SOUTHAMPTON AC’s unstoppable veteran men clocked up their third win of the season in the Southern Counties Hampshire Division at Basingstoke.

A top-three finish in the remaining fixture at Aldershot in July will see them through to the Southern Counties Vets League final, which they won last year.

M35 Andrew Sheerin (33.09 metres) and M50 Andy Turner (38.20m) opened proceedings in the hammer, finishing A third and B first respectively.

There were guest throws from Graham Lay (29.50m) and Steve Dobson (23.81m) - Lay later dominating the shot put with a convincing 12.54.

M50 Turner claimed his second victory of the evening in the shot (10.96) with Vic Novell stepping in at short notice for M60 fourth.

The opening track event, the 100m, brought a clean sweep of victories for the red and white stripes - M35s Mark Collins (11.7 seconds) and Simon Ciaravella (12.0s) and M50 Steve Beak (12.5). Guesting M60s Novell and Alan Forse clocked 14.1 and 14.8 respectively.

There were excellent track debuts in the 3000m steeplechase for Kit Lau (A 5th, 11.19.0) and Mark Gardiner (B 2nd, 12.00.1). M60 Sid DeLara volunteered to run in the M50 category, finishing a brilliant fourth against his younger rivals in 14.46.8.

M35 Darren Clissold (1.45) and M50 Derek Warn (1.35) scored well in the high jump for double fourth and again in the long jump for double third (4.91/4.78).

Collins also guested in the high jump, soaring over the bar at 1.55 in his ever go at the event. Remarkably, he would have won had he been scoring.

The 400m brought another fantastic points haul with M50 Jon Tilt also running against younger rivals to finish second (56.2) and M35 B stringer Ciaravella coming first (57.1).

Steve Beak (57.9) won the M50 400m category, while M60 Ed Connolly ran a season’s best 68.9 for second.

M70 Alan Forse posted a personal best 72.8 and Mike Applegate a season’s best 76.5.

M35's Aaron Froukhians (4.32.7) and Jez Curtis (4.39.4) both making their team debuts in the 1500m, placing A third and B second.

Jon Grainger is making a habit of timing his runs to perfection and snatched victory in the M50 1500m with 4.44.5.

Andrew Lewis (4.45.8) and Mark Hayter (4.58.2) also made their club debuts, Jon Hannan separating them in 4.49.2.

M50 Paul Johnson ran well for a lifetime best 5.02.1.

The evening’s final event, the medley relay, saw Ciaravella (200m), Beak (200m), Tilt (400m) and David Blackman (800m) finish runners-up to Winchester in 3.57.5.

Match result: Southampton 154, Basingstoke 140, Havant 107, Portsmouth 103, Winchester 92, Aldershot 80, Overton 61, Fleet 49.