DESPITE fielding only a small team, New Forest Juniors performed well in the fourth and final National Young Athletes' League Itchen Division fixture at Crawley.

Led by a brace of wins from sprinter Hollie McManus (100m, 12.7sec) and 200m (26.6), they took third place overall ahead of Hampshire rivals Portsmouth and Basingstoke.

NFJ's middle distance runners were also on song with Charlotte Benning winning the 800m in a personal best 2.22.0 and Hayley Pointer leading the 1,500m from start to finish in 5.01.1.

Pointer also competed in the A 400m (3rd, 62.8) and B long jump (4.25), Hazel Feary was second in the A long jump (4.59) and discus (14.17) and third in the B 100m (13.7), while Charlotte Bates was the 3,000m runner-up in a personal best time. Carly Holder was third in the discus (19.75), Laura Marzaroli second in the B 400m (65.1) and Cassie Gear won the B 200m in 25.7.

The fleet-footed Juniors proved unbeatable in both relays - Gear, Feary, Holder and McManus coming from behind to seize top 4x100m spot in 51.2sec and Pointer, Gear, Marzaroli and McManus storming to 4x400m success in 4.09.6.

NFJ's next fixture is the final UKA Young Athletes' League meet at Poole on Sunday.

MATCH RESULT: Bournemouth 199, Havant 171, New Forest Jun 110, City of Portsmouth 56, Basingstoke & Mid Hants 48, Chichester 0.