READING Athletic Club’s boys’ team started the 2017 track season as they finished 2016, winning the Alder Valley League match at Hillingdon.

In the Under-13s, Sammy Ball began with a personal best and first place in the A-string shot putt, throwing 9.41m, while Matthew Rawles threw 20.06m to win the discus.

Ball won the long jump with 4.90m and Reuben Jones cleared 1.30m to equal his PB and win the high jump.

A great day for Ball was rounded off with victory in the 100m as he clocked a PB of 12.8secs.

These results helped the U13s claim first place with 221 points, ahead of Portsmouth on 204 and Bracknell on 186.

Charlie Maculan won the U15 shot putt with 11.02m, and doubled up in the discus with 31.60m and his second PB of the day.

Jamie Bonella-Duke took the honours in the hammer with 46.67m, and Reading won the long jump courtesy of Harry Daisley’s huge leap of 5.54m.

Joe Cox equalled his PB of 1.65m to take victory in the high jump.

On the track, Sam Elwood finished in 23.8s to bag the 200m, and Tom Anderson (39.10s)secured the 300m.

Reading also won the 4x100m relay as Jahari Nneke, Elwood, Harrison Lynch and O’Shillou Johnson produced a superb effort to clock 48.2s.

This meant the Under-15s also claimed overall glory with 272 points, ahead of Bracknell on 255 and Hillingdon on 239.

In the Under-17s, Peter Holt won the pole vault with 3.40m, only just missing a PB, and was runner-up in the hammer (34.69m).

Chritish Gurung threw a season’s best of 12.08m in the shot for second, and followed that with the runner-up spot in the discus (34.01m).

Malachi Henry snared second with a fine run of 11.7s in the 100m, and matched that effort in the 200m (23.7s).

In the 1,500m, Joe Mott was another to take second spot after running a PB of 4:34.30, and Daniel Animashaun also ran his fastest ever time of 17.4s to claim the runner-up place in the 100m hurdles. In the final event of the day, the 4x100m team was successful in 47.9s as Henry brought the baton home.

With a string of athletes finishing as runner-up, the U17s placed second overall with 215.5 points ahead of the Portsmouth team they had pipped in the relay by a point. Bracknell won the older age group with 237 points.

This meant the team scored 731.5 points, clear of second-placed Bracknell on 696. Portsmouth finished third on 660.

However, in the other league match, home team Guildford amassed a huge 802 points, putting them top after the opening round of fixtures.