Rebecca Camilleri, Diane Borg and Neal Brimmer put on a show in the first Track and Field meeting of the year at the Marsa athletics track, making an early statement of intent.

In a day defined by cold and windy conditions, onlookers were treated to some interesting duels.

The first of these was showcased in the women’s 60m heats, Diane Borg edging out Camilleri, clocking 7.64 seconds to Camilleri’s 7.68s.

In the second heat, Ylenia Lapira got a step on the opposition and came out on top in 8.13s. Spectators were denied a showdown in the final as Camilleri pulled out to focus on the long jump, leaving Borg to cruise to victory in the 60m, ahead of Charlene Attard and Angie Mangion.

Camilleri (Pembroke Athleta) justified her decision with a 6.06m leap, enough to secure top billing ahead of stable-mate Rebecca Sarè.

The men’s 60m was blighted by concerns over a false start. In the final, Steve Moghrabi triumphed by the narrowest of margins over Clayton Sheldon. Both finished with 7.30s and officials had to rely on the photo finish to establish the winner.

Starmax’s Nicole Gatt completed a great one-two combo with victories in the girls’ 100m and 400m events, clocking impressive times so early in her season, and career.

In the boys’ 100m dash, Keven Debono narrowly edged Eric Borg Saywell for bragging rights on the day. Pembroke’s promising youngster Kaylie Riolo also enjoyed a good debut, topping her age-group in the long jump.

Towards the end of the proceedings, Brimmer delivered a strong run in the men’s 300m. Fresh from his indoors’ success overseas, Żurrieq Wolves’ Brimmer was clearly brimming with confidence as he clocked a personal best 35.89s ahead of Pembroke’s Steve Camilleri.

It was an emphatic run that underlined Brimmer’s steady improvement, and indicated that his success in 2010 was not a fluke but an opening salvo.

The second of this three-meet series will be today, the first event starting at 1.30 p.m.