LONGFORD Park based athletes from Trafford AC found it tough going in their first BAL Men’s Premier League match at Sheffield, where they finished in eighth place.

Newly-promoted Trafford got off to a dream start on the track with Rob Lewis winning the 400m hurdles.

The start was maintained in the 800m where 17-year-old debutant James Bowness produced a superb finish to take the scalp of former UK number one Sam Ellis for second place.

Tom Minshull went one better in the B event.

But in the field events the competition proved tough, as Roger Bate threw a huge lifetime best of 61.05m in the hammer but missed the cut, finishing ninth.

Trafford’s injury-hit team felt the full force of the Premier League quality in the field events.

The other major success on the track came from Gary Bristow, second in the 1,500m A while Tim Egerton ran the race of his life to win the B event.

Ian Salisbury and Paul Rockcliffe both finished fourth in their respective 'chase races and new boy Paul Alsopp was second in the B javelin.

Team captain Mike Morrison said: "We took a bit of a battering, particularly in the field events but we can only get better and we will look to turn things round quickly."