Western Tempo's men and women both retained their Midlands titles at Sutton Park, with Coventry Godiva's Miles Clisham and Megan Marchant of the winners posting the fastest stages of the day.

MIDLANDS ROAD RELAYS, Sutton Park, September 19

Western Tempo's men and women both retained their titles, but the races were close as other clubs had their share of the lead in the senior events, with all races affected by blustery conditions.

Men

Western Tempo's men won by 37 seconds as 96 senior squads of six completed the race, but they were off the pace on the opening 5.43km lap as Miles Clisham took the early honours for Coventry Godiva.

His 15:52 was to hold up as the best of the day, and he was followed home, albeit at a distance, by the HUUB Performance Project's David Bishop, whose 16:14 was third best overall.

Spoiling the early party was Joe Tuffin of Birmingham Running Athletics & Triathlon Club (BRAT). His 15:58 split on the second stage took his club, who were third last year, to the race lead, some 16sec clear of Pierce Clisham, Miles's younger brother, who ran 16:49.

The half-way point saw Western Tempo take the lead through Ben Robinson's 16:29, while Harry Woods' 16:20 moved Swindon up to silver-medal position ahead of third-placed BRAT. Veteran Ben Cole closed a little on Tempo's Peter Molloy on the fourth leg for Swindon, but the two were now pulling away from the rest.

Dillon Gillett and Dom James then finished things off for the winners, whose six runners were all within 18sec of each other, while Alex Bampton and Simon Byrne anchored for Swindon.

Leon Chevalier ensured that Team Bath was in the hunt for third as BRAT slipped back after their strong start.

Men (6x5.43km): 1 Western Tempo 99:54 (L Davis 16:32, T Crockett 16:39, B Robinson 16:30, P Molloy 16:48, D Gillett 16:43, D James 16:45); 2 Swindon Harriers 1:40:31 (H Edwards 17:01, M Woodward 16:49, H Woods 16:21, B Cole 16:42, A Bampton 16:44, S Byrne 16:57); 3 Team Bath 1:42:44 (J Reeder 16:52, T Loughlin 16:35, S Davies 17:50, J Maxwell 17:31, L Chevalier 16:50, T Brooke 17:09); 4 Birmingham Running Athletics & Triathlon Club 1:42:58 (J Stolberg 16:28, J Tuffin 15:59, K Van Vliet 17:59, E Dawlatly 17:53, H Brocklehurst 17:40, A Banfield 17:01); 5 HUUB Performance Project 1:43:51 (D Bishop 16:15, J Fisher 17:48, E Busfield 16:45, D Haymes 16:49, L Dunne 18:16, J Booth 18:00); 6 Western Tempo B 1:44:12 (C Worsfold 16:55, A Cross 17:56, P Wylie 17:10, A Baker 16:49, A Lygo 17:33, C Wright 17:51); 7 Rugby & Northampton 1:44:52 (F Ward 16:20, J Comerford 16:59, L Buttrick 16:49, M Everett 17:27, N Lamb 18:10, N Bennett 19:10); 8 Bromsgrove & Redditch 1:45:07 (L Richardson 16:36, G Wagstaff 16:43, M Appleton 18:16, P Ball 18:17, J Marshall 18:06, T Adkins 17:12); 9 Notts AC 1:45:12 (A Berhe 17:30, J Perkins 18:54, E Collier 17:18, A Williams 17:48, J Holland 16:50, A Watson 16:55); 10 Wolverhampton & Bilston 1:45:57 (J Hart 16:35, J Stockton 17:37, J Morris 17:34, R Hodgkiss 17:47, O Cresswell 18:06, S Thursfield 18:20); 11 Mansfield 1:46:02; 12 Coventry Godiva 1:46:08; 13 North Somerset 1:46:36; 14 Birchfield 1:46:58; 15 Swindon B 1:47:31; 16 Halesowen 1:47:37; 17 Leamington 1:47:47; 18 Shrewsbury 1:47:52; 19 Tipton 1:47:57; 20 Heanor 1:48:03

96 teams finished

Fastest: M Clisham (Cov G) 15:52; J Tuffin (BRAT) 15:58; D Bishop (HUUB) 16:14; C McLeod (S&SH)/E Smith (Newark)/F Ward (R&N) 16:19; H Woods (Swin) 16:20

M40 (6x5.88km): 1 Stoke 1:49:36 (D Richardson 19:08, C Dillon 18:42, P Tatler 18:14, S Janally 18:39, C Gidlow 17:30, J Arnold 17:26); 2 BRAT 1:51:27 (M Burgess 19:06, S Dunsby 18:23, S Turner 18:16, M Matthews 19:02, A Adedimeji 18:44, D Bissuel 17:58); 3 Team Bath 1:53:13 (A Fooks 18:57, M Fletcher 18:47, T Davies 18:22, J Donald 19:26, S Oldham 19:34, D Jones 18:09); 4 Tipton 1:53:17; 5 Newark 1:54:37; 6 Stroud 1:54:42

Fastest: P Tatler (Stoke) 18:14; I Williams (Tip) 18:14; S Turner (BRAT) 18:15

Women

The Western Tempo quartet was well off the early pace as Wolverhampton & Bilston's Ella Semple dominated the opening 5.43km stage with a 19:07 clocking that was eventually to prove the third quickest overall.

