ANOTHER of Team Solent's improving stable of middle distance runners has struck under-20 800m silver at the Norwich Union AAA Junior Indoor Championships.

Mark Glennie, a training partner of AAA indoor 1500m champion Angus Maclean, underlined his growing maturity with two magnificent runs at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

Faced with two races in the space of five hours at only his second major Championship, Glennie set a personal best of one minute 54.78 seconds to finish runner-up in his heat - the day's second-fastest heat time.

Then after a two-hour sleep in his car he came back strongly in the final to chase Swindon's Andy Fulford (1.55.52) home in second place in 1.56.29.

Rod Lock, who coaches both Glennie and Maclean, said: "Mark has been training well and has shown that he can be competitive at the very top level of the sport.

"Clearly he has a great training partner in Gus Maclean, together with a very committed training group."

This summer Glennie will be focusing on the AAA Under-20 Championships in Bedford (June 30/July 1), where qualification for July's European Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy beckons.

Team Solent's Helen Zenner, still recovering from illness and injury, ran 4.44.69 to finish fourth in the under-20 1500m at Birmingham. Although she was some 13 seconds adrift of the winner, coach Lock said: "After the past three months of disrupted training, it clearly showed her potential."

Southampton City's Ceri Mitchell added to the strong local representation in the middle distance events by finishing third in her under-20 800m heat in 2.17.39.

l Maclean was one of big winners at Team Solent's annual club dinner and awards night at the Southampton Park Hotel.

Guest speakers were Councillor Derek Burke, the executive member for leisure, and the Southern Daily Echo's sports editor Dave King.

Awards went to: Trevor Gregory (male road runner of the year), Christine Smears (female road runner of the year), Keith Olding (road running merit award), Jonathan White (boys' young athlete of the year), Rachel Lewington (girls' young athlete of the year), Angus Maclean (senior men's athlete of the year), Becky Ridgley (senior women's athlete of the year), Terese Swain (Teamster award for services to the club).