Twelve months ago, Bournemouth AC left the Lordshill 10k celebrating one of the greatest achievements in the club’s recent history.

After back-to-back promotions in the previous two seasons, they crowned an incredible rise through the Hampshire Road Race League by becoming A1 division champions. Having started that campaign with victory at the Overton 5, they never looked back, eventually lifting the title in style at Lordshill.

This season, however, had been a completely different story.

Ironically, it had started in the same fashion. The Bournemouth AC men once again opened the campaign by winning the first fixture, this time the Totton 10k. They looked well placed to mount another title challenge.

Unfortunately, things unravelled from there.

A disappointing sixth-place finish at the Overton 5 was followed by a succession of races where the club failed to field complete teams. With every missed fixture came more penalty points and any hopes of defending their title quickly disappeared.

By the time the league arrived at its twelfth and final race, relegation had already been confirmed. Bournemouth AC would be returning to the A2 division next season after just a single campaign amongst the elite clubs of Hampshire.

Despite that disappointment, there was still plenty to race for.

The final fixture at Lordshill offered one last opportunity to remind everyone what Bournemouth AC were capable of when they managed to get their strongest runners on the start line. Unlike several of the previous league races, they travelled to Southampton with arguably their strongest squad of the season.

Leading the charge was Luke Martin, who had enjoyed another excellent campaign. Having finished third at both the Alton 10 and the Purbeck 10k, he had established himself as one of the club’s leading performers over the summer and looked capable of mixing it with the very best in the field.

Alongside him was Bryn Smith, one of the key architects of last year’s championship-winning side, while Jack Davis arrived in superb form after what had already been a breakthrough season.

Jack’s year had begun with an excellent 35:16 personal best at the Stubbington 10k before he went on to break 80 minutes for the half marathon for the first time at Bath. If that wasn’t enough, he then produced a magnificent sub-2:50 performance at the Cork City Marathon, firmly establishing himself as one of the club’s most improved distance runners.

Harry Butcher was another athlete enjoying a remarkable run of form.

His list of personal bests continued to grow almost every time he raced. A sub-38-minute 10k at Eastleigh was followed by a 1500m PB of 4:32 at the Bannister Miles meeting in Oxford before lowering his mile best to 4:52. More recently he had clocked 28:44 for five miles at the May 5 before dipping under 9:40 for 3000m at a BMC meeting in Winchester.

Jake Mowat also came into the race carrying excellent form, although perhaps with slightly heavier legs than everyone else.

Just twenty-four hours earlier he had smashed his parkrun personal best with a time of just under 16:30. The obvious question was whether he could back that up with another fast performance over 10k or whether the effort would prove one race too many. His current 10k best of 35:16, set at Stubbington earlier in the year, suggested he certainly had the ability if his legs recovered in time.

Elsewhere in the men’s squad, Rich Brawn arrived after clocking 38:15 at the Purbeck 10, while Tom Casson had every reason to be confident following an excellent personal best of 39:38 at the Purbeck 10k.

The women’s squad suffered a late setback when Kate Bowers was forced to withdraw, leaving Bournemouth AC with three representatives.

Kitty Cook headed the team after narrowly missing out on a podium finish at the Purbeck 10k. In what had been her first ever race over the distance, she had run 41:43 and finished just one second behind Dorset League individual leader Victoria Pye. Having continued her impressive summer by winning races in the Upton Summer Series, she looked capable of lowering that mark again.

Helen Beddoe was also enjoying an excellent season. After running 45:16 at Purbeck, she had been putting together a string of consistent performances in the Upton Summer Series, where she currently led her age category.

Making her 10k debut was Holly Collier.

Although she was unsure exactly what to expect over the distance, her pedigree was unquestionable. Having won the senior women’s title in the Wessex Cross Country League last winter after several injury-disrupted years, there were clear signs that she was beginning to rediscover the form that had made her one of the region’s leading female runners.

At the front of the race, attention inevitably centred on the Hampshire Road Race League individual standings.

Vectis Academy’s Joshua Price had already wrapped up the men’s title after an outstanding campaign in which he had competed in every single race. Four victories and podium finishes in all but one event underlined his consistency throughout the season.

Standing in his way were several familiar rivals, including Winchester Running Club’s Henry Edwards, who had recently got the better of Price at the Netley 10k. Christopher Newnham of Ryde Harriers and Andrew Winterbottom of Winchester Running Club also promised to be major contenders.

The women’s race looked equally competitive.

