IT was a day for the seniors in the Oxfordshire 5-mile Championships on Monday.

Senior runner Gary Harris, of Headington Road Runners, became Oxfordshire champion with fourth place in the Thames Water-sponsored Headington 5 which doubled up as the county championship.

And Radley Ladies' Gill Dean, another senior runner, captured the women's Oxfordshire championship after also finishing fourth.

The first three Oxon men home were all seniors, Harris taking the honours from Jeremy Bradley (Oxford University) and Marc Poulin (Oxford City).

Overall, however, Oxfordshire runners found it tough going as raiders from outside the county staged a clean sweep.

Mohammed Fatihi (Puma Thames Valley Harriers) triumphed after leading out a fast start.

He built a lead of more than 50 metres by two miles which he passed at 9.39, and eventually took victory in 24.46 with a comfortable lead of 15 seconds over second-placed Charles Herrington (Milton Keynes). Herrington had broken away from the chasing group at 2 miles, leaving John Towse (Windsor, Slough and Eton) to pip Harris for third.

Oxford City won the overall men's team prize with convincing firsts in both the M40 (David Hartwell) and M50 (John Exley) classes, both men also taking county firsts in their age groups.

In the women's county championship, Dean (F45), of Radley Ladies, was the first home, with Michelle Birdsall Snr (Oxford City) and Gwyneth Heuter (F35) (Oxford City) in second and third places, each taking firsts in their age categories.

Overall, Tracey Williams (Sale Harriers) took the honours from defending champion Sarah Harper (Bourton Road Runners).

Harper led until she was joined at the three-mile mark by Williams, and the pair ran together until the Sale Harrier stretched away with 300m remaining to finish with an 11-second advantage in a time of 29.36.

Gail Nerurkar (Thames Hare and Hounds) fought off Dean (F45) to take third in 30.38 with Dean recording 31.16.

Alison Coldrick's first F35 placing helped Bourton Road Runners take the team prize.

In the 8-11 age group, first girl home was Emma Kidd (11 years) from Eynsham and first boy was Christopher Edson (10 years) of Wheatley. At 12-15, Matthew Ashton (13 years) (Witney RR) successfully retained his title ahead of Edward Hitching, also of Witney.

In the girls 12-15 race, Elizabeth Gottwald (14 years), of Wantage, just beat her sister Victoria.

The oldest runner, Melville Summers, aged 76, of Headington had been the first entry received several months ago and ran wearing his vest No 1 to finish in a time of 49.49.

During the awards ceremony, Will Atkinson, of Headington Road Runners, presented a cheque for £1,050, raised by sponsorship of the club's 260-mile Round-Oxfordshire-Relay, to Barbara Turner, of the OXSRAD centre.

RESULTS

Men: 1 M Fatihi (Puma TVH) 24.46; 2 C Herrington (Milton Keynes) 25.00; 3 J Towse (WSE) 25.24; 4 G Harris (HRR) 25.33; 5 B Hope (Cov God) 25.40; 6 J Bradley (Ox Univ) 25.36; 7 D Walmsley (BRR) 25.55; 8 M Poulin (Ox City) 25.59; 9 N Russell (Ox City) 26.06; 10 M Bradfield (Datchet D) 26.06.

M40: 1 D Hartwell (Ox City) 27.42; 2 G Taylor (unatt) 28.14; 3 M Kilcoyne (Ox City) 28.23. M50: 1 J Exley (Ox City) 26.47; 2 R Treadwell (Ox City) 27.58; 3 A Hope (Ox City) 29.27.

Teams: 1 Oxford City 28; 2 Oxford Univ 64; 3 Oxford City B 67.

Women: 1 T Williams (Sale) 29.36; 2 S Harper (BRR) 29.47; 3 G Nerurkar (THH) 30.58.

F35: 1 A Coldrick (BRR) 32.48; 2 G Heuter (Ox City) 33.52; 3 J Ashton (Witney RR) 34.04.

F45: 1 G Dean (Radley Ladies) 31.16.

Teams: 1 Bourton RR 20; 2 Witney RR 67; 3 Eysnham RR 84.

OXON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Senior men: 1 G Harris (HRR) 25.33; 2 J Bradley (Ox Univ) 25.36; 3 M Poulin (Ox City) 25.59.

M40: 1 D Hartwell (Ox City) 27.42; 2 M Kilcoyne (Ox City) 28.23; 3 G Smith (KRAC) 28.26.

M50: 1 J Exley (Ox City), 2 Roy Treadwell (Ox City) 27.58.

Team: 1 Oxford City.

Senior women: 1 M Birdsall (Ox City), 2 J Hale (WRR). F35: 1 G Heuter (Ox City) 33.52.

F45: 1 G Dean (Radley) 31.16.

F55: 1 C Green (Eynsham RR).

8-11 boys (400m): 1 C Edson, 2 S Baker, 3 C Brunt.

8-11 girls (400m): 1 E Kidd, 2 F Wade, 3 K Wade.

12-15 boys (800m): 1 M Ashton, 2 E Hitching.

12-15 girls (800m): 1 E Gottwald, 2 V Gottwald, 3 S LeGood.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.