Behind Semple on the opener, Anna Domville was quick for Team Bath, and her club established a solid lead by the half-way stage thanks to Freya Spruit's 19:22, while Gemma Steel, now 40, took Charnwood up to second with a 19:41 effort.

Western Tempo languished 80sec off the lead, but all was to change on stage three thanks to Megan Marchant. The orange-vested 'Pied Piper' of the club blasted out an 18:51 split that turned the race upside down and was comfortably the day's fastest, repeating her 2024 medal-winning performance.

This took Western Tempo over a minute clear of Team Bath as Charnwood slipped to third. Thereafter it was just a glory-leg run-out for Abbie Milnes, even though Tilly Nickell closed for Team Bath with the second-fastest split of the afternoon, 19:04.

The women's veteran race saw former junior international Amber Gascoigne, 47, give Team Bath a substantial lead with a 19:15 effort that would have been the fourth-fastest women's split of the day. Her club went on to win the W35 race by well over three minutes.

Women (4x5.43km): 1 Western Tempo 78:20 (T Ozoux 19:59, G Burridge 20:04, M Marchant 18:52, A Milnes 19:26); 2 Team Bath 79:01 (A Domville 19:20, F Spruit 19:23, F Thwaites-Miles 21:15, T Nickell 19:05); 3 Stoke 80:18 (S Latham 19:29, E Merrison 20:03, A Aberley-Barker 21:22, E Taylor 19:25); 4 Charnwood 81:25 (H Seager 19:44, G Steel 19:42, A Seager 20:49, A Wheelhouse 21:12); 5 Bristol & West 83:00 (S Duval 19:38, M Jones 22:10, B Shepherd 20:00, A Nicholls 21:14); 6 Western Tempo B 84:51 (O Patxot 21:09, N Eaton 20:49, L Hillary 21:41, A Pollard 21:14); 7 Bromsgrove & Redditch 85:02 (J Nolan 20:51, H Dale 20:42, L Sykes 21:39, L Hatfield 21:52); 8 Halesowen 86:22 (L Hellingsworth 20:32, P Dodd 21:22, P Dunlop 23:42, F Collins 20:48); 9 Bristol & West B 86:28 (B Payne 21:32, G Ritter Sherratt 21:46, E Weston 21:23, E Carney 21:49); 10 Notts 86:33 (B Peach 21:40, K Marsh 19:57, K Blunden 22:04, E Gallie 22:54); 11 City of Stoke B 86:48; 12 Telford 86:56; 13 Kenilworth 87:12; 14 Stroud 87:31; 15 Tipton 88:20; 16 Royal Sutton Coldfield 88:48; 17 BRAT 89:19; 18 Newcastle Staffs 90:20; 19 Severn 91:05; 20 Team Bath B 91:46

79 teams finished

Fastest: M Marchant (W Tempo) 18:51; T Nickell (T Bath) 19:04; E Semple (W&B) 19:07; A Domville (T Bath) 19:19; E Taylor (Stoke) 19:24; A Milnes (W Tempo) 19:25

W35 (4x5.43km): 1 Team Bath 84:08 (A Gascoigne 19:16, R Marsh 22:32, R McKean 21:34, L Parsonage 20:48); 2 Stoke 87:26 (D Sherwin 20:27, J Donnelly 23:09, C Hawkins 21:21, J Green 22:30); 3 Trentham 89:22 (J Stanfield 21:08, S Taylor 23:16, D Thomas 23:10, L Callaghan 21:50); 4 Shrewsbury 91:51; 5 Mansfield 97:01; 6 Centurion 99:10

Fastest: A Gascoigne (T Bath) 19:15; D Sherwin (Stoke) 20:26; L Parsonage (T Bath) 20:47

YOUNG ATHLETES

Mansfield comfortably won the under-18 men's race by just over a minute from Swindon and Charnwood, and had Fraser McAllister, the English Schools 1500m finalist, to thank for a first-stage lead. His time of 11:32 was never challenged, and Oliver McClemens and Lewis Marston kept Mansfield in front throughout.

Wolverhampton & Bilston's Fred Jones, who has moved up through the age groups with a string of fastest laps, was second quickest overall after chasing McAllister home on the opener with an 11:47 effort.

