Winchester & District Athletic Club have reached a new landmark.

For the first time they supplied the winning women's team at the South of England Cross-Country Championships in London.

The race was held at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath where a field of 307 women, including 37 complete teams, finished the eight-kilometre course.

Jo Kelsey led Winchester home in second spot, followed by Rachel Townend in fourth, Michaela McCallum in sixth and Sarah Bishopp in 16th. Clubmates Jan Ross and Natalie Coveney were well up in 45th and 46th positions.

"It was a pleasure to watch such gritty powerful running and a great reward for all the invested training, especially on the hills of Farley Mount," said Winchester's John Radford.

Southampton Running Club entered the blue riband event - the senior men's nine-mile race - at the South of England Cross-Country Championships at Parliament Hill Fields.

They achieved their goal of recovering the Hampshire 12-to-score Trophy, closing their dozen runners into the first 771 places to finish 11th team overall despite a number of late withdrawals through illness and injury.

First SRC man home was Dimitri Onuofriou in 85th, followed by Eric Parker 221st, Ed Brady 277th, Ian Richardson (vet-50) 379th, Adam Bridge (vet-45) 406th, John Withey (vet-40) 511st, Jim Bennett 533rd, Dave Roots (vet-50) 679th, Dave Adams (vet-40) 756th and team manager Richie Pearson 771st place.

The cross-country season reaches its peak this month with the final round of the Hampshire Cross Country League at Wimborne on February 12 and the National Cross-Country Championships at Birmingham February 19.