James Kingston equalled a 37-year-old course record as Tonbridge won the men's title at the South of England Autumn Road Relays, while Aldershot's women claimed a hat-trick of victories to maintain their stranglehold on the event.

Large fields were the order of the day at a bright and sunny Rushmoor Arena on Saturday (Sept 26), where Aldershot's women won three titles to maintain their stranglehold on the distaff side.

Men

Tonbridge won by nearly a minute, helped by James Kingston equalling Andy Bristow's long-standing course record of 17:07 mid-race, a time set back in 1989.

It had been City of Norwich's Michael Clark who led on the opening two 3km laps, totalling 6km in 17:43 – a time that was to end up fifth fastest of the afternoon. Tonbridge were back in fourth, but Max Selby moved them up to second on stage two, before Kingston saw them take a lead they were not to relinquish. Will Beeston and then Ted Higgins finished the job.

It had been Alexander Lawrence who led for Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets after the opening leg, but they soon fell back as Lachlan Wellington's 17:52 split saw Portsmouth move ahead after two stages. Then it was Herne Hill's turn in front, thanks to Sam Bramwell's fourth-fastest-overall 17:40, but they could not hold on to a podium place, eventually finishing fourth as Kingston swept past on stage four.

Behind, Tom Chandler saw Aldershot up to second on leg four, and they stayed there on the penultimate lap thanks to Sam Eglen, but Thomas Bridger's 17:50 and then Nathan Mapperley's second-quickest-overall 17:35 saw Cambridge & Coleridge take second as Aldershot held third. Deep in the field on that final leg, Tomer Tarragano gained five places to tenth for Brighton & Hove with the day's third-best time of 17:39.

Women

Aldershot's women continued their domination with a fifth win in a row and their 16th since the races started here in 1991, though their winning time for the four 6km laps was more than three minutes shy of their own course record.

They were led off by Millie Jordan-Lee's 20:34, but that time was only good enough for fourth behind Plymouth's Poppy Tank, Norwich's Megan Gadsby and Reading's Jess Gibbon. These four posted the fastest times of the entire race, but all were slower than Amelia Quirk's 2022 record of 19:23.

Evie Warren took Guildford & Godalming ahead after two laps, before Harriett Preedy and Niamh Brown completed the job for Aldershot. Emma Bond brought Guildford home second after holding off a challenge from Herne Hill's Olivia Stillman and Belgrave's Juliet Hodder.

Masters

The championship began here in 1989 for the men and in 1997 for the women veterans, aged over 40.

While the men's races saw a decent level of competition, with 88 teams on the start line, the women's events were only sparsely attended and of a much lower standard – apart from 60-year-old Lucy Elliott, clearly the fastest of all masters women with a 22:31 clocking for the double 3km lap.

The men's M40 event saw Kent AC, winners for the past two years, get a good start through Chris Busaileh's 19:05, but it was South London's Daniel Gaffney who closed on the holders on stage two with a 19:21 clocking, before Bruce Harrold and then Kevin Quinn's race-fastest 18:36 finished the job and gave South London a comfortable win. This was the fastest M40 time since Nigel Gates' 18:23 in 1997.

Aldershot retained their M50 title after Simon Cooper gave them a good start, in second place on stage one behind Tonbridge's Matthew Smith (20:36). Matthew Whitwam extended that lead mid-race with a 20:57 clocking, before Aldershot moved further clear through Thomas Wilson, and world M55 champion Mark Symes finished things off with a 48-second victory over Winchester Running Club.

Wells moved up from second last year to take the M60 crown, but had to peg back a mid-race Cornwall lead established first by Darrin Porter's opening lap of 23:38 and then third-fastest-overall Chris Harry's 22:42. Herne Hill were also well clear after two stages, thanks to former European senior cross-country team bronze medallist David Taylor's fastest-overall 22:09, but Wells pulled it back as second-fastest Jon James's 22:30 delivered the medals.

Young Athletes' Relays

The under-18 men's race saw Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets' Khaled Hussein "win" the first stage by a nod from Herne Hill's James Clements-Nash, but his club then had to concede to their rivals, who won by 34 seconds. Deeper in the field, Cambridge & Coleridge's Finn MacLennan bettered both times on the final stage with a 13:35 clocking for the 4.6km lap.

