City of Sheffield & Dearne pipped Chelmsford in a tight finish at Horspath to book both clubs' return to the National League Premiership, with Shaftesbury Barnet third.

NATIONAL LEAGUE QUALIFYING MATCH, Horspath, Oxford, September 12

From early on in the match it was clear that City of Sheffield & Dearne and Chelmsford would make the jump up to the Premiership for next year and, in the closing stages, it was Sheffield who finally went comfortably clear to take the trophy and make a swift return to the top flight.

With four previous Premiership clubs competing for that return, it was hardly surprising that two of the mini-area league qualifying clubs decided to pass on the chance of also making a move up.

Shaftesbury were also relegated in 2025, while Blackheath and Chelmsford lost out in 2024 and 2023 respectively. All four were competing here along with mini-area league winners Crawley and Yeovil.

The two missing clubs, Cardiff and York, were runners-up in their own mini-leagues.

Chelmsford got off to the best possible start when 17-year-old Amelie Scott, the English Schools 100m hurdles bronze medallist, won the women's long jump with a 5.49m first-round jump. She later added the triple jump with 11.55m in a busy afternoon.

This was as their mini-east league rivals Shaftesbury had Greg Thompson notch up his sixth league win of the year with a 54.25m throw in the discus.

Also sharing the early spotlight was Chelmsford's Onye Okoh, who comfortably won the men's low hurdles with a 51.87 return before 16-year-old Lily Hartman made it a double in the women's event. This meant that their club led overall after eight events had been scored, by 21 points over Sheffield.

Crawley were having a lean time and called on 56-year-old Julia Machin, the W55 high jump world record-holder, to help out, which she did with a fourth-placed 1.56m, as her club edged up to fourth after 12 events thanks to her top age grading.

Blackheath were lying third in the table and had Abraham Sharif take advantage of a 3.4m/sec wind to leap 7.34m in the men's long jump.

With a third of the event points totalled, Shaftesbury and Yeovil were in the league basement, a state not helped when both failed to field a full tally of officials.

At this point, Chelmsford still led overall but only by seven points from Sheffield as the rest, led by Blackheath, were at least 40 points down but did have UK champion Zara Obamakinwa win the women's discus with a 54.81m final-round throw.

Sheffield continued to apply pressure and, after 16 events had been scored, narrowly took the lead over Chelmsford 297 to 293, thanks to Sean Kerry's 62.09m men's hammer victory, but both clubs remained on course for promotion.

Shaftesbury continued to trail in the match but did have Zoe Levin win the women's steeplechase, although there were just five of a possible 12 takers, with the two leading clubs each fielding two runners.

Some events were of a pitifully poor standard, none more so than the men's 110m hurdles, where there were just four of a possible dozen takers but where, again, only the two leading clubs fielded two runners.

Sheffield then opened out their lead in the match to ten points after 18 events, thanks to UK championship third-placer Alicia Barrett's 13.69 100m hurdles win against the wind. This event also saw Chelmsford's 16-year-old Chelsea Clarke, the English Schools fifth-placer, place second in the B string.

Chelmsford slipped slightly further behind when Lee Thompson won the men's 400m for Sheffield with 47.87 and, after 21 events had been scored, were 28 points down but still looking safe to join Sheffield in the top flight next year.

Yeovil were having a sad time of it in the basement after failing to put up competitors in several events but did have 16-year-old Isaac Slight, the English Schools bronze medallist, win the pole vault in a personal best 4.60m.

As the afternoon wore on, it became clear that Chelmsford and Sheffield would be promoted as each, in turn, won A string events – but winning performances still suggested that both might struggle in the Premiership.

Third-placed Shaftesbury were now 80 points down after 27 events and now looked unlikely to make a swift return to the Premiership. This was after moving up ahead of Blackheath, who, however, had Dillon Claydon win the men's shot with 17.31m.

After 31 events had been scored, Chelmsford had pegged Sheffield's lead back to 13 points but the pair were 100 points up on Shaftesbury – who had Genoa Howat win the women's pole vault with 3.85m – and Blackheath.

This was despite Joe Dunderdale winning a tight men's javelin with 62.67m, for Sheffield, from Yeovil's Ben Jones and Chelmsford's Samson Brichieri-Colombi.

Several Sheffield wins, including the men's triple jump by Scott Sinclair with 14.64m, then saw them go 40 points clear after 37 events and it was almost all over.

Unusually for a National League match, all of the other events were completed and added to the points totals before the two 4x400m relays.

There, Chelmsford just pipped Sheffield in the women's before being disqualified in the men's, which Sheffield won.

Looking at A string wins, Chelmsford also lost out to Sheffield six to ten, but Shaftesbury also had ten.

With Yeovil finishing last here, Cardiff not competing and Swansea being relegated from the Premiership, the West mini-area league is undoubtedly the weakest.

Match: 1 Sheffield & Dearne 656; 2 Chelmsford 604; 3 Blackheath & Bromley 526; 4 Shaftesbury Barnet 500; 5 Crawley 418; 6 Yeovil 233

Promoted to Premiership: Sheffield and Chelmsford