The first Lily B League match of the 2026 season took place on Saturday 11th April, and Momentum Track Club's girls came out and put in a team performance that earned a provisional fourth place finish.
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The Lily B League has been running since 1972, founded by Jim Braben, and is one of the most established girls athletics leagues in the country. Twelve clubs, predominantly based in Surrey, compete across three matches and a final each season. U14, U16 and U18 athletes score points for the team; U12 athletes compete but do not score. At the end of the regular season, the top teams qualify to compete for the League Trophy at the final in Carshalton, with the teams just below competing for the Plate. Fourth place provisionally, with two more matches still to come, puts MTC well in the mix.
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From April 2026, the league has adopted new age group structures bringing it in line with UKA's updated age group framework, so the day marked the first time MTC had competed under those new categories.
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The highlight of the day in terms of individual performances came from the hurdles. Aurelia and Emma both won their respective U16 hurdles strings. Pippa also had a standout day in the field, winning both the U14 Discus and Shot Put. In the U12 non-scoring competition, Alice ran strongly in the 600m to come out ahead. And the relays at the end of the day — always among the most atmospheric moments in team athletics — rounded off what was clearly a strong and enthusiastic team effort.
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A notable element of the day was how many athletes were competing for the first time. League competition has its own particular feel, the team atmosphere, the scoring, the sense that your individual performance contributes to something beyond your own result, and experiencing that for the first time at any age tends to stick. Getting a big group of first-timers out competing and bringing home a fourth-place finish as a team is the kind of day that builds a club.
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Two more matches remain in the regular season, at Epsom and Guildford, before the final at Carshalton. The next fixture is on 20th June at Guildford. Any girls athletes looking to get involved before then should get in touch.
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Well done to everyone who competed 👏
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#getfasterfaster #lilyb #lilybleague #leaguematch #athletics
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