There was no real surprise in the under-18 women's race, where hosts Aldershot won for the fifth time in a row and their 18th since 2002. After being well out of it on the opening 4.6km leg, identical laps of 16:02 from Otella Garcia-Davies and Poppy Guest yielded victory by 19 seconds over Windsor. It had been HY AC's Isabella Buchanan who took the first stage in 15:42 to post the race's fastest lap, just as she did in the under-15 event last year.

Saint Edmund Pacers looked on for a big win in the under-16 boys' race but could not maintain their effort on the third and final stage, as Hercules Wimbledon's Thomas Hennigan swept past to repeat their under-15 win here last year. It had been Saint Edmund's Dexter Marshall who "won" the opener with a 9:08 clocking, a time that remained the best under-16 effort, and his club then won the under-16 girls' event, albeit narrowly from South London. It was Herne Hill's Skyla O'Brien who narrowly took the first 3km lap from St Mary's Laura Graham, with a race-quickest 10:05, before Chloe Berry sealed it for Saint Edmund's on the final lap.

The under-14 athletes were first away, and it was Herne Hill's Josh Lotter who narrowly got the stage-one verdict over Chelmsford's Freddie Blacketer and Cambridge & Coleridge's Ayrton Cornes Oliff, whose club then went on to win by ten seconds. Their leading boys' times remained the age-group fastest.

For the youngest girls' age group, who followed, the race was dominated by Brentwood Beagles, who had the fastest three laps of the race, with final-leg runner Sophia Davies quickest, as they won the age group for the third year in a row. They started with Lianne Esterhuysen, who "won" the first 3km leg in 10:21 from Aldershot's Lucy Scallan, before going on to take the age group by more than a minute and a half.

Although the age-group title changed this year, the age groups were effectively the same – it is just that the winter age groups now refer to the last day of the season, to match the summer age groups; they previously referred to the first day of the season.

It capped a busy few weeks of autumn area relay action, following Leeds City's North of England win at Silksworth and Western Tempo's retained Midland Counties titles at Sutton Park the previous weekend.

Men (6x6km): 1 Tonbridge 1:48:16 (J MacDonald 18:05, M Selby 18:15, L Mills 18:39, J Kingston 17:07, W Beeston 18:16, T Higgins 17:55); 2 Cambridge & Coleridge 1:49:02 (C Benyan 18:11, M Morgan 18:34, J Moynihan 17:57, M Walk 18:56, T Bridger 17:51, N Mapperley 17:35); 3 Aldershot Farnham & District 1:49:18 (J Blacknell 18:31, O Sumba 18:39, T Doran 18:10, T Chandler 17:48, S Eglen 18:02, A Pointon 18:10); 4 Herne Hill 1:50:38 (H Bell 18:07, L Laylee 18:36, S Bramwell 17:41, O Mills 18:46, R Brown 19:00, D Shaw 18:31); 5 Norwich 1:50:42 (M Clark 17:44, W Percival 19:26, D Adams 18:23, L [name missing] 17:59, H Allcock 19:05, H Jonas 18:07); 6 Portsmouth 1:52:25 (M Roostaei 18:25, L Wellington 17:53, T Beasley 19:07, A Jones 18:51, P Navesey 19:03, C Walker-Powell 19:08); 7 Shaftesbury Barnet 1:52:48 (R Gayer 18:51, D Evans 18:06, T Butler 18:34, J Dempsey 19:29, L Stubbs 19:24, J Dee 18:27); 8 Highgate 1:53:31 (R Serif 18:12, R Poolman 19:00, R Bahelbi 19:25, A Jackson 19:15, S Garry 18:43, P Chambers 18:59); 9 Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 1:53:58 (A Lawrence 18:00, M Ross 19:31, A Millbery 18:47, A Barrington 19:09, T Holliday 18:59, N Armitage-Hookes 19:34); 10 Brighton & Hove 1:53:59 (J Hobbs 18:02, R Monti 20:28, J Dicks 19:14, R Curtis 20:19, J Turner 18:19, T Tarragano 17:40); 11 Hercules Wimbledon 1:54:07; 12 Guildford & Godalming 1:54:48; 13 Chelmsford 1:54:57; 14 Cambridge & Coleridge B 1:55:39; 15 Blackheath & Bromley 1:56:00; 16 Brighton Phoenix 1:56:01; 17 Belgrave 1:56:08; 18 Southampton 1:56:22; 19 Thames Valley 1:56:36; 20 Bedford & County 1:56:49
72 teams finished

