READING Athletic Club's senior and Under 20 women produced a magnificent team performance to win the first of the season's Hampshire Cross Country League fixtures at Bournemouth on Saturday.

In the rain and the mud, they were led home on the 6km course by Naomi Mitchell (21m 49secs), who made a strong bid for individual victory before eventually having to settle for second.

Sophie Crumly (22.13) took fourth place, and the team's third scorer was Georgia Hayes (11th in 22.53).

The club's total of 17 points gave them a clear victory over Winchester and Aldershot, while also representing Reading were Anna Boniface (17th in 23.15), Emma Howsham (27th), Laurie Marlow (35th), Hermione Walker (40th), Hayleigh Wood (46th), Rachel Phillips (60th), Lee Fellows (124th) and Heidi Painting (172nd).

In the same race, Reading's veteran women also had a great result, coming second, and were led home by Sarah Urwin Mann in 28th place, followed by Susan Francis (64th), Debbie Taylor (79th), Lynne Henderson-Nike (86th), Caroline Stevens (102nd) and Sian Rollings (114th).

Reading's U17 women also finished second in their 4km race, with Naomi Harris running strongly for fifth place in 15.31, and Alanah Chadwick 12th in 16.40.

Tessa Weavers (15th in 16.52), Lara Tolson (16th in 16.55) and Evie Warren (22nd in 18.07) also ran well.

In the U17 men's 6km race, Mattie Raynor claimed 13th in 21.39, Laurie Baker 17th in 22.12 and Isaac Mileham 37th in 26.42.

This gave Reading 67 points and fifth place.

Reading came third in the U15 girls' 4km contest, with Holly Haldane (sixth in 15.31), Evie Elson (seventh in 15.33) and Ella Newman (eighth in 15.34) impressing.

Other Reading runners were Lydia Godfrey in 24th place (16.40), Talia Painting (27th in 16.59), Jemima Crocker (30th, 17.17) and Katie Barnes (40th, 17.53).

In the U15 boys' 4km race, George Urwin-Mann (32nd in 15.18), Nick Haldane (38th in 15.31) and Aidan Marshall (39th in 15.51) came eighth.

First home for Reading's under-13 girls in their 3km race was Alex Marden in 16th place in a time of 13.06, followed by good efforts from Georgie Langdon (21st in 13.20), Emma Yeadon (29th in 13.36) and Molly Barnes (42nd in 14.13|) to leave them as fifth-placed team.

For Reading's U13 boys in their 3km race, Maddox Gillas took sixth place, recording 11.19.

George Godfrey (22nd in 12.08) and Jacob Sheikh (40th in 12.31) completed the point-scorers, with Reading finishing sixth.

Debutants Finley Hannigan (12.31) and Magnus Deol (74th in 14.25) also ran well, while Serena Deol in the U11 girls' race finished in a very encouraging ninth place.

Meanwhile the Reading senior men's team finished third with Luc Jolly (16th in 32.50), Mark Both (26th in 33.33), Ed Stockdale (30th in 34.00), Ryan O'Brien (41st in 34.33) and Martin Turton (44th in 34.44) accumulating the points.

Non-scorers were club captain David Lewis (49th in 34.56), Michel Lai (55th in 35.26), Ben Rollings (62nd in 35.56) and veterans Colin Simpson (138th in 39.46) and Neil Walker (153rd in 41.09).