MARK Simcox showed his liking for heavy going in the third round of the Hampshire cross-country League at Basingstoke's War Memorial Park on Saturday.

The 9k course was made soft and boggy by heavy overnight rain but Simcox produced his best-ever league performance to finish 30th, one in front of his Overton team-mate Mike Bowering and nine ahead of duathlon international Ian Ford.

Andy Hoiles (50th) and Chris Jones (55th) completed the Harriers senior men's team, which finished third on the day and are now lying third overall in the league's first division.

Making up the over-40 vets team were Martin Crawshaw and Dave Vosser, 75th and 85th respectively.

Keith Clarke improved to 97th while Gavin Duncan, normally another heavy-going specialist, was disappointed to finish 128th.

Dave Henery was 144th and Eric Tilbury 149th while David Bright was disappointed with his 175th. In contrast, Steve McNair and Richard Francis substantially improved their position, finishing 191st and 197th respectively. Geoff Cloke was 209th, followed by Overton's over-60 contingent of John Thomas (232nd) and John Goulding (234th).

In the under-13 race, 11-year-old Alex, the youngest of the Bright family trio, finished 37th out of 45 in his first-ever race at this level. Older brother Matt, running in the under-15 race was 31st in a field of 44.

Aaron Harris, brimming with confidence following a recent run in France for Hampshire Schools, found himself in 10th place in the early stages but dropped back to finish 16th.

In the women's race, Cath Wheeler worked her way up the field to finish a deserved fourth.

She was well supported in the Overton team by Audra Dennison (32nd) and Liz Sandal Ball (50th).

Nicky Clark, unhappy with the soft ground, was 71st and the improving Moira West was 80th. Newcomers Helen Kerr and Kate Maxwell finished 89th and 93rd respectively, followed by Helen Mcmahon (99th) and Belinda Lade (102nd).