Highgate Harriers avoid relegation in final Southern League match

Highgate Harriers’ combined team did just enough to stave off relegation by scraping a third-place finish in their final Southern League match of the season.

Promoted to Division Two North last year, Highgate finished last in their first two matches at the higher level, but a significant improvement kept their survival hopes alive.

And the Harriers completed their escape by claiming third place with a narrow six-point margin in their final match at Parliament Hill Fields – enough to keep them clear of the bottom four overall.

Under-20 athlete Hannah Viner scored well for Highgate in the women’s events, winning the 400m hurdles in a time of one minute 8.1 seconds and the 1500m steeplechase (5:22.2).

Harriers’ Grace Mee recorded second place in the high jump (1.60m) and third in the 110m hurdles (20.0), while there were also third place finishes in A string events for four more Harriers – as well as in the 4x100m relay (54.2).

Alima Diabate clocked 13.8 to take third in the 100m, while Alexandra Agoshkva ran 3:02.3) in the 800m, Emma Burgess 5:25.9 in the 1500m and Lulu Szego threw 26.39m in the javelin.

Matt Dore-Weeks led the men’s contribution with victories in the 110m hurdles (16.6) and the 400m hurdles (1:00.7), as well as finishing second in the pole vault (2.30m).

Robel Bahelbi also picked up a win for Highgate in the 5,000m (15:22.1) and a second place in the 1500m (4:14.2), while the 4x400m relay team triumphed in a time of 3:32.2.

The Harriers finished 10th overall in the final table with 11 league points – just 1.5 points ahead of Royston, who occupied the last relegation spot.