Stubbington Green Runners & AC

Stubbington Green Runners' men's team picked up second place at the Test Way Relays at the weekend. Click here for photos.

The eight-man squad was denied top spot by Southampton Running Club, who set the pace from the start and completed the 45-mile relay in four hours, 21 minutes and 15 seconds - some five minutes outside the course record.

The Stubbington team of Gordon Reid, Mike Bainbridge, Mark Le Gassick, Tor Duffin, Andy Simpson, Alasdair Ewing, Barry Hards and Andy Vernon, finished in four hours, 33 minutes and 54 seconds. Winchester & District, who paid the price on leg two between Linkenholt and Stokehill when their runner took a wrong turn, came third with 4:46.37.

Gordon Reid got Stubbington off to a great start, clocking 26min 26sec for the first 7.1km leg from Inkpen to Linkenholt - a good half minute down on the first Winchester runner, though holding second place overall.

Then Winchester came a cropper on the second leg when their runner took 55min 18sec to complete the 8.8km leg from Linkenholt to Stoke Hill, which Mike Bainbridge finished in 36:25, to maintain second spot, as Southampton Running Club took over the lead.

And that second spot was the position held by Stubbington for the remainder of the race with Mark Le Gassick (38.37), Tor Duffin (29:44), Andy Simpson (29:58), Alisdair Ewing (34:47), Barry Hards (37:24) and Andy Vernon (40:33) taking SGR home.

Andy Vernon's last leg split was the fastest of the 12 competing clubs, almost two minutes ahead of his nearest rival, but Andy was unable to close down on Southampton's experienced Mike Twomey who brought his club home to victory.

Stubbington's strength in depth was illustrated by a fine run from the veteran's team who finished fourth overall thanks to a blazing anchor leg from Ray Gunner.

He took over with the team lying seventh, but then reeled off a blistering 44min 31sec last leg - fourth fastest final leg on the day - to pass three other teams and bring the old men home in the rubber medal position in 5:00.22 - just seven seconds clear of Hardley A.

The relay started at Inkpen Beacon and finished at Totton. Stubbington also fielded a mixed and ladies team in the event. The mixed team finished seventh in 6:49.14, and the ladies team sixth in 6:28.11.

Winchester's ladies, who fielded a very strong and experienced team, smashed the course record to win in 4:52.18, a good half an hour ahead of Southampton Running Club, who narrowly pipped Team Southampton, with both teams finishing in 5 hours and 24 minutes.

The Winchester women broke six leg records on their way to knocking nearly 29 minutes off the overall ladies record! And a measure of how fast they ran is that they would have beaten Stubbington's veteran's team by eight minutes!

Totton won the mixed event in 5:25.23, a minute ahead of Southampton Running Club (5:26.03), with Romsey Road Runners third in 5:44.30.

Leg 1: Inkpen Beacon to Linkenholt (7.1km)
Men's: 2nd Gordon Reid 26min 26sec (2nd fastest on leg - out of 12)
Vets: 5th Mike Harper 29min 34sec (5th fastest on leg - out of 12)
Ladies: 6th Margaret Smith 36min 25sec (6th fastest on leg - out of 8)
Mixed: 1st Tony Munday 34min 5sec (1st fastest on leg - out of 6)

Leg 2: Linkenholt to Stokehill (8.5km)
Men's: 2nd Mike Bainbridge 36:25 (4th fastest)
Vets: 3rd Chris Hall 35:46 (2nd fastest)
Ladies: 6th Jane Thomson 47:45 (6th fastest)
Mixed: 5th Sian Munday 51:04 (5th fastest)

Leg 3: Stokehill to Middleton Farm (10km)
Men's: 2nd Mark Le Gassick 38:37 (3rd fastest)
Vets: 4th Chris Vernon 41:32 (7th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Lesley Harding 50:37 (5th fastest)
Mixed: 4th Ryan Gunner 48:21 (5th fastest)

Leg 4: Middleton Farm to Wherwell (7.8km)
Men's: 2nd Tor Duffin 29:44 (4th fastest)
Vets: 3rd Dave King 33:21 (7th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Verity Wright 46:50 (7th fastest)
Mixed: 5th Kathy McKain 46:45 (5th fastest)

Leg 5: Wherwell to Stockbridge (7.5km)
Men's: 2nd Andy Simpson 29:58 (3rd fastest)
Vets: 5th Mike Bell 34:59 (11th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Chris Haskell 42:12 (5th fastest)
Mixed: 6th Sue Robinson 48:02 (7th fastest)

Leg 6: Stockbridge to Mottisfont (9.1km)
Men's: 2nd Alisdair Ewing 34:47 (4th fastest)
Vets: 6th Phil May 38:54 (7th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Nicola Wedick 50:09 (8th fastest)
Mixed: 4th Andy James 39:33 (2nd fastest)

Leg 7: Mottisfont to Romsey (9.1km)
Men's: 2nd Barry Hards 37.24 (4th fastest)
Vets: 7th John Exley 41.45 (9th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Amy Hopper 53:42 (8th fastest)
Mixed: 7th Gary Littlecott 1:12.10 (7th fastest)

Leg 8: Romsey to Totton (11.5km)
Men's: 2nd Andy Vernon 40:33 (1st fastest)
Vets: 4th Ray Gunner 44:31 (4th fastest)
Ladies: 6th Rachel Openshaw 1:00.31(6th fastest)
Mixed: 7th Caroline Street 1:09.14 (7th fastest)

Men:
1 Southampton Running Club 4hrs 21min 15sec.
2 Stubbington Green A 4:33.54
3 Winchester 4:46.37
4 Stubbington Green B 5:00.22
5 Hardley A 5:00.29
6 Team Southampton 5:07.28
7 Itchen 5:10.46
8 Eastleigh 5:11.48
9 St Mary's 5:13.07
10 Portsmouth Joggers 5:14.20
11 Hardley B 5:50.12
12 Victory 6:11.31

Mixed:
1 Totton 5:25.23
2 Southampton RC 5:26.03
3 Romsey 5:44.30
4 Halterworth 6:11.29
5 Hardley 6:29.31
6 Lordshill 6:33.15
7 Stubbington Green Runners 6:49.14

Ladies:
1 Winchester 4:52.18
2 Southampton Running Club 5:24.44
3 Team Southampton 5:42.58
4 Hardley 5:44.48
5 Portsmouth Joggers 6:27.00
6 Stubbington Green Runners 6:28.11
7 Victory 6:42.00
8 Eastleigh 6:49.41