It was Britain's turn to host this eagerly anticipated fixture making the most of home advantage by running out winners in both the men's and women's matches against some strong opposition from France and Belgium.
Competing in the magnificently appointed Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford, Kent, the windy conditions were unfavourable to sprinters and distance runners alike, but in spite of this the 4x100m men's relay team came away with an M35 world record to set the seal on a brilliant day of athletics.
The quartet of Darren Scott, Mark Dunwell, Jim Tipper and Anthony Leigh, scorched round in a time of 42.51sec to put aside the previous M35 mark of 42.62sec set by the United States at the 2005 World Masters Championships in San Sebastian, Spain.