LESLIE RICHARDS is giant in stature and his presence at the Inter-Counties Champion-ships in Hull was a sight to behold. The Teessider won both the shot and discus competitions with ease, despite having competed at Crystal Palace 24 hours earlier. Richards thrives on competition, and lining up in Hull in a North Eastern Counties vest was his 24th visit of the season to the circle. He won the shot with 16:82 metres and came first in the discus with an effort of 53:00m. Both victories were below his best of the summer, but at least he came and represented his county, which was more than can be said of many of the region’s athletes. Richards, who tops the UK under-23 discus rankings and is fourth in the shot, was one of only three senior men athletes – all field eventers – who accepted a place in the team where 19 events were on offer. While the region’s youngsters were falling over themselves to get into the team, senior athletes shied away, making it tough going on team manager Andy Ward. “I know the fixture comes at a bad time in the season, but you would think representing your county would be something to be proud of,” said Ward. “It certainly was in my day. I wasn’t even sure if Les was going to show up with him competing in London the day before, but it just shows how keen he is – and I only wish more of the senior athletes were like him. “I’m pleased he won his events and also for Ade Babatunde, who won the triple jump. It shows we can do well in the competition if we can get the guys out. “We had plenty of good results among the younger age groups, so it wasn’t too much of a disappointment.” | 
