RR 10
NETLEY’S Royal Victoria Country Park became a sea of green as 52 Stubbies, the biggest turn-out ever converged for the first RR10 race of the summer.
Previously, the club has been restricted to just 30 runners for the past two summer series, but this year organisers lifted the bar.
It was amazing to see so many Stubbies take part in the 4.5-mile opener alongside Southampton Water, with many old hands mixing alongside quite a few new runners.
The race was won by Winchester & District AC’s Gavin Smith, with last year’s RR10 champion, Mark Le Gassick, just getting back to fitness after a calf injury, coming home in a pleasing fourth place.
With wife Helen and their children watching on the sidelines as runners wound their way round the multi-lap course, Zippy Grice was next home in 10th, followed by Andy Simpson, the evergreen Ray Gunner and 16-year-old Lewis Banner completing the scoring for the Stubbington men.
Stubbington’s women cleaned up big-time with 17-year-old Georgie Gair romping home to a comfortable victory, finishing 40th overall. With Lucy Simmons second and team-mate Susie MacGregor in third, the Stubbettes easily claimed the team title, and the B team of Lou James (10th), Elly Joyce (18th), and a not very well Penny Forse (23rd) will have fared well in a race organised by Southampton Running Club.
But it was great to see so many new club members taking part for a race which was graced by mild weather on a route which took in grassland, paths and some woodland.
The next RR10 race takes place on Wednesday, May 7th at the Longdown Inclosure in Ashurst with a 7.15pm start.
Stubbington results
4 Mark Le Gassick
10 Zippy Grice.
15 Andy Simpson
20 Ray Gunner
24 Lewis Banner
34 Darrell Milner
36 Chris Hall
38 Graham Bell
39 Noel Charlton
44 Graham James
45 Tim Sullivan
62 Tim Crumpton
63 Nick Kimber
67 Paul Hammond
69 John Exley
78 Keith Carter
79 Nick Crane
84 Marcus Lee
86 Phil May
90 Aaron Kingston
92 James Keen
108 Andy Lee
112 Jon Henderson
120 Dave King
130 Richard Snell
149 Mark Folland
160 Drew Bridges
165 Paul Hailwood
166 David Langrish
168 John Blake
171 Ashley Lovell
175 Richard Roche
176 Aitken Hunter
179 John Simister
196 Terry French
204 Peter Adams
207 Martin Banner
208 Andy Tomlinson
215 Tom Mellor
220 Robert Spencer
1 Georgie Gair
2 Lucy Simmons
3 Susie MacGregor
10 Lou James
18 Elly Joyce
23 Penny Forse
25 Lucy May
39 Gill Rose
53 Sarah White
55 Jane Butler
62 Amanda Jones
93 Alex Frost