League leader Rachel Walsh of Alton Runners lined up alongside Emma Jolley of City of Portsmouth and Totton’s Bexy Dew, with the top three in the standings all present for the season finale.

As the race got underway, Luke Martin immediately established himself as Bournemouth AC’s leading runner.

Opening with a superb 5:21 first mile, he followed it with splits of 5:25 and 5:31 to reach halfway in 16:54, placing him tenth overall despite the exceptional quality at the front of the field.

The slightly downhill opening half of the course gave way to the more demanding return journey, but Luke continued to run with impressive consistency.

A fourth mile of 5:29 was followed by splits of 5:38 and 5:34 as he maintained his rhythm all the way to the finish. His second 5k of 17:05 was the fifth fastest in the entire field and lifted him three places to finish seventh overall in an outstanding 33:58, averaging 5:29 per mile.

It was another excellent performance from Luke and yet more evidence of the consistency he has shown throughout the season.

Just behind him, a trio of Bournemouth runners featuring Bryn Smith, Jack Davis and Jake Mowat settled into an ambitious early pace, all passing the opening miles at just under 5:30 pace before easing slightly through the third mile.

At halfway Bryn occupied 17th place in 17:18, Jack was 21st in 17:20 and Jake sat just behind in 23rd with 17:27 on the clock.

The challenge, however, was only just beginning.

The return journey at Lordshill is notoriously more demanding than the outward leg, with a gradual uphill drag culminating in a lengthy climb over the final kilometre.

It was over those closing miles that Jack Davis produced one of the standout Bournemouth performances of the day.

Jack looked remarkably composed as the course began to bite.

Splits of 5:42 and 5:48 over the fourth and fifth miles set him up perfectly for the notoriously testing finish. While many around him began to fade on the long uphill drag to the line, Jack dug deep, limiting his losses with a determined 5:56 final mile before covering the closing 0.2 miles strongly to stop the clock at 35:23.

His second-half split of 18:03 made him the 15th fastest runner in the entire field over the closing 5km, highlighting just how well he judged his effort. Finishing 17th overall at an average pace of 5:41 per mile, it was another excellent performance and one which further reinforced his status as one of Bournemouth AC’s most improved athletes this season.

Bryn Smith wasn’t far behind.

 

One of last year’s championship-winning team, Bryn once again produced the kind of dependable performance that has made him such an important part of Bournemouth AC’s road running squad over recent seasons.

Having reached halfway in 17:18, he battled hard over the tougher second half to record an 18:27 split. Although the uphill return inevitably slowed the pace, he still finished 24th quickest over the closing half of the race and crossed the line 19th overall in 35:44.

If Jack and Bryn demonstrated the benefits of measured pacing, unfortunately the opposite proved true for Jake Mowat.

After producing a superb parkrun personal best of just under 16:30 less than twenty-four hours earlier, there had always been a question mark over how much energy remained in the tank.

For the opening half of the race, it appeared there was nothing to worry about.

Jake reached 5km in 17:27 and remained firmly in contention amongst Bournemouth AC’s leading runners.

However, the combination of the previous day’s effort, rising temperatures and the relentless uphill second half eventually took their toll.

What followed was a dramatic slowdown as Jake found himself alternating between jogging and walking for much of the return journey. His second-half split ballooned to 22:24 — only the 192nd quickest in the field — and he slipped from 23rd at halfway to eventually finish 87th overall in 39:49.

Despite the disappointment, Jake remained philosophical afterwards. Having already taken a sizeable chunk off his parkrun best the previous morning, he knew his fitness was moving firmly in the right direction and accepted that backing up two maximal efforts on consecutive days had simply proved one challenge too many.

Another runner to produce an excellent display was Harry Butcher.

His opening miles of 5:32, 5:46 and 5:51 demonstrated the increasingly mature pacing that has become a feature of Harry’s racing this year. Passing halfway in 17:53, he occupied 30th place overall with plenty still left to give.

The second half brought splits of 5:55 and exactly six minutes through the fifth mile before Harry produced one of his trademark strong finishes.

Rather than fading on the climb to the finish, he responded with an impressive 5:47 final mile before accelerating over the closing section at around 5:11 mile pace.

His second-half 5km of 18:09 ranked as the 17th quickest in the entire race and earned him 23rd place overall in an excellent 36:01.

With Luke Martin, Jack Davis, Bryn Smith and Harry Butcher all inside the top 25, Bournemouth AC’s A-team scoring four had done everything they could.

After the frustrations that had characterised so much of the Hampshire Road Race League season, the club finally managed to field the calibre of team that had been missing from several previous fixtures.

