HAMPSHIRE'S senior women maintained their unbeaten record by winning the team title for the 20th year running at the annual Cross International in Coutances, France.

Athletes from Kenya and the Ukraine filled the top three places, but Basingstoke & Mid Hants' Helena Tobin put in a cracking run to lead Hampshire home in fifth place, followed by Caroline Slimin (11th), Diane Byrne (13th) and Charlotte Haill (20th).

Hampshire's under-17 cadet men also topped the rankings with Alex Wall-Clarke winning the race ahead of Aaron Harris (3rd) and twins Scott and Luke Edgington (5th and 15th).

Wall-Clarke's Team Solent clubmate John Beattie excelled with second place in the junior men's race, while Morgan Davies was 11th.

Hampshire's youngest boys' team, the under-15s, also featured a twin threat with Tom Wade celebrating individual victory and brother, Joe, finishing sixth. Mark Challen separated them in fourth spot, followed by Alex Simmons (7th), Kieran McNally (9th) and James Teuten (38th). Those placings were good enough to bring Hampshire home in first team place.

The family connections continued in the girls' events, which featured three sets of sisters - Jodie and Lucy Bowers, Dominique and Sasha Mucci and Lisa and Sarah Vickery.

In the under-15 event there was a one-two from Hampshire's Rebecca Gough and Charlotte Benning, while the cadet race (under-17s) brought an excellent team victory courtesy of Jodie Bowers (2nd), Donna Meacham (3rd), Dominique Mucci (4th) and Lisa Vickery.

The climax of the day was the junior women's race in which Polly Keen - fresh from representing the South of England in Belgium, where she finished 14th junior woman - spearheaded another fine team victory for Hampshire.

Keen finished second behind the Moroccan winner and was well supported by Lucy Bowers (3rd), Sasha Mucci (4th) and Sarah Vickery (6th).