The Southampton athletics community is mourning the death of Reg Gosney, one of the most respected and popular figures in the county.

The former president of Southampton City AC, who served the sport in various capacities since way back in the 1920s, died on Saturday, aged 93.

As Mike Smith, chairman of Team Solent, put it: "For many years in Southampton, Reg was athletics. He did an awful lot for the sport and I had great respect for him."

Gosney, pictured above with 400 metres international Iwan Thomas, would have celebrated his 94th birthday on February 26. He had been a cross-country and middle distance runner of some renown.

He started out in the days of Hampshire Athletic Club and went on to captain the Great Britain cross-country team in the 1940s, having been crowned national champion.

County-wise he won the three and six-mile track titles at the age of 40, managed the Hampshire men's team and served as president of the Hampshire AAA.

At the end of his running days he took up middle-distance coaching and then became a Grade 1 international timekeeper.

When the Eastleigh and Southampton clubs merged in the 1970s, he was named president of the amalgamated club, but retired a couple of years ago due to ill health and was honoured as a life vice-president of Southampton City AC.

Betty Tabor, secretary of Southampton City, said: "I've known Reg since the 1950s and my husband ran with him in the 40s. He was one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. I would say that 90 per cent of timekeepers in Hampshire have learned their skills from him."

Gosney, who lived at Rownhams and worked for Ordnance Survey, leaves a wife, Joan.