Their efforts were rewarded with second place behind Winchester Running Club on the day – a fitting reminder of the strength that still exists within the squad when everyone is available.

At the front of the race, Christopher Newnham of Ryde Harriers produced a superb run to claim victory in 31:56.

Already crowned Hampshire Road Race League individual champion, Joshua Price rounded off his outstanding campaign with another runner-up finish in 32:05, while Southampton’s Hezbawi Tekete completed the podium in 32:16.

Dylan Poulton of Alton Runners took fourth in 33:20 ahead of Darren Robinson of Gosport in 33:54, while Winchester’s Andrew Winterbottom edged team-mate Henry Edwards by just over twenty seconds to finish sixth in 33:56.

Luke Martin’s seventh-place finish ensured Bournemouth AC had representation amongst some of the strongest runners in Hampshire once again.

Further back, Rich Brawn produced another typically controlled performance.

Passing halfway in 18:14, he occupied 37th position before producing one of the strongest second halves of anyone around him. His closing 5km of exactly 19 minutes ranked as the 33rd fastest in the race, allowing him to work steadily through the field to finish 32nd overall in 37:13.

The performance also earned him an excellent fifth place in the highly competitive MV40 category.

Tom Casson continued his impressive run of form with another personal best.

Having already dipped under forty minutes for the first time at the Purbeck 10k, Tom looked comfortable throughout, reaching halfway in 18:53 in 57th place.

Rather than fading over the demanding closing kilometres, he held his pace well, covering the second half in 20:04 before crossing the line in 38:56.

Not only did that represent another lifetime best, it also secured 60th place overall and demonstrated the consistency he has developed over recent months.

Patrick Kingston enjoyed another solid outing.

A first-half split of 20:06 had him well inside the top 150 before he completed the return leg in 21:31 to finish in 41:27, placing 133rd overall and 40th in the MV40 category.

That was enough to give the Bournemouth B-team the best score in the B2 division. Unfortunately they’ll still be relegated though after not fielding a team for most of the races.

Chris O’Brien adopted a more conservative approach.

Still not feeling fully fit, he elected to treat the race more as a controlled tempo effort than an all-out race.

Even so, his consistency was impressive.

Going through halfway in 20:43, Chris improved his position during the second half with a 21:01 split to finish in 41:38, placing 145th overall and 17th in the MV50 category at an average pace of 6:42 per mile.

Jason Christian found the conditions more challenging than hoped.

Passing halfway in 21:02, he battled gamely throughout the tougher closing section before finishing in 42:06, taking 156th place overall and 19th in the MV50 category.

Sanjai Sharma also suffered during the increasingly warm conditions.

Running strongly through halfway in 21:01, he occupied fifth place in the MV60 category before dizziness forced him to stop and walk on several occasions over the second half.

Despite the difficult finish, Sanjai still battled home in 43:33 to finish eighth in his age category.

David Crowther reached halfway in 21:25 before finding the uphill return particularly testing.

His 44:27 finish earned him 216th overall, while Tom Ralph – Bournemouth AC’s sole representative at the previous HRRL fixture at Netley – recorded 45:06 after another determined effort.

Clint Taylor completed the Bournemouth AC contingent, finishing in 47:28 after never giving up despite the challenging final climb.

While the Bournemouth AC men produced one of their strongest team displays of the season, the women’s squad was unfortunately reduced to three runners following Kate Bowers’ late withdrawal through injury.

Even so, the trio all produced performances full of encouragement.

The battle for the overall women’s honours was every bit as intriguing as expected, with the top three in the Hampshire Road Race League standings all lining up together for one final showdown.

Ryde Harriers’ Carly Scoble ultimately took the race victory, finishing 40th overall in an impressive 37:48.

Behind her, Emma Jolley of City of Portsmouth edged a fascinating contest for second place, crossing the line in 38:57, with Totton’s Bexy Dew just four seconds adrift in 39:01. Rachel Walsh of Alton Runners was fourth woman home in virtually the same time, recording 39:01.

Although Rachel narrowly missed out on the podium on the day, her consistency throughout the season proved decisive as she secured the Hampshire Road Race League women’s individual title.

Emma Jolley finished second overall in the standings, with Bexy Dew completing the top three after another consistently excellent campaign.

For Bournemouth AC, Kitty Cook once again led the way.

Having only made her 10k debut at the Purbeck 10k a few weeks earlier, where she ran 41:43 and missed out on a podium place by just one second, there was every reason to believe another personal best was within reach.

