Some of the top sprinters from Blackheath Harriers Bromley came out of hibernation to compete in the first meeting of the Crystal Palace Indoor Grand Prix series.

The fixture offered many their first competitive opportunity of the winter and led to some good early-season times.

Internationals Akinola Lashore and Mensah Elliott both timed 7.0sec for the 60 metres and there was a promising return to racing for 400-metre runner Alloy Wilson.

The 20-year-old has spent much of the last two seasons injured, but he timed 7.1sec in his 60-metre dash to show he is getting back into the shape which saw him break the clubs junior 400-metre record.

Long-jumper Levi Edwards used the meeting to hone his speed and timed 7.3sec over the 60-metre distance, while in the under-20s race, George Isodo made his debut in the age group and won the second of his two races in 7.2sec.

Many of the clubs athletes will have been inspired by the rankings lists that have recently been published for the year 2000.

For the first time in some years, the club had three athletes ranked in the sprint hurdles in the under-13 age group.

For the boys, James Nelson is 15th in the 75-metre hurdles in 13.5sec, while Tom Boam is 18th in 13.7sec. For the girls, Claire Cooper is 14th in the 70-metre hurdles in 11.8sec.

Fabrice Serybis club record of 10.49m sees him ranked 16th in the shot-putt, but highest rated of the lot is Stuart Harvey, whose throw of 36.90m in the javelin ranks him fifth in the country for that event.

Anyone of any age who is interested in taking part in track and field should visit Norman Park on a Tuesday or Thursday from 6.30pm and ask for Michelle Bovell or Dave Liston.

The session on a Wednesday night, again at 6.30pm, is specifically for the under-11s and offers an introduction to the various track and field disciplines in a fun environment.

For further details on the club, visit the website at www.blackheath-harriers.org.uk