TEAM Solent chairman Mike Smith insists even if Southampton Running Club had voted in favour of a merger, it didn't automatically follow that it would have gone ahead.

He stressed: "Where Team Solent's concerned, it hadn't been on the cards for at least two months because of lack of common ground.

"The basic aims of the clubs are quite different. While we cater for a wide scope of athletes all year round, the Running Club have quite a narrow base of road and cross-country for seniors and the two things just weren't compatable."

Unlike SRC, Solent did not put their 350-strong membership to the vote, but Smith explained: "The feeling of our committee was that we're a far wider-embracing club, and to merge on equal terms would not have been practical.

"We cover every possible section of athletics - men, women, boys, girls, track, field, country and road - and we couldn't afford to merge with an organisation like that if it wasn't on our terms.

"There was far more to it than just the name of the club, but it's true that we weren't prepared to accept anything other than 'Team Solent and (with) Southampton Running Club.'

"The amalgamation won't happen, but what I do hope is the two clubs will co-operate with each other and work together as much as possible."