Swindon Harriers made a strong start in the Southern Athletics League, finishing the opening weekend in third following last year’s promotion.

Champions and promotion last year has seen the club move into the tougher Division Two South and West but at Portsmouth, the Harriers finish joint third with Reading but only 12 points separated the top four clubs.

“All the evidence from the first match suggests we are at the right level because the top four clubs were so close together,” said men’s team manager Luke Byrne.

“People were all prepared to muck in and win points and while that might have only been a single point the final results show just how important that was.

“I think overall Keeleigh [Chapman, the women’s team boss] and I are very happy with that start and it is something to build upon.”

Among the highlights was Teresa Iannetelli taking the honours for the women winning the 200 metres and the 400-metre hurdles, the latter in a big personal best as she continues to thrive at the event that she has only recently begun competing in.

Iannetelli had only run the event once before last year clocking 68.89 but under coach Howard Moscrop’s guidance she burst out of the blocks with a sparkling time of 65.96 to go sixth in the South West Rankings.

Amelia Brandon secured maximum points by winning the 400-metre B race and also won the B high jump equalling her personal best of 1.50 metres.

Ben Wells and Matt Woodward won maximum points in the 400 metres while in the 800 metres, Fletcher Hart dipped inside two minutes for his second-quickest time at the distance to win the A race with Alex Williams adding the B title.

Harry Ricketts and Billy Dickinson did the double in the hammer with Josh Ricketts winning the B shot.

Holly Scott stepped up into the senior team and threw a club record of 34.99 metres with the 4kg hammer while fellow teenager Kalina Karacheva – one of the many younger athletes in the squad – took on the 400 metres for the first time ever and produced a sparkling time of 58.86 for victory to put her second in the South-West under-20 rankings. She also jumped a personal best of 1.58 metres to finish third in the high jump.

In his first 1500-metre race of the season, Anubis Molina-Zekri slashed almost five seconds off his personal best with 4:15.31 for fourth.