In the under-16 boys' race, Alex Kampta, the English Schools 800m silver medallist, posted the fastest time on the opening 3.88km leg for Rugby & Northampton, ahead of Wolverhampton & Bilston's Rocco Hawley with 12:16. Solihull & Small Heath then came through to win as Jack Larkin anchored.

City of Stoke won the under-18 women's race by more than two minutes from Mansfield and Swindon. Holly Turner led them off with 13:54 but had to concede to Beth Humphreys' 13:43 for Swindon on the first stage. The fastest lap went to Zara Bratt, whose 13:11 came on the final 3.88km stage, where Charley Whysall's 13:16 for second-placed Mansfield made no impression despite being the second quickest in the age group.

Nuneaton had a comfortable victory in the under-16 girls' race, although they had to come from behind, and their big final margin was thanks to Ziata Dushkina's 14:00 on the final stage. Earlier, Taylor Riches had given Birchfield a mid-race lead on the second stage with the age group's fastest time of 13:55, but they could not hold on and slipped out of the medals.

The under-14 girls' race went to Wolverhampton & Bilston, and there was no doubt about the winners after Alba-Rose Jones gave them a big first-stage lead with the age group's fastest time of 13:45.

U18 Men (3x3.88km): 1 Mansfield 36:21 (F McAllister 11:32, O McClemens 12:33, L Marston 12:15); 2 Swindon 37:27 (J Maywood 12:09, F Byrne 12:42, J Bryant 12:36); 3 Charnwood 37:44 (O Lockton 12:35, M Muddle 12:24, H Fletcher 12:44); 4 RSC 37:48; 5 N Somerset 37:55; 6 W&B 38:00

Fastest: F McAllister (Mansf) 11:32; F Jones (W&B) 11:47; E Meacock (N Som) 12:06; J Mayneord (Swin) 12:09

U16 Boys (3x3.88km): 1 S&SH 38:04 (Z Rush 12:32, T Heather-Green 12:48, J Larkin 12:44); 2 R&N 39:09 (A Kampta 12:15, J Hemmington 13:42, H Marriott 13:10); 3 W&B 39:10 (R Hawley 12:16, J Yang 13:14, N Worrall 13:40); 4 Swindon 39:55; 5 Birchfield 40:35; 6 Stoke 40:50

Fastest: A Kampta (R&N) 12:15; R Hawley (W&B) 12:16; Z Bush (S&SH) 12:32; O Adams (Shrews) 12:34

U14 Boys (3x3.88km): 1 Stoke 42:03 (H Nixon 16:29, S Buxton 12:00, I Clarke 13:34); 2 Shrewsbury 42:44 (L Lillywhite 13:22, L Rhead 14:14, J Dalzell 15:07); 3 Charnwood 42:50 (H Don 13:38, A Cave 15:03, E Hutton 14:08); 4 W&B 43:09; 5 RSC 43:33; 6 Cheltenham 44:10

Fastest: times uncertain

U18 Women (3x3.88km): 1 Stoke 41:29 (H Turner 13:54, L Dundas 14:23, Z Bratt 13:11); 2 Mansfield 43:46 (M Westwood 14:34, E Pares 15:54, C Whysall 13:16); 3 Swindon 44:04 (B Humphrey 13:43, E Scrase 14:58, E Charlesworth 15:52); 4 Kettering 45:27; 5 Charnwood 45:31; 6 Cheltenham 46:23

Fastest: Z Bratt (Stoke) 13:11; C Whysall (Mansf) 13:16; B Humphrey (Swin) 13:43; H Turner (Stoke) 13:54

U16 Girls (3x3.88km): 1 Nuneaton 44:20 (A Coats 14:51, A Drage 15:28, Z Dushkina 14:00); 2 N Somerset 45:16 (M Hughes 15:18, G Rampa 15:15, B Hollis 14:42); 3 R&N 45:35 (F Carty 14:44, M Diplock 15:40, E Rudkin-Wilson 15:40); 4 Dudley & S 46:25; 5 Birchfield 46:40; 6 Charnwood 46:52

Fastest: T Riches (Bir) 13:55; Z Dushkina (Nun) 14:00; L Htrdcatle (Shrews) 14:23; J Riley (Charn) 14:34

U14 Girls (3x3.88km): 1 W&B 45:16 (A Jones 13:45, A Evans 15:41, C Cashmore-Jones 15:49); 2 S&SH 47:04 (E Ross 15:23, A Healy 15:53, S Wood 15:46); 3 R&N 47:14 (L Holmes 15:29, M Waterson 16:00, M Hamilton 15:45); 4 Swindon 47:48; 5 RSC 47:59; 6 Stroud 48:21

Fastest: A Jones (W&B) 13:45; S Brumfitt (Mansf) 14:38; L Leach (Swin) 14:42; R Newns (Stroud) 14:59