NICK Buis made it a hat-trick of race wins in the 2-13 RR10 series at Cadland Estate.

The Totton RC athlete finished ahead of Eastleigh’s Stuart Holloway, whose first claim club is Salisbury AC.

This week’s race was the fourth in the series and, at a venue south of Fawley, the most southerly point of this year’s programme.

The ever improving warm summer and the growth in club numbers have given rise to a bumper year already in the series.

This time a record 381 runners wound their way down to the Hardley Runners organised race of just under five miles.

In order to ring the changes, Hardley redesigned the traditional course that has been their chosen route for many years.

In so doing, they selected tracks with a few more short, sharp climbs, but essentially the terrain was dry and fast which suited the majority of the competitors.

The women’s race was a contest between two long standing rivals who both live in the New Forest.

Kath Bailey (Winchester AC) triumphed this time from Erica Fogg (New Forest Runners) with another Forester, Valerie Sesto, claiming third spot and helping her club to top spot in the team table on the day.

There is only a week’s pause for the RR10 runners as everyone convenes next Wednesday, June 12, at Alver Valley Country Park near Alverstoke for the fifth round.

Race results in today's Daily Echo