Ali Prenn the hero as Belgrave crowned Rosenheim League champions
Multi-eventing Ali Prenn scored three wins and a second place as Belgrave's men ran away with the Rosenheim League title on a balmy night in Kingston.
Our women narrowly missed out on defending last year's title, finishing just three points (someone to jog round the steeplechase would have done it!) behind last year's runners up Hercules Wimbledon.
Rosenheim final match scores
Men
| Rank | Club | Pts |
| 1 | Belgrave | 85 |
| 2 | Hercules Wimbledon | 60 |
| 3 | Holland Sports | 56 |
| 3 | Serpentine | 51 |
| 5 | Epsom & Ewell | 49 |
| 6 | Kingston & Poly | 48 |
| 7 | St Mary's Richmond | 35 |
| 8 | Walton | 23 |
Women
| Rank | Club | Pts |
| 1 | Hercules Wimbledon | 59 |
| 2 | Belgrave | 56 |
| 3 | Serpentine | 38 |
| 4 | Sutton & District | 33 |
| 5 | Epsom & Ewell | 23 |
| 6 | Kingston & Poly | 7 |
The men delivered an outstanding night on the track, with wins in the steeple (Jasper Taylor), 100m (Ali Prenn), 800m (Will Stockley), 1500m (Paskar Owor), 4*200m relays (Mike Burslem, Gareth Holden, Pierre Walker and Ali Prenn), and a second place in the 3000m (Nick Buckle).
On the field, Ali Prenn won the pole vault and came second in the long jump, while Abi Ekoku won the discus.
Responsible for some 31 of our 85 points on the night, Ali Prenn said he's loved the Rosenheim League this season.
"It has a more relaxed vibe than the SAL, so it’s easier to compete without any pressure on yourself," he explained. "And the 4x200 is one of my favourite events."
"I was pretty confident going into the relay. After I was done with my events I asked the announcer what the standings were and we were eight points ahead before they’d counted the long jump, discus, 3000m and the relay. I’d come second in LJ, knew Abi Ekoku was always going to contend for top points and had seen Nick Buckle leading in the 3000m. With Gareth, Mike and Pierre in the relay I knew we’d be tough to beat.
"But I was still definitely relieved to cross the line first. Although the points indicated we were doing well you still never know if there was a miscalculation or maybe somebody might creep up behind you and take you on the line - and that would be the difference between 1st and 2nd.
"I remember Mike saying just get the baton round before the race, so I was happy we were able to do that and get the win."
Winning the Rosenheim title is a high point in a season that hasn't always been easy for Ali.
"It’s been slow progress. I've just moved back to London from America to train with Greg Richards and it’s definitely been a year of adjustments.
"But my final Decathlon is at the Surrey County championships on the 7th of September at the David Weir track in Sutton (small plug!) and I’m feeling really good with the work we’ve done building up to it, so can’t wait to have the opportunity to show it off."
For the women, a special mention is due for Mia Callenberg who had a remarkable night to win the discus, pole vault, long jump and relay, as well as a second place in the hammer.
Belgrave debutant Victoria Barthelmess was also impressive with a win in the 800 and a strong contribution to the winning relay squad, while Amy Mat scored valuable points across the sprint disciplines.
Belgrave scorers
| Event | Men's team | Women's team |
| Hammer | Peter Mayfield, 4th | Mia Callenberg, 2nd |
| Pole vault | Ali Prenn, 1st | Mia Callenberg, 1st |
| Discus | Abi Ekoku, 1st | Mia Callenberg, 1st |
| Long Jump | Ali Prenn, 2nd | Mia Callenberg, 1st |
| 100m | Ali Prenn, 1st | Amy Mat, 3rd |
| 200m | Mike Burslem, 4th | Amy Mat, 3rd |
| 400m | Gareth Holden, 4th | Jurgita Levertaviciute, 3rd |
| 800m | Will Stockley, 1st | Victoria Barthelmess, 1st |
| 1500m | Paskar Owor, 1st | Orna McGinley, 3rd |
| 2000m SC | Jasper Taylor, 1st | No scorer |
| 3000m | Nick Buckle, 2nd | Tasha Tennant, 3rd |
| 4 x 200m relay | Gareth Holden, Mike Burslem, Pierre Walker, Ali Prenn, 1st | Mia Callenberg, Jurgita Levertaviciute, Victoria Bathelmess, Amy Mat, 1st |
Full results from the 2019 Rosenheim League final can be downloaded here.