Havering AC athletes opened their season on home territory as they hosted their annual Spring Warm Up meeting at Hornchurch Stadium on Sunday.

The high quality meeting saw Max Law open his account with a UK leading under-20 javelin mark of 64.20m.

The under-15 javelin was also a good quality event as Hertford & Ware’s Tom Rutter improved his UK leading mark to 56.71m, while the home club’s UK ranked number two Bobby Williams came close to his best of 47.80m set a few days earlier to enter the club’s all-time top 10.

Visiting athletes also set UK leading times in two events as Mary John (Woodford) beat the European Junior qualifying standard in the 400m to top the UK Under-20 Women’s rankings while Lily Parris’ 14.00s 100m hurdles clocking was the fastest by a UK U20 this summer.

Jacob Blanc demolished the club under-17 300m hurdles best with his 38.48, taking over two and half seconds off Tom Pitkin’s 2014 best.

Findlay McLaren’s excellent 4.38.62 run in the under-13 boys’ 1500m was the second fastest in the country so far this year and third fastest ever by a club under-13 and he is closing in on Matt Blacklock’s 4.32 club record.

Steph Okoro’s winning 41.38 posting in the 300m for under-17s was the fifth fastest in her age group this year, while 400m winner Dan Peters smashed his PB a week after running 1.58.36 at Lee Valley to enter the club's all-time 800m top 10.

Paralympic hopeful Kieran O’Hara dipped under the two-minute mark for the first time in clocking 1.59.20 for an English Native record and the fourth fastest time ever by a UK athlete in the T20 classification for athletes with intellectual impairments.

Club secretary Tony Benton said: “This was a great day to start our season, and with over 300 athletes entered we had to close entries early as we had reached the maximum numbers we could accommodate under the COVID secure restrictions.

“It was only possible due to all the officials and volunteers who gave up their time to make things possible and give the athletes a change for this early season competition.”

A day before losing his club U17 men’s 300m hurdles best, Pitkin more than compensated by breaking Mark Bishop’s club senior 400m hurdles record competing for Butler University at Normal, Illinois.

The 23-year-old ex-Campion student, who hails from Gidea Park but has opted to run for Ireland, stopped the clock at 51.07 to post the sixth fastest time ever in the event by an Irish qualified athlete.

Also in the USA, Zoe Hughes (Duke University) set a new outdoor long jump best of 6.06m, after improving the club senior record to 6.16m during the indoor season, competing in Durham North Caroline on Monday.