Test Way Relay
IT'S another relay double for Stubbington Green Runners. Just three months after lifting the South Downs Way title, so the men in Green reclaimed the Test Way Relay trophy after a two year absence.
It was another Titanic struggle with last year's champions, Southampton Running Club on the nine stage relay from Inkpen Beacon on the Hampshire/Berkshire border to Eling Wharf in Southampton.
In the end, it was left to Richard Thomas to anchor home the men's team in a total time of 4hrs 44min 16sec, some two minutes ahead of Southampton's Paul Fotherby.
Winchester & District AC finished third more than 11 minutes behind the winners.
The team were led off by Mike Bainbridge who was second at the end of the first 7.1km leg in Linkenholt, some 10 seconds behind early leaders, New Forest Runners. Mike handed over to Zippy Grice on the 8.8km run to Stoke Hill maintaining second place behind Winchester.
It was then that Mark Le Gassick took the lead for Stubbington on the 10km leg to Middleton Farm, chasing down a 93 second deficit to establish a two-and-a-half minute lead over Southampton Running Club. Alisdair Ewing ran leg four (Middleton Farm to Wherwell) and handed over to Andy Simpson who ran leg 5 (Wherwell to Stockbridge) before handing on to Andy Vernon on leg 6, the 9.1km stretch from Stockbridge to Mottisfont.
Andy has had an amazing season with bronze at the European under-23 Cross Country Championships, as well as taking part in his first senior World Cross Country Championship at the end of the March.
This summer has brought good rewards with personal bests over 800m, 1500m, 3000m and the 5000m - including victory at the Olympic trials in Birmingham to rank third in the UK over 5000 and number one under-23.
So it was no surprise that the 22-year-old blasted Stubbington into a strong lead at the end of leg six with a good five minute cushion over nearest rivals Southampton.
Barry Hards on leg seven to Romsey, young Lewis Banner on leg eight and then Dr Thomas on the anchor ensured a superb win for the Greens.
Just as pleasing was the excellent performance of the B team who finished seventh from 16 teams, brought home by Phil May on the final leg. The squad of Nick Crane, Nick Kimber, Jon Leigh, Marcus Lee, Mike Bell, Darrell Milner, Tim Sullivan, Andy Lee and Phil May finished the 50-mile run in 5:33.35. The B team were promoted from 8th place to 7th place after Overton were penalised for finishing from the opposite direction!
Stubbington's ladies also had a good race, despite suffering a number of withdrawals from the original squad. The team of Penny Forse, Maggie Smith, Georgie Gair, Amanda Jones, Margie Pritchard, Annie Tomlinson, Jane Adlard, Gill Rose and Rachael Openshaw finished fourth from eight teams in 6:35.29 behind reigning champions Winchester & District AC who clocked 5:28.16.
The mixed relay was won by Team Southampton in a time of 5:19.40.