WORCESTER athletes enjoyed a double success in their Midland Veterans League campaign opener at Stourport.

The men’s team, managed by Dave Hope and Nick Hitchins, was reshuffled with Marc Flannery deciding not to compete this season.

But they won the match by 11 points from Bromsgrove and Redditch despite several competing against much younger athletes and others covering events outside of their comfort zone.

Worcester women’s team, without international race walker Wendy Bennett this season due to injury, triumphed with 141 points, 27 in front of Stratford.

For the men, Mike Small and Pete Stewart each secured seven points in the hammer against younger opponents.

Maximum points were added by Stewart and Hugh Davies in the pole vault.

Small won the M65 shot put with a personal best of 10.30 metres before throwing 31.66m for second spot in the M35 Javelin.

Stewart and Davies obtained 13 more points in the high jump.

The M40 triple jump saw Henry Hopkins potentially giving away 20 years to other competitors but he still secured third place.

Worcester struggled a bit in the 100m but John Steel, Laurence Oldfield, Hopkins, club debutant Dave Shaw and Matt Fairlamb, mostly running out of age group, brought home 28 points.

In the 400m, Davies, Hopkins and Richard White secured 17 points.

Davies was first in the M40 2km race walk and another Worcester debutant Richard Drewett came third M60 with a PB.

In the one-mile races, Matt Moon was third M35 alongside maximums in the M40 for Fairlamb and the M60 for Martyn Cole.

The men’s match was rounded off with the 4x200m relay and despite a chaotic event Worcester managed third place in one minute 58.5 seconds while a guest team clocked 2.09.1.

For the women, Jan Timberlake (W50) and team manager Mel Garland (W35) each scored maximum high jump points.

The shot put produced another 22 points as Garland (W50) and Marion Loveridge (W40) were second while Pam Price (W70) celebrated possibly her first victory in the discipline in her years of competing for Worcester veterans.

Loveridge was third in the W50 javelin and Iris Holder fifth in the long jump against younger athletes.

In the 100m sprints, Nicola Guiver, Ros Townsend-Hope, Iris Holder, fit-again Angela Bryant and Vickie Watkins acquired 33 points for Worcester.

Holder and Bryant secured fine victories at W70 and W50 respectively.

Worcester returned three 400m victories thanks to Watkins at W35, Guiver at W40 with a PB-equalling 1.10.7 and Townsend-Hope at W60 for maximum points.

In the 2km race walk, Liz Bowers finished more than 50 seconds ahead of the W60 runner-up.

The one-mile races saw debutant Debbie Parker secure six points while at W40 Becky Selvey won her age group and Rachel Ward, running on a track for the first time in three years, managed third place.

The 4x200m relay involved Garland, Guiver, Watkins and Bryant who stormed around in 2.07.2 to win the race.