DORKING & Mole Valley Athletics Club runner Luke Caldwell had his first experience competing in the Grand Prix at Crystal Palace a few days after his 19th birthday.

Having just returned from a family holiday he was a little short of training but still ran well inside the top 10 for six laps of the 3,000m before fading and being passed by at least six athletes in the last 100m. He finished in 19th position in a field of 30 in a time of 8 minutes 33.13 seconds.

He also took a good second place in the 1,500m in the British League Division Three meeting at Swansea in 4:01.8, despite having earlier competed in the 800m where he placed seventh in the A race in 1.57, surprisingly quick in the windy conditions.

Also at that meeting, in the 800m, Cora Harrison (U17) was third A in a time of 2:29.8. Leah Dyson (U17) found high jumping difficult in the torrential rain and was 10cm down on her normal height with 1.40m, also fourth B in the triple jump (8.72m). In the same age group Leanne Bettis had an unhappy day, being very unfortunate to be disqualified in the 100m, and having technical problems in the javelin (24.87m) and discus (29.15m).

In the throws Kasia Kublik was second B in the discus (31.17m) and shot put (5.98m) and first B in the hammer (20.85m).

Jane Wilcox (W35) threw the hammer 20.95m and the javelin 14.73m and put the shot 6.76m. She also long jumped 3.25m and tripled jumped 7.85m for a W35 club record.

In the Southern Inter-County competitions Dorking & Mole Valley had two athletes in the Surrey team. In the U17 event at Stevenage Leah Dyson secured her first county vest in the high jump with a clearance of 1.5m.

Leanne Bettis was well short of her best in the javelin, throwing only 23.98m and was second B in the discus with 29.23m.

At a very windy Ashford in Kent, Louise Ionascu (W35) was fifth A in the 800m in 2:31.35 and Kasia Kublik threw the discus 31.34m representing the Surrey senior team.

Rebecca Black (W35) gave a good performance in a multi-terrain half-marathon in the Milland Valley in Hampshire. She led for the first nine miles, was overtaken by two other competitors and then regained a place to finish second in 1 hour 44 minutes 55 seconds, nine seconds behind the winner.

In the Surrey 5km Road Championship at Wimbledon, Nick Hodges took the bronze medal in a time of 16.15, with Bruce Harrold eighth in 16.28.

At an open track meeting in Eltham, Evan Erskine-Thomas (U20) had a useful PB of 2:11.82 in the 800m.

At an open meeting at Horsham, U15 Ollie May had a good race over 1,500m swapping the lead with another boy before out-sprinting him in a time of 4:57.8 secs. Louise Ionascu (W35) didn't quite have the legs for a second race in the day but still recorded a respectable time of 5:20.1 in her 1,500m event.