Fastest: J Kingston (Ton) 17:07; N Mapperley (C&C) 17:35; T Tarragano (B&H) 17:39; S Bramwell (Herne H) 17:40; M Clark (Norw) 17:43; T Chandler (AFD) 17:47; T Bridger (C&C) 17:50; L Wellington (Ports) 17:52; T Higgins (Ton) 17:54; J Moynihan (C&C) 17:56

Women (4x6km): 1 Aldershot 84:43 (Millie Jordan-Lee 20:35, E Moyes 21:46, H Preedy 21:21, N Brown 21:01); 2 Guildford & Godalming 85:24 (S Monk 21:16, E Warren 20:51, K Grinyer 21:58, E Bond 21:21); 3 Herne Hill 85:30 (M Coogan 21:09, H Keenan 21:43, G Reynolds 21:22, O Stillman 21:18); 4 Belgrave 85:39 (A Barbour 21:23, A Gandee 22:16, E Bradley 21:08, J Hodder 20:54); 5 Thames Hare & Hounds 86:02 (E Weir 22:29, R Paton 20:52, L Major 21:33, E Apsley 21:10); 6 Cambridge & Coleridge 87:29 (C Gillen 21:20, E Leggate 21:36, T Black 22:58, G Stephenson 21:36); 7 Thames Valley 87:32 (C Buckley 20:52, L Sterritt 23:04, K Weir 21:45, E Burfitt 21:53); 8 Cornwall 87:55 (L Mann 21:09, S Hutton 21:38, E Pascoe 22:12, K Walker 22:59); 9 Stragglers 88:15 (L Bailey 21:06, S Holt 21:23, S Palmer 22:32, S Biggs 23:14); 10 Highgate 88:16 (H Viner 21:04, K Harris 22:30, K Johnson 22:55, A Scott-Wilson 21:49); 11 Bedford & County 89:08; 12 Brighton Phoenix 89:33; 13 WSEH 90:23; 14 Belgrave B 90:25; 15 Aldershot B 90:54; 16 Winchester RC 91:07; 17 Hercules Wimbledon 91:49; 18 Portsmouth 91:56; 19 Medway & Maidstone 93:11; 20 Kent 93:42
46 teams finished
Fastest: P Tank (Plym) 20:04; M Gadsby (Norw) 20:11; J Gibbon (Read) 20:23; Millie Jordan-Lee (AFD) 20:34; E Warren (G&G) 20:50; C Buckley (TVH) 20:51

M40 (4x6km): 1 South London 79:13 (G Laybourne 20:34, D Gaffney 19:21, B Harrold 20:44, K Quinn 18:36); 2 Kent 80:46 (C Busaileh 19:06, B Day 20:22, J Beatty 21:10, D Morgan 20:09); 3 Cambridge & Coleridge 82:44 (A Parmenter 21:28, D Preston 21:23, M Branco 20:33, T Vickery 19:21); 4 Aldershot Farnham & District 81:22:57 [sic] (D Quinlan 20:38, A Smith 20:31, O Stevenson 21:40, H Calvert 20:09); 5 Wells 83:50 (C Green 19:19, R Hawkins 23:00, P Grist 20:19, M Lusby 21:14); 6 Wycombe Phoenix 84:08 (S Penney 20:18, D Childs 21:02, D Bray 21:45, W Burrard-Lucas 21:05); 7 Brighton Phoenix 84:13; 8 Southampton 86:09; 9 Kent B 86:12; 10 Herne Hill 86:14
Fastest: K Quinn (S Lon) 18:36; C Busaileh (Kent) 19:05; D Gaffney (S Lon) 19:21

