TYNEDALE’S survival in the North of England Harriers’ League Division 3A was a mammoth task.

Faced with torrential rain on Saturday, the fixture at Wentworth Leisure Centre could easily have fallen victim to the weather.

But with both track and field passed fit to use, Tynedale searched high and low for athletes to compete in multiple categories.

It resulted in some youngsters making their competitive debut for the Hexham-based club, while veteran campaigners pulled their running shoes on once again.

Tynedale enjoyed no fewer than 10 wins on the day, as they more than doubled the required total of 140 points.

Team member Darren Towart said: “We have a lot of talented athletes at Tynedale, and that has never been in question. For a while, we’ve struggled to encourage more people to get involved with competitive fixtures, and as a result have sometimes struggled for numbers.

“But on Saturday, we sent out a rallying call and everybody really did step up to the plate. What we achieved in torrential rain will live in our memories. It was a remarkable team performance and we’re all very proud.”

Darren withdrew from the British Masters Championships in Birmingham at the weekend, where he was due to defend the 400m hurdles title he won last year, so he could be part of the Tynedale effort.

He added: “The club always comes first, and hopefully what we achieved has given the younger members a much needed taste of competitive action. They were thrown in at the deep end, but they excelled, and hopefully now they will be ready for more.”

l On the same day, Tynedale Harrier Daniel Joyce won the men’s 800m at a British Milers’ Club event in Manchester, with a time of 01:51.23. The 16-year-old went up against older competitors, and finished ahead of Aldershot Farnham & District’s Ricky Harvie (01:51.97) and Finley Begg (01:52.14), an U23 runner from Brighton.

It continued another impressive season for Slaley’s Joyce. Last month, he won the intermediate boys’ 800m in the English Schools Track and Field Championship, in Birmingham, with a time of (1:55.09), finishing ahead of competitors from Merseyside and Manchester.