m, with Noah Johnson 4th in the B string with 8.00m. Elisha Onilogbo placed 4th in the discus A string with 31.27m, while Noah also added points in the discus with 4th in the B string with 16.6m and 6th in A string hammer with 21.21m. Oskar Prince was 5th in the javelin A string with 32.44m.
Middle-distance points came from Adam Amin and Eric Frith over 1500m. Adam placed 5th in the A string in 4:58.33, while Eric was 6th in the B string in 4:45.24. Kaden Nelson-Gursoy has been managing a niggle and sickness and was unable to complete his 800m race – but he’ll be back!
The highlight of the age group came in the 4x100m relay, where Elisha Onilogbo, Nathaniel Sandy, Laurent Modeste-Lesforis and Alex Osagie combined superbly to win in 44.93, ahead of Blackheath and Tonbridge. In the 4x300m, the quartet of Tayo Adetona, Zakaria Faisal, Josiah Franklin and Laurent Modeste-Lesforis finished 3rd in 2:38.46, adding more late points to Woodford’s match total.
U14 Girls
The U14 girls were one of the outstanding stories of the day, winning their age group with 131 points ahead of Brighton on 125 and Blackheath on 114. Their strength across hurdles, sprints, middle distance and field events was central to Woodford’s recovery.
The hurdles delivered a perfect start for the girls, with Rosie Anderson winning the 75m hurdles A string in 11.95 and Ammarah Marshalleck taking victory in the B string in 12.10, underlining the quality of Woodford’s junior hurdles group.
In the sprints, Rida Oluwa continued her excellent season. Rida finished 2nd in the 100m A string in 12.59 behind Blackheath’s Shamarii Allen, before reversing the momentum in the 200m A string, winning in 25.78 in another high-quality race. Kamiah Francis-Harriott placed 2nd in the 100m B string in 13.65, while Phoebe Quorn was 3rd in the 200m B string in 28.29.
The middle-distance squad produced another excellent return. Grace Cherry finished 2nd in the 800m A string in 2:21.29, with Chloe Ward also 2nd in the 800m B string in 2:26.10. Over 1500m, Lottie Oates was 2nd in the A string in 5:00.97, while Poppy Barker placed 2nd in the B string in 5:11.28, securing huge points for Woodford across the endurance events.
Lottie Oates & Poppy Barker (U14G) gained big points in the 1500m
Grace Cherry also made a major impact in the jumps, finishing 2nd in the long jump A string with 4.42m and 2nd in the high jump A string with 1.40m. Phoebe Quorn added 3rd in the long jump B string with 3.67m, while Daisy Whelan was 3rd in the high jump B string with 1.25m. Ava Pugh continued her progress and picked up valuable points in the pole vault, finishing 3rd in the A string with 1.80m.
The throws also contributed strongly to the age-group win. Ammarah Marshalleck was 3rd in the shot put A string with 7.87m, while Daisy Whelan won the B string with 7.45m. Padikie Padi produced an excellent 2nd place in the hammer A string with 29.67m and was 4th in the discus A string with 16.55m. Rosie Barron added further points in the javelin, finishing 3rd with 17.95m.
The 4x100m relay team of Kamiah Francis-Harriott, Rosie Anderson, Phoebe Quorn and Rida Oluwa finished 2nd in 52.39 behind a very strong Blackheath quartet, giving Woodford a crucial boost in the overall standings.
U14 Boys
The U14 boys delivered an excellent result, improving from 4th place in the first fixture to finish 2nd in this match with 111 points, just behind Blackheath on 119 and ahead of both Tonbridge and Reading, who tied on 107.
The standout individual performance of the entire fixture came from Blake Edwards. Blake won the high jump A string with a superb clearance of 1.79m, the highest-scoring performance of the match on the UKYDL performance tables. He also won the long jump A string with 5.22m and added 4th in the shot put A string with 10.38m, making a major all-round contribution to the team score.
Henry Richards also produced an excellent multi-event return. He finished 4th in the 200m A string in 25.94, 4th in the 1500m A string in 4:39.63 and then won the high jump B string with 1.50m. His ability to score highly across both track and field events was a key part of Woodford’s team success on the day.
Henry Richards (U14B) - amongst the leaders in a top class 1500m field
The sprint squad worked hard in competitive races. Oladimeji Olawoye placed 5th in the 100m A string in 13.17, while Robert James making his first appearance this season won the 100m B string in 12.92. In the 200m, Alfie Perkins added B-string points with 5th place, and Robert James later backed up Blake in the long jump B string, finishing 3rd with 4.30m.
In the middle-distance events, Eli Sabb just back from holiday, produced a great run to finish 4th in the 800m A string in 2:15.85, with Ashton Jokhiya also running well for 4th in the 800m B string in 2:18.70. Over 1500m, Henry Richards was 4th in the A string and Jack Tonge was 4th in the B string in 4:55.54, ensuring Woodford kept scoring well in a fiercely competitive age group.
The hurdles brought further points, with Leo Ciarlet finishing 3rd in the 80m hurdles A string in 13.72 and Idris Bernard 3rd in the B string in 15.65. Idris then went on to win the pole vault A string with 2.25m, another valuable event victory for the team.
The throws were another important source of points. Keerit Uberoi was 5th in the B string shot put while his brother, Arvin placed 4th in both the discus A string with 22.70m and the javelin A string with 29.64m. Ashton Jokhiya continued his fine progress finishing 3rd in the hammer A string with 22.11m.
The 4x100m relay provided a dramatic finish to the age-group effort. Oladimeji Olawoye, Blake Edwards, Henry Richards and Robert James combined to finish 3rd in 50.05, just two hundredths behind Blackheath & Bromley and less than eight tenths behind winners Tonbridge. It was another sign of the squad’s competitiveness and refusal to give up ground in a tight match.
Summary
This was a challenging fixture, with missing athletes and fixture clashes to contend, but the response said everything about the team. To finish 2nd with 561 points, having sat 5th after the opening 15 events, showed the character and determination of this squad.
A special mention to all the athletes who competed for Woodford for the first time, and to those who stepped into unfamiliar events or filled gaps at short notice. Those performances do not always appear at the top of the results sheet, but they are often the difference between losing places and climbing the table. That willingness to double up, cover events and put the team first was crucial to this result.
Many thanks, as always, to the officials, coaches, team managers, parents and volunteers who made the fixture possible, and special thanks also to Johnny for the photos on the day.
After two fixtures, Woodford remain 2nd in the league on 10 points and are very much in contention heading into Match 3 for a top-two finish and a place at the UK National Final in September. Next fixture: Reading, Saturday 18 July 2026.