TEAM Solent's high-rise hero Ashley Swain has scaled new heights in the pole vault ahead of tomorrow's British Athletics League Gold Cup final at Bedford.

After months of trying, the 20-year-old former Mountbatten schoolboy finally cleared the elusive five metres at a meeting in Cardiff on Wednesday night, bettering his personal best by ten centimetres.

Unfortunately for Swain, the feat came just too late to qualify for the senior AAAs. He did not get into last weekend's Birmingham championships because he had not done the five-metre entry standard.

Solent are bidding to make it third time lucky at Bedford having finished eighth and last in both their previous Gold Cup finals.

Although they were relegated from the BML Division 1 after just one summer in the top flight, they improved as the season progressed and Team Solent chairman Mike Smith is optimistic of their highest-ever finish.

"Hopefully we will not be far off our strongest possible team and, remembering that it's only one per event in the cup as opposed to two in the league, we should end up well clear of the bottom," he said. "I'd like to think we could come as high as fifth."

Hot favourites are the mighty Belgrave Harriers who are gunning for their fifth Gold Cup triumph on the trot and have just won the BML title for a fourth successive season.

Gold Cup line-up: Belgrave Harriers, Birchfield Harriers, Blackheath Harriers, Newham & Essex Beagles, Shaftesbury Barnet, Team Solent, Thames Valley Harriers, Trafford.

Team Solent team - 100/200m: Jamie Henthorn, 400m: Peter Brend, 800m: James Parker, 1500m: Angus Maclean, 5000m: To be decided, 10,000m: Simon Wilson, 3000m steeplechase: Colin Palmer, 110m hurdles: Ian Cawley, 400m hurdles: Andy Bargh, High jump: Dan Turner, Long jump: James Leaver, Triple jump: Ian Rowe, Discus: Simon Fricker, Hammer: Steve Sammut, Pole vault: Ashley Swain, Javelin: Dave Sketchley, Shot: Gary Sollitt. Relay additions: Lee Fairclough, Wayne Martin.

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