ATHLETICS: OVERTON Harriers staged the Combe Gibbet to Overton 16-mile cross-country race for the 29th time.

From the gun in West Berkshire, Team Kennet's Tom Munt and Salisbury's Robin Kindersley moved into a substantial lead and, by the 12-mile point, were inseparable.

Munt found that little extra to pull clear and win by almost a minute, crossing the finish at Overton Recreation Centre in 1hr 38min.

Peter Turner from Reading languished in sixth spot for most of the race but gained a new lease of life in the final downhill miles to claim third place, pushing Overton's Dave Vosser back to fourth.

Gavin Duncan was the next Harrier, finishing 32nd, with club-mate Andy Hartley 41st in 1:59.

In the women's race, Lesley Whiley from Reading won in 1:48 from Woking's Wendy Davies and and Sue Ashley of South London Harriers. Overton's Jill Hills was seventh in 2:7.

Overton's exciting young prospects, Aaron Harris, and Josh Bliss, opened their track season at the annual young athletes meeting at Bracknell.

Bliss was a clear winner in the 800 metres for under-15 boys. After a poor start, he quickly made his way to the front going through the first 400metres in 64 seconds. Thereafter he was on his own, running in a clear winner in 2min 11sec, clipping his previous best time by almost 30 seconds.

Harris found himself boxed in after the start in the under-17 race but still managed a 64-second first lap.

His strength and determination showed as he began to overtake and finish third in 2:11, a personal best by one second.

In his 1500m, Bliss was up against quality opposition and elected to track the leader and try to run a personal best.

His tactics proved sound as he was pulled through in second place in 4:26, a near 25-second improvement on his previous best.

Bliss and Harris then joined other young Harriers Craig Williams, and Sean Williams at Down Grange for a young athletes meeting organised by Basingstoke and Mid-Hants AC.

Sean Williams clocked 3:15 in the under-13 800m, his first-ever track race. Craig Williams and Harris ran the under-17 Boys 1500m and both were looking for substantial improve-ments on their best performances.

Harris tracked the race leader until the final lap, when he accelerated away for a convincing victory in 4:20, a massive 21-second improvement on his previous best.

Craig Williams moved up into third place during the second lap but lost out in the final run-in, to finish fourth in 4:41secs, 12 seconds better than his previous best.

Bliss lacked good competition in his 800m, leaving him to do all the work and lead the race from start to finish. He did have the consolation of reducing his personal best by two seconds to finish in 2:9, just one second adrift of the English Schools qualifying time for his age group.

A small group of Harriers ran the London Marathon in ideal weather.

Andy Hartley, in his first marathon, ran to his schedule in a creditable finishing time of 3hr 21min. Jill Hills was the next Harrier to finish in 3:22. Richard Francis clocked 3:24.

In the mini-marathon, run over the final 2.6 miles of the course, Harris and Bliss represented Hampshire in the 13-14 age category.

Bliss had a great start, running neck and neck with the eventual winner, to finish second in 13min 33sec Harris did not get going until halfway, then ploughed through the field to finish fourth in 13:48s.