A brilliant all-round team effort enabled Swansea Harriers to defy the odds and comfortably maintain their UK Women's League Premiership status.
The Harriers went into the final match on their home track with the outcome on a knife-edge - two of the eight clubs are automatically relegated and replaced by two from Division 1 - but a succession of battling performances enabled them to finish a superb third, which elevated them to fourth in the final league table.
Traditionally promoted clubs struggle to survive in the high-quality Premiership and there were many who expected the Harriers to find life too tough in their first season at the highest level, but amid much celebration they did so in style.
Caryl Jones pictured, set a new Welsh record and new league record.
Leading the way were track stars Caryl Jones and multi-talented Caryl Granville, who have have been key to the club's success throughout the season.
Jones, maintained her 100 per cent league record for the season - six wins in six races - treating the crowd do another devastating display of her formidable front-running abilities, first in the 3000 metres in which she set a personal best of nine minutes 13.6 seconds and then in the 2000 metres steeplechase.
Competing over the barriers for the first time for more than two years and despite problems at the final water-jump, she set a Welsh record of 6 minutes 39.5 seconds and demolished the League record by almost half-a-minute.
Top hurdler Granville, having taken vital points in her specialist events against international opposition and second place in the "B" long-jump, then contributed superb anchor legs in both 4x100 and 4x400 metre relays. In the longer event she took over well behind in fourth place, but stormed through, pulling back fully 40 metres to take second.
Caryl Granville has been a vital member of the Swansea team this year.
Former Olympian Andrea Whitcombe also made a big contribution, winning the "B" 3000 metres behind Jones and finishing third in the "B" 1500, while back-to-form Carol Glover set season's bests when finishing second in the 800 metres and third in the 1500.
Delighted team-manager Sue Leyshon was full of praise for her team - "It is not called the Premiership for nothing," she said. "The standard is very high and we knew it would be tough, but everybody put in 100 per cent in every single event and nobody can ask for more than that. It's just a big thank you from me to all the girls."
Swansea positions:
100 metres A 5 Rachael Johncock 12.48; B 4 Hannah Thomas 12.63
200 metres A 3 Johncock 25.02; B 5 Thomas 25.71
400 metres A 4 Rebecca Williams 57.06; B 7 Elinor Jones 64.79
800 metres A 2 Carol Glover 2 minutes 07.95; B 3 Eleanor Sherrard-Smith 2 minutes 18.12
1500 metres A 3 Glover 4 minutes 29.96; B 3 Andrea Whitcombe four minutes 33.5.
3000 metres A 1 Caryl Jones 9 minutes 13.60; B 1 Whitcombe 9 minutes 33.5.
2000 metres steeplechase (one per event) 1 Jones six minutes 39.35 seconds (Welsh National and UK Women's League record)
400 metres hurdles A 2 Caryl Granville 57.67; B 1 Megan Rogers 63.50.
100 metres hurdles A 3 Granville 14.20; B 4 Rogers 15.52.
Hammer A 4 Toni Wells 52.79; B 5 Nina Prells 33.15
Discus A 8 Wells 36.07; B 4 Prells 32.94
Javelin A 6 Claire Williams 37.59; B 5 Jo Davies 26.92
Shot A 8 Wells 11.09; B 6 Prells 9.56.
Long-jump A 6 Imelda Morrison 5.67; B 2 Granville 5.62
Triple-jump A 8 Donna Jones 10.75; B 8 Sian Swanson 10.08
High-jump A 6= Sian Swanson 1.55; B 6 Emily Morris 1.50
Pole-vault A 7 Naomi James 3.00; B 4 Anna Leyshon 2.50
4x100 relay 2 Swansea (Johncock, Thomas, Williams, Granville) 47.01
4x400 relay 2 Swansea (Williams, Thomas, Rogers, Granville) 4.53.1
Match result: 1 Birchfield Harriers 232.5 points, 2 Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow AC 215, 3 Swansea Harriers 189.5, 4 Edinburgh AC 187, 5 Blackheath and Bromley 171, 6 Manchester AC 154, 7 Woodford Green and Essex Ladies 145.5, 8 Enfield and Harringay 133.5
Final League standings: 1 Birchfield H 24, 2 WSEH 21, 3 Blackheath and Bromley 14, 4 Swansea Harriers 12, 5 Edinburgh AC 11, 10 Manchester AC 10, 7 WGEL 9, 8 Enfield and Harringay 7.