M50 (4x6km): 1 Aldershot 86:37 (S Cooper 20:49, R Smith 21:49, T Wilson 22:46, M Symes 21:15); 2 Winchester RC 87:25 (R Kober 21:16, P Sansome 21:42, J Mann 22:17, N Wood 22:11); 3 Southampton 89:41 (E Hughes 21:11, P Davis 22:11, J Smith 22:49, M Lown 23:32); 4 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 91:32 (C Furness 22:22, C Piper 24:17, G Hall 23:00, A Hamilton 21:54); 5 Tonbridge 91:41 (M Smith 20:37, A Whitwam 20:58, G [name incomplete] 27:03, A Bennett 23:04); 6 Reading Roadrunners 93:24; 7 Stragglers 93:59; 8 Kent 94:06; 9 Guildford & Godalming 94:48; 10 Wells 95:34
Fastest: M Smith (Ton) 20:36; S Cooper (AFD) 20:48; A Whitwam (Ton) 20:57

M60 (3x6km): 1 Wells 96:00 (A Piper 25:11, N Stevens 24:24, D Hall 23:55, J James 22:31); 2 Herne Hill 96:46 (K Newton 25:03, D Taylor 22:10, G Moyse 23:56, T Conlon 25:39); 3 Cornwall 97:42 (D Porter 23:39, C Harry 22:43, M King 26:35, T Dunn 24:46); 4 Tonbridge 1:43:38; 5 Stragglers 1:44:27; 6 Reading Roadrunners 1:46:28
Fastest: D Taylor (Herne H) 22:09; J James (Wells) 22:30; C Harry (Corn) 22:42

W40 (3x6km): 1 AFD 71:14 (L Wright 22:34, C Rees 23:37, K Andrews 25:02); 2 Hart 73:36; 3 South London 76:52
Fastest: L Wright (AFD) 22:34

W50 (3x6km): 1 Winchester RC 73:13 (S Witt 27:10, L Elliott 22:31, S Shedden 23:31); 2 Kent 76:18; 3 Dulwich R 78:57
Fastest: L Elliott (Win RC) 22:31

U18 Men (3x4.6km): 1 Herne Hill 42:29 (J Clements-Nash 13:49, T Clerkin 14:07, C Holmes 14:35); 2 Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 43:03 (K Hussein 13:48, A Wolpert 14:44, A Lessard 14:31); 3 Southampton 43:13 (H Tekeste 14:09, M McIntosh 14:51, A Mitchell 14:14); 4 Bedford & County 43:13 (F Williams 14:32, O Henderson 14:29, O Weddell 14:13); 5 Hercules Wimbledon 43:30 (H Allen 14:30, M Barckhahn 14:32, T Creed 14:29); 6 Cambridge & Coleridge 43:34 (H Cantell 14:41, C Calver 15:19, F MacLennan 13:36); 7 St Mary's Richmond 43:35 (T Barry 14:49, J Ward 14:55, E Kiefer 13:52); 8 Dacorum 43:46 (T Murphy 14:23, T Pritchard 14:33, O McDonald 14:51); 9 Hercules Wimbledon B 43:49 (D Gilbert 14:25, J Fraser 15:00, S Dyson 14:24); 10 Bracknell 43:51 (E Langley-Aybar 14:00, B Lucas 14:34, J Legg 15:18); 11 Chelmsford 43:56; 12 Tonbridge 44:12; 13 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 44:16; 14 Wycombe Phoenix 44:47; 15 South London 44:56; 16 Brighton & Hove 45:10; 17 Herts Phoenix 45:16; 18 Wells 45:20; 19 HY AC 45:30; 20 Portsmouth 45:42
Fastest: F MacLennan (C&C) 13:35; K Hussein (VP&TH) 13:47; J Clements-Nash (Herne H) 13:48

