SOUTHAMPTON AC’s Isabel Richardson has won her first Hampshire Cross-Country League race.

The youngster sparkled on a cold and sunny afternoon at Popham Airfield to improve on second place in the last round and climb to the top of the under-13 girls’ podium.

It was a great day for the club with brothers Mo and Zak Mahamed also recording individual wins, and the senior men and under-13 girls taking team honours.

Soft ground underfoot meant perfect conditions for round three of the league on an undulating course south west of Basingstoke.

Southampton’s senior men won their team race ahead of Aldershot, with Matt Revier posting his best ever Hampshire League finish of third, followed by Alex Wall-Clarke in seventh, Chris Hilton 12th, Matt Bennett 15th and Matt Hibberd 16th.

The team now lie second behind Aldershot in the overall league standings.

James Smith took 37th place overall and finished eighth for the Southampton’s vets team, who came fourth on the day and lie fifth overall.

Mo Mahamed won his seventh consecutive Hampshire League race in the under-17 men’s age-group, finishing well clear of his Reading rivals in second and third.

A combination of illness and injury left Mo as Southampton’s only competitor in the age-group, meaning the team drop out of the league standings.

Brother Zak made it a family double by taking the under-15 boys’ honours – his second victory in a row moving him to top spot overall. Patrick Whelan was 22nd and Max Satterly completed the scorers in 26th, leaving the team fifth on the day and third in the league.

In the under-13 boys’ race James Jerram made a rare cross country appearance and finished seventh.

Toby Hale was just behind in eight and, with Ben Williams 15th, Southampton’s team finished in third spot, leaving them fourth in the league standings.

Richardson’s under-13 girls’ triumph made her the first Southampton AC young athlete to win this age-group for five years.

Behind her, the ultra consistent Poppy Wright was fifth and Elizabeth Adamson 14th, giving the team a narrow win on the day and putting them well clear in the overall standings.

Grace Reavey led the under-15 girls’ charge in 26th, while Alana Spiers came sixth in the under-17 women’s race.

Southampton fielded just three senior women – Rachel Ayerst in 17th, Georgina Russell 25th and Nicci Blandford 28th (9th vet).

Many of those who ran will compete for Hampshire this weekend in the South of England Inter-Counties Championships at Horspath, Oxford.

A three-week break follows before the Saucony Hampshire Championships at Fleming Park on January 3.