She set off confidently, reaching halfway in 20:15 to sit 12th female and 138th overall.

Like several Bournemouth runners, Kitty actually produced a stronger relative performance over the more demanding second half. Her closing 5km of 21:20 ranked as the 11th fastest by any woman in the race and the 130th fastest overall among the entire field of 783 finishers.

Crossing the line in 41:18, she not only lowered her personal best by 25 seconds but also retained 12th place in the women‘s race.

Whether the improvement was partly aided by Lordshill being a slightly quicker course than Purbeck is open to debate, but a personal best is a personal best, and Kitty continues to establish herself as one of Bournemouth AC’s most exciting female road runners.

Making perhaps the biggest impression of all was Holly Collier.

Competing over 10 kilometres for the very first time, Holly admitted beforehand that she had very little idea what sort of time she was capable of producing.

Given her outstanding cross-country pedigree, however, there was always a feeling that once she returned to full fitness after several injury-hit years, strong road performances would inevitably follow.

She reached halfway in 20:32, sitting 14th woman and 151st overall before producing an equally impressive second half of 21:19.

That ranked as the 12th fastest female second-half split of the afternoon and carried her through to 13th place in the women‘s race.

Her finishing time of 41:38 represented an excellent debut over the distance and suggested there is considerably more to come once she gains further experience on the roads.

Helen Beddoe arguably produced Bournemouth AC’s performance of the day.

Having arrived with a previous best of 45:16 from the Purbeck 10k, few would have predicted the size of the improvement she was about to produce.

Passing halfway in 21:13, Helen was already running well inside personal-best pace, sitting 17th female overall and fourth in the FV40 category.

Despite the demanding second half, she maintained her effort superbly, covering the return leg in 22:17 before stopping the clock at 43:21.

The performance took eight seconds off her previous best and earned her 18th place in the women‘s race, fourth in the FV40 category and 181st overall.

It was a tremendous breakthrough performance and one of the biggest surprises—in the best possible sense—of the afternoon.

Although Bournemouth AC’s women were one runner short of a scoring team, the performances of Kitty, Holly and Helen provided plenty of optimism heading into next season.

When the team scores were finally confirmed, Bournemouth AC had finished second in the men’s competition on the day behind a dominant Winchester Running Club side.

Unfortunately, the result arrived too late to alter the overall league standings.

The damage had been done over previous months through missed fixtures and incomplete teams, leaving Bournemouth AC anchored to the foot of the A1 division and condemned to relegation.

In truth, the final table didn’t really reflect the strength within the squad.

Whenever Bournemouth AC managed to field a full team, they were capable of competing with the very best clubs in Hampshire, as demonstrated once again at Lordshill. The problem was availability rather than ability.

Winchester Running Club fully deserved their league title, winning each of the final five fixtures of the season and claiming victory in seven of the twelve races overall. Their remarkable consistency saw them comfortably finish ahead of Denmead Striders, with Alton Runners completing the top three.

Liss Running Club joined Bournemouth AC in being relegated from the A1 division.

In the men’s A2 competition, Vectis Academy topped the standings after winning five fixtures and will replace Bournemouth AC in the A1 division next season alongside Overton Harriers.

At the other end of that division, Andover and Southampton were relegated after difficult campaigns, while Isle of Wight Road Runners and Hamwic Harriers secured promotion from A3.

Winchester also underlined their remarkable strength in depth by topping both the men’s B1 and B2 divisions, while Denmead Striders won B3.

In the women’s competitions, Winchester were crowned A1 champions after winning nine of the twelve fixtures, Totton claimed the A2 title despite New Forest Runners taking victory at Lordshill, while Hamwic Harriers finished their superb campaign by sealing the A3 championship.

For Bournemouth AC, however, the afternoon was perhaps less about league tables and more about restoring a little pride.

After the disappointment of a season that never truly got going following that opening-day victory at Totton, the club finally demonstrated the standard of performances they are capable of when able to field a strong squad.

Relegation is never welcome, but it also offers an opportunity.

Having reached the summit by becoming Hampshire Road Race League champions just twelve months earlier, Bournemouth AC now have the chance to regroup, rebuild and return stronger. With a core of talented young runners continuing to improve, experienced campaigners still leading from the front and an emerging women’s squad showing real promise, there is every reason to believe the club can challenge at the top of the A2 division next season.

If Lordshill proved anything, it was that the quality remains there.

Now the challenge is ensuring that quality is consistently on the start line.