THE seventh race of the Hampshire Road Race League took place in Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

The ‘windy’ Ryde ten-miler is the only HRRL event held on the island and the new course means a tougher hill to tackle around the six-mile mark.

The runners complete one lap round the boating lake before taking a steep and long hill out of Ryde. The route then flattens out before a welcome descent and a section along the seafront with the strong wind behind.

Another hill takes the runners inland to Nettlestone and the halfway mark as they enter St Helens where there is a long descent. The pay-off is a long climb to the six-mile mark and then the final hill before the turn back into Ryde and a 200-metre dash to the line next to the swimming pool.

Ten intrepid Farnham Runners tackled the race, organised by Ryde Harriers, and the club produced the individual women’s winner.

Star member Sarah Hill went off like lightning and that was the last seen of her by clubmates as she scorched to victory in 1hr 01min 24secs, winning by a massive seven minutes and putting herself in a commanding position at the top of the individual league table. She needs just one more good result to clinch victory.

For Farnham’s men, Ian Carley came 21st in 1-03-00 and was fourth in the M45 age group. He finished some 20 metres ahead of James Warren in 24th (1-03-19, 5th M40). Neil Ambrose recorded a pb 1-10-44) and the final A team scorer was John Phillips with 1-11-06.

This gave the men’s A fourth on the day and they remain two points clear at the top of Division Two, dropping just one point to second-placed Portsmouth Joggers.

An incomplete team of Jeremy Skedge (1-17-43), Nick Hill (1-22-12) and Paul Day (1-23-54) gave the second string 11th in B Division One, slipping one place on aggregate to fifth.

Lindsay Bamford (1-22-45) and Tina Harrison (1-26-50) supported the distant Sarah Hill as the ladies A secured sixth in Division One (5th agg).

Over 400 runners took part in the race. First in for Alton Runners was Alistair Morey whose time of 1hr 09mins 16secs gave him 61st league position.

Philip Scrase followed in 87th (1-12-58) and the men’s team was completed by Mike Sennett (113th, pb 1-16-54), Jim Armitage (133rd, 1-19-23) and Mike Pearce (135th, 1-19-59) who came first in his age category.

The Alton ladies were led home by Vanessa Lowe who took a fine 13th league position in 1-15-01 and also won her age category.

Sarah Thomas finished 35th (1-19-21) and the rest of the women’s team comprised Diane Byrne in 43rd (1-22-15), Claire Cheminade 44th (1-22-41), Fran Light 72nd (1-27-02), Jane Scrase 82nd (pb 1-30-41) and Rossella Guidetti in 101st (1-37-14).

The Alton women’s A team came third and are now sixth overall in Division Two. The men’s A team finished eighth and are tenth overall in Division Two.