Regular winner Lee Rodriguez took up where he left off last season in the opening race of the 2002 Road Runners Ten series.

The New Forest Runner led home a field of more than 250 men and women at the Royal Victoria Country Park race which kicked off the ten-event summer-long series.

Southampton City supplied the women's winner when Karen Rushton pipped IBM's Christine Currie.

Rodriguez led from the front and had earned himself a 15-second cushion over Winchester athlete Mike Gregory at the halfway stage of the four-mile course.

Constant pressure from Rodriguez - who won the men's overall individual title last year - stretched his advantage to almost a minute by the time the two crossed the finish line.

Gregory was a further 80 seconds clear of third-placed Ian White of Eastleigh Running Club.

Winchester took first place in the battle for first place in the men's team event with their first five scoring runners finishing in the top 12.

Rushton had a tight finish to take top spot against determined Currie who was eventually beaten by just five seconds. New Forest's Anthea Waters was third with Hardley Runners' Sue Sleath fourth despite having completed the London Marathon just days earlier.

Her efforts helped Hardley take the women's team title ahead of New Forest Runners who had an identical number of points.

The next race will be at Deer Leap near Ashurst on May 1 at 7.15 and is being organised by Totton Running Club who take their turn to drop out of the scoring.