U16 Boys (3x3km): 1 Hercules Wimbledon 28:06 (A Briki 9:13, M Harrison 9:40, T Hennigan 9:14); 2 Brighton & Hove 28:26 (C Walker 9:30, S Gill 9:33, G Urben 9:24); 3 Tonbridge 28:39 (G Bowers 9:33, S Mottram 9:27, J Levett 9:40); 4 Windsor S E & Hounslow 28:54 (T Bainbridge 9:30, B Welch 9:38, A Evans 9:47); 5 Chelmsford 29:01 (M Sanford 9:19, J Boarer 9:54, J Humphries 9:50); 6 Herts Phoenix 29:04 (J Whitaker 9:57, J Maiden 9:32, A Shoesmith 9:36); 7 Saint Edmund Pacers 29:16 (D Marshall 9:09, N Griffiths 9:14, J Seager 10:53); 8 St Albans Striders 29:17 (J McNaught 9:49, G Russell-Jones 9:55, C Treloar 9:33); 9 Poole 29:22 (H Samways 9:51, A Ewen Matthews 9:44, C Harrison 9:49); 10 Blackheath & Bromley 29:24 (E Aldridge 9:38, A Gurunathan 9:53, Z Evans 9:54); 11 Aldershot Farnham & District 29:25; 12 Reading 29:29; 13 Vale of Aylesbury 29:32; 14 HY AC 29:44; 15 Shaftesbury Barnet 29:44; 16 Southampton 29:46; 17 Portsmouth 29:47; 18 Herne Hill 29:52; 19 Cornwall 29:56; 20 Hercules Wimbledon B 29:56
Fastest: D Marshall (St Ed) 9:08; A Briki (HW) 9:12; N Griffiths (St Ed)/T Hennigan (HW) 9:13

U14 Boys (3x3km): 1 Cambridge & Coleridge 30:36 (A Cornes Oliff 9:53, Z Xiang 10:28, O Calver 10:17); 2 Herne Hill 30:44 (J Lotter 9:48, R Horne 10:25, T Howard 10:32); 3 Chelmsford 30:54 (F Blacketer 9:52, A Cooke 10:33, D Law 10:30); 4 Cornwall 31:23 (F Pochee 10:01, J Dixon 10:34, K Hipwell 10:49); 5 Blackheath & Bromley 31:57 (L Jones 10:33, J Pearce 10:31, A Streich 10:54); 6 Chelmsford B 32:12 (O Paterson 10:25, S Miller 11:10, L Boarer 10:38); 7 Luton 32:21 (J Oliver 10:10, P Brennan 11:17, J White 10:54); 8 Colchester 32:30 (J Heath 10:23, F Weir 10:56, J Payne 11:12); 9 Brighton & Hove 32:32 (J Walker 10:30, W Ridgway 11:06, L Singer 10:57); 10 Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets 32:51 (L Vernal 10:34, L Fernandez Bold 11:38, B Hudson 10:40); 11 Stevenage & North Herts 32:52; 12 WSEH 32:52; 13 Chiltern 32:53; 14 Dacorum 32:58; 15 Tonbridge 33:10; 16 Reading 33:18; 17 Hercules Wimbledon 33:29; 18 Thames Valley 33:31; 19 Aldershot 33:33; 20 Impact 33:41
Fastest: J Lotter (Herne H) 9:47; F Blacketer (Chelm) 9:51; A Cornes Oliff (C&C) 9:52

U18 Women (3x4.6km): 1 Aldershot 49:41 (M Robertson 17:37, O Garcia-Davies 16:03, P Guest 16:03); 2 WSEH 50:00 (Z Allan 16:14, T Ferguson 16:42, K Gorman 17:05); 3 Chelmsford 50:11 (A Shipton 16:28, A King 17:17, J March 16:26); 4 Portsmouth 51:44 (A Klidjian 16:39, C Oakley 17:40, A Thomas 17:26); 5 Watford 51:54 (E McGinley 16:55, N Redmond 17:35, E Potton 17:25); 6 Herne Hill 52:59 (A Wainwright 17:24, C Cole 17:38, Z Dodgson 17:57); 7 WSEH B 53:19 (K McCrabbe 17:20, O Watson 19:15, R Street 16:45); 8 HY AC 53:44 (I Buchanan 15:43, F Tewkesbury 18:46, K Morgan 19:16); 9 Aldershot B 54:06 (J Smykala 17:05, F Croucher 19:09, B Hinshelwood 17:52); 10 Chelmsford B 54:23 (L Sanford 17:55, F Philipps 17:54, H Harrison 18:34); 11 Belgrave 55:19; 12 Sutton & District 55:19; 13 Blackheath & Bromley 55:26; 14 South London 55:31; 15 Hercules Wimbledon 55:35; 16 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 55:47; 17 Brighton & Hove 55:53; 18 Tonbridge 55:55; 19 Saint Edmund Pacers 56:16; 20 Crawley 56:32
Fastest: I Buchanan (Hy) 15:42; O Garcia-Davies (AFD)/P Guest (AFD) 16:02

