Jonathan Barbour produced a superb sprint double by winning both the 100 and 200-metre races in the Great Britain Under-23 international match against Spain, sponsored by Norwich Union, held at Liverpool last weekend.

The very blustery conditions prevented any fast times but the double victory will have boosted the confidence of the Blackhath Harriers, Bromley, athlete as he bids to defend his National under 23 titles at Bedford this weekend.

If successful, Barbour will go to the European Under 23 Championships in Holland.

He said: “I had an injury-free summer and winter last season so, touch wood, it's looking good for Amsterdam.

Barbour, won easily won the 100 in 10.66sec, then won the 200m in 21.56sec when beating Midlands sprint champion Ben Lewis.

Also bidding for selection is Michael Skinner in the 1,500m. He finished fourth in a tactical race at Liverpool with none of the field breaking the four-minute barrier.

There was more success for the club at the National Veteran Championships at Eton. Jim Day won gold in the over 65s pole-vault with a leap of 2.60m, while Peter Hannell took the over-55s walk and Ken Daniel beat a quality over 50s 1,500-metre field in 4min 22.3sec.

After his victory, Daniel was straight into his car to get back to support the club's teams back at Norman Park where the women faced a tough match as they met the top two teams in their Southern League Division Three fixture, but a spirited team performance saw them defeat recent National Champions Windsor and finish just a handful of points behind current leaders Belgrave.

Sam Singer (400m), Katy Porter (100m hurdles), Abi Jacobs (100m) and Katy Benneworth (long jump) all had individual wins in the senior age group and they combined to set a new club record in the 4x100m of 49.6sec.

Benneworth's 5.46-metre leap in the long jump was a new personal best and there was another in the under-15 group from Harriet Robinson, who jumped more than five metres for the first time despite the handicap of having her arm in plaster.

Venita Akpofure (100m and 200m), Joanna South (200m), Bryony Proctor (1,500m) and Caroline McQuillan (800m) had victories on the track.

While in the field, there were wins for Claire Sylvester and Roxanne Hargreaves in the javelin; Vicky Thomas (shot putt) and Clare Cooper, who followed up her win in the 100m by landing the long jump,

The men's team were also second in their match, despite winning virtually every track event. They dropped just six points out of a 100 but weaknesses in some of the field events meant they finished five points down on Kingston & Polytechnic.

The junior men's team were in action on Sunday in the Southern Premier League at Bedford, where they achieved a solid fifth place in a division which contains the top eight teams in the whole of the south of England.

Best performance came from Mark Awanah, who won the long jump with a fine leap of 6.68m.

Meanwhile, there was a clean sweep for the podium places for the club in the Darrick Wood 10-km run, when Roy Smith won in a time of 34 minutes with Dan Ayrton second and Peter Tucker third.

The club welcomes new members of all ages and abilities. For further details, call Dave Liston on 01322 663504 or visit the regularly updated website at: www.blackheath-harriers.org.uk