Organiser Kevin Robinson provides the latest update on events in the UK National League 2008, including the final team league tables for the season.

The League Championship has been retained by Tri London, though with a lower total of points (2240.99) than they achieved in winning the Championship last year, possibly due to the fact that Steven Lord and Jo Carritt had relatively quiet seasons, only doing two League-listed events each. In second place are Hartlepool Tri, with 2109.04 points. Last year I said that if Hartlepool entered a larger squad they could move up in the table from the third place achieved in 2007 they did enter a larger squad and have moved up.

In third place, not far behind Hartlepool, were Derby Tri, with 2077.93 points. Derby were without James Cresswell through injury for part of the year, and this almost certainly cost them some important points, although the Club still had three members in the top ten in the Individual List. In fourth place, just a pipsqueak behind Derby were Swindon Tri, with 2075.07. Swindon only entered a small squad, and individual members clearly showed a lot of ability, but as I said of Hartlepool last year, a few more members in the squad could have seen them achieve a higher position. However, one point which it is certainly worth making, is that the top six clubs in the League Table all achieved two thousand points, a total that would have eluded all but the top two clubs just a few years ago. These totals, morever, were achieved in a year in which summer was somewhat absent from the proceedings, and August, in particular, was very disappointing. I have no doubt, in view of these results, that standards in the League continue to rise. This does not only apply to the top six clubs, but also to some of those in the middle and lower regions of the table. In mid-table, both NYP and MVHT achieved higher positions than in recent years. NYP cleared the 500 barrier at Ironman France, as did MVHT at the Norseman, with four finishers including Stacey Eccles, whom I missed from my initial scoring although she crossed the line simultaneously with the top male MVHT member, Henry Gompertz - apologies have been made...

Further down the table, Greenwich Tritons, in their first year in the League, earned 1344.70 points for just three events, with Cory Cook prominent. Worcester Tri managed two team finishes this year, with John Stevens leading the way, and thus earned 984.27 points. Tri London Ladies produced some excellent individual results, and actually managed two team scores which left them not far short of a thousand points. Coventry Tri, usually one of the top teams in the League, were without the competitive leadership of Steve Howes, usually one of the top individuals, but managed to gather 866.61 points. Thames Turbo Ladies, Barracuda Tri and NYP Ladies all achieved one team result. TTL scoring 452.16;  Barracuda 441.82;  and NYPL 393.59.

I gave some emphasis last year to the excellent contribution to the League being made by female members, and this has continued this year. The top female leaguer in 2008 was Helen Smith of Thames Turbo, who scored 678.10 points, which got her into the top ten in the individual list, just one place behind as distinguished a competitor as former League champion Paul Mountford. Second among the ladies was Jayne Parker of Swindon Tri who earned 654.89 points and who, like Helen, was in her first year in the League. In third place waas Lucy Bowen, also of Thames Turbo, with 623.08 points. So the top three ladies, and the clubs they were representing, were all new to the League.

The two top men were also new to the League. Top individual in the 2008 League was Dion Harrison of Thames Turbo with the excellent total of 752.79 points. Dion was the top leaguer at Hawaii, finishing in 9 hours, 54 minutes, and 12 seconds, a result which characterised his entire season, as he was more active in foreign events than any leaguer in the history of the League, always achieving first-class results. Other leaguers who finished at Hawaii were former League Champion Steven Lord of Tri London, in 10 hours, 31 minutes, and 50 seconds; Mark Skelton of Derby Tri, in 11 hours, 41 minutes, and 4 seconds, and Phil Parsons of Worcester Tri, in 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 14 seconds. Dion Harrison and Helen Smith of Thames Turbo distinguished themselves in the 2008 season, but the Club nevertheless suffered from a lack of co-ordination. More of that and the club would certainly achieve a higher position. As it stands, it is clear that Thames Turbo have class, despite finishing well down in League Table! A similar comment, but to a lesser extent, can be applied to Swindon Tri. Mark Stenning, who was second in the Individual List with an excellent 736.97 points, and Jayne Parker, who was second Lady with 654.89 points, had excellent seasons, but again there seemed to be some lack of co-ordination. A factor in this where Thames Turbo and Swindon Tri are concerned is, of course, that both clubs are new to the League, since lack of co-ordination is clearly not now a problem for the more experienced clubs.

The honour of more experience leaguers was saved by Tom Williams of Leeds & Bradford in third place with 722.84 points, and Mark Skelton of Derby Tri with 720.07 points in fourth place. In fifth, sixth and seventh places were Chris Nicoll of Derby Tri,  Tony Weed of Hartlepool Tri and Mark Couldwell of Derby Tri, who all cleared 700 points. Looking at the top ladies and the top men it is tempting to describe 2008 as the year of the new leaguers, but the more experienced leaguers were there in depth and with good results, with only three of the forty places from tenth to fiftieth place taken by new leaguers, all three incidentally being female members. Still, the new leaguers have clearly done extremely well, and the League will be better for it.

I'm already looking forward to the 2009 season, not least because I managed to lose almost the whole of this season, after a fall while running in June, which put me in hospital with concussion, and a bike crash in July which left me with a dislocated shoulder which still hasn't gone back into place. 2008 was in fact the first season for twenty-five years in which I haven't managed to compete at either triathlon or duathlon. So roll on 2009, it looks as if I'll be coming back at a very interesting time for the League. The final table for teams is below. The table for individual placing's will be on Tri247 in another two weeks or so. Trophies will be sent out, as usual, before Christmas.

UK NATIONAL TRIATHLON & DUATHLON LEAGUE: FINAL TEAM TABLE 2008