THE road running season kicks into full swing this weekend with the annual Nike South of England Road Relay Championships at Aldershot's Rushmoor Arena.

There are races for men and women across all age-groups, with the Blue Riband event likely to be the senior men's six-stage race.

In recent years the men's competition has been dominated by the larger London clubs like Belgrave, Shaftesbury Barnet and Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow.

But Southampton Running Club have traditionally fared well, maintaining a consistently high profile in the top ten and qualifying for the National Championships in late October.

This year Southampton RC will be fielding nine teams across all the categories of senior men, veteran 40 and veteran 50 men - plus two women's teams competing over the same course the following day.

The men's team is reshaped again from the 2002 squad that finished tenth out of the 120 teams with Great Britain international Rod Finch due to make his comeback after ten months out with a broken leg sustained while running a cross-country event for the Army.

Unfortunately the reliable Mike Twomey is sidelined with a stress fracture having enjoyed a successful summer of road racing and teammate John James will also be spectator.

James, a partially blind athlete, is still sporting a plaster cast on his broken arm after being attacked while training on Southampton Common.

Last year Southampton's women made their debut in the event, finishing a creditable 44th. This time they hope to benefit from that experience by moving up into the top 25 clubs from an expected 75-strong field.

Probable SRC 'A' squads.

Men: Paul Ashley, Rod Finch, Simon Plummer, Paul Buckley, Pete Davis, Ian Robertson

Women: Steph Robson, Lesley Leavesley, Nicci Coles, Sam Piddington.