Written by David Barrington   

This next week promises to shape the 2004 ambitions and hopes of several of the club's individuals,teams & team managers.This Sunday,Don Turner's annual Surrey-promoted Under 13 tournament features 12 counties at Kingsmeadow with Richard Smeaton & Lucy Jones gaining their first county vests at High Jump & 70 Hurdles respectively,& William Trimble his 2nd at Javelin.

On Wed next,the last regular season Rosenheims go at the delightful Bank of England greensward,with Sasha Gordon's ladies certain of retaining their divisional trophy & the "gentlemen" most likely to go forward to defend the overall League Trophy in August in 2nd place - the social facilities are attractive,too! Moving to the weekend,the BAL team travel to Abingdon in search of the preservation of their League status in good spirits, with an absentee or two, but with contrasting performers on view - Jamie McCullagh,for the first time,aims to head Andy Fulford of Swindon,an arch-rival,over 800 with a scintillating 1.51.31 under his belt from the BMC race at Watford on July 21;whilst the amazingly ubiquitous Maurice Joyce aims,at just turned 60,to wrest a few pole vault points from the opposition - such is loyalty.A possible 'incentive',for the club's finances,too,is the prospect of a trip to Edinburgh in 2005!!! The same day,Mike May takes the SML reserves to Battersea for their last league foray on the summer.Then,on Sunday,the hopefully-heavily-loaded minibuses for Worthing will be looking for a very strong performance to pull us out of the relegation zone in the National Young Athletes League Southern Div One West and preserve our status for next campaign. Per adua ad astra,as they say!