U16 Girls (4x3km): 1 Saint Edmund Pacers 32:29 (S Bolton 10:43, A McVittie 11:00, C Berry 10:46); 2 South London 32:35 (G Shade 10:36, I Errington 11:02, I Stanton 10:58); 3 Herne Hill 32:53 (S O'Brien 10:06, I McLennan 11:05, C Holmes 11:44); 4 Portsmouth 32:59 (I Shaw 11:01, T Goodchild 11:11, F Klepacz 10:48); 5 Aldershot 33:21 (A Sowerby 11:08, H Robertson 11:49, K O'Neill 10:25); 6 St Mary's Richmond 33:39 (L Graham 10:07, D Goodwin 12:11, E Hunt 11:22); 7 HY AC 33:51 (A Skelton 10:56, T Buckland 11:00, I Fitz-Hugh 11:56); 8 Chelmsford 33:58 (I Kehoe 11:17, G Matthews 11:52, B Cooke 10:50); 9 Blackheath & Bromley 34:06; 10 Wells 34:14 (R Shaw 10:46, H Scott 11:43, I Kettle 11:46); 11 Norwich 34:21; 12 Saint Edmund Pacers B 34:22; 13 Cambridge & Coleridge 34:38; 14 Portsmouth B 34:51; 15 Tonbridge 35:19; 16 Brighton & Hove 35:25; 17 Colchester 35:26; 18 South London B 35:27; 19 Vale of Aylesbury 35:27; 20 WSEH B 35:32
Fastest: S O'Brien (Herne H) 10:05; L Graham (St Mary's) 10:06; K O'Neill (AFD) 10:24

U14 Girls (4x3km): 1 Brentwood Beagles 31:15 (L Esterhuysen 10:22, J Davidson 10:38, S Davies 10:16); 2 Aldershot 32:47 (L Scallan 10:29, E Walmsley 11:19, E Jones 10:59); 3 Bedford & County 33:17 (I Murphy 10:40, L Cottier-Whitehead 11:25, L Nevzat 11:13); 4 Chelmsford 33:20 (B Kehoe 11:11, S Davis 11:10, L Robinson 11:00); 5 Aldershot B 34:13 (Z Milton 10:58, E Lee 12:06, I McNair 11:10); 6 WSEH 34:14 (J Watson 11:16, E Smith 11:51, E Wouters 11:08); 7 Southampton 34:19 (M Draper 11:18, A Ling 11:54, S Granger 11:08); 8 Blackheath & Bromley 34:37 (E Matthews 11:48, S James 11:33, Z Lett 11:18); 9 Brighton & Hove 34:42 (R Phillips 11:46, A Dibben 11:40, V Ridley 11:17); 10 Brentwood Beagles B 34:47 (B Smith 10:46, R Moss 12:44, E Brewington 11:18); 11 Portsmouth 35:46; 12 Chiltern 35:51; 13 Impact 36:11; 14 Blackheath & Bromley B 36:17; 15 Brighton & Hove B 36:27; 16 Brighton Phoenix 36:29; 17 Chelmsford B 36:41; 18 South London 36:41; 19 Basingstoke & Mid Hants 36:42; 20 Blackheath & Bromley D 36:42
Fastest: S Davies (B'wood) 10:15; L Esterhuysen (B'wood) 10:21; J Davidson (B'wood) 10:37