PIPPA Woolven warmed up for the Commonwealth Games with a double victory for Wycombe Phoenix Harriers last weekend.

Woolven was stretching her legs in the Southern Athletics League and promptly won both her races, setting a new league record to boot in her favoured steeplechase event.

The 20-year-old will compete for England in Glasgow in the 3,000m steeplechase on July 30 and proved she is in good shape in Newham.

She won the 2,000m steeplechase in a time of 6.49, a full 15 seconds lower than the previous record, while also taking the 1,500m title in 4.47.

Her double sparked a remarkable fightback from Wycombe in the final hour of the meet, as they surged up the table to close a 12-point gap and finish joint second with Newham and Essex Beagles.

Alongside Woolven, Natasha Taylor also stepped up to the plate over the middle distances.

Despite still being an U17s runner, she won the A string 800m with a mid-race surge and then recovered enough to finish second behind Woolven in the 1,500m, taking the B string title in the process.

Meanwhile, Rob Bushrod was competing in no fewer than ten events and, after wins in the B string 400m hurdles and pole vault, he managed to contribute 24 of the team’s 162 points.

Other wins on the day came from Kieran Gilfedder in the B string 1,500m, Bradley Lawrence in the A string 400m hurdles, Marissa Robertson and Georgina Haley in the 400m hurdles, Megan Styles in the steeplechase, Caroline Parkinson in the pole vault and Alexis Gibson, who won the B string discus and javelin.

Further, Kai McKenzie, Luke Seymour, Georgina Haley, Lisa Fitzpatrick and Megan Styles all set new personal bests.

Team managers Jo Lawrence and David Randall said: “The team fought like tigers for every point.

“To tie with Newham is a great performance and gives us every chance of maintaining the Division Two status we won back in 2012 in our last match at Peterborough on August 2.”