HACKSAWS RULE BRITAIN AGAIN

There were battles all over Palm Face Park. There was a fascinating three-way fight for the minor medals, surprise contenders emerged from the pack and several championship records came under threat.

Yet through it all, one thing never changed.

Hacksaws were first.

From the opening events until the final relay, the defending champions sat atop the standings and never looked remotely like surrendering their grip on the Club National Championships. Their final total of 53,256 points secured a fourth consecutive CNC crown and cemented their position as the dominant force in British athletics.

Behind them, however, the real drama unfolded.

Bumble Bees AC claimed second place with 49,167 points, edging Weymouth Bay Sharks into third by just 66 points, while E-LDN Surge remained in podium contention until the field events gradually swung the balance towards the more established powers.

CHAMPIONS IN EVERY DEPARTMENT

The most remarkable aspect of the Hacksaws victory was not the margin. It was the completeness of it.

The champions topped the championship rankings in:

• Sprints
• Middle Distance
• Race Walks
• Jumps
• Throws
• Relays

The only category they failed to win was Combined Events, where Bumble Bees AC narrowly took top honours.

In short, there was no weakness to attack.

Hacksaws accumulated 11,153 sprint points, 6,694 middle-distance points, 6,868 walking points, 7,615 jumping points, 7,362 throwing points and 3,922 relay points.

Everywhere rivals looked, Hacksaws were already there.

Their medal haul reflected that dominance: 31 gold medals and 47 medals overall, by far the strongest return of any club.

THE REAL BATTLE WAS FOR SECOND

While Hacksaws cruised towards another title, the contest behind them developed into one of the most entertaining subplots in recent CNC history.

Bumble Bees AC, Weymouth Bay Sharks and E-LDN Surge spent much of the competition separated by only small margins. As results flowed in from the track events, all three clubs found themselves eyeing the podium.

E-LDN Surge were the revelation.

Having quietly entered a full squad, they matched the established contenders throughout much of the running programme. Their sprint unit finished second only to Hacksaws, while strong contributions in the walks, jumps and throws kept them firmly in contention.

Only when the field events reached their latter stages did Bumble Bees AC and Weymouth Bay Sharks begin to edge away.