READING Athletic Club’s Under 13 boys secured their best result of the season as they finished in third place in the Hampshire Cross Country League fixture at Havant.

The U15s finished a close fourth – despite also missing a number of athletes – and remain in third position on aggregate, and three of Reading’s youngest runners acquitted themselves well in the U11 race.

On a very cold day in Staunton Country Park, with light snow falling for much of the time, all three of Reading’s U13 team ran well in their 3.4km race and recorded their best league positions of the season so far.

On a difficult course of stone and gravel paths, with a steep hill to be negotiated towards the end of each of the two laps, Berkshire champion Reuben Henry-Daire was the first non-Aldershot athlete to finish.

Having let the leaders get away, Henry-Daire put in a real effort on the second hill to move up to fifth place, finishing in a time of 12m 05secs, 25 seconds behind the winner.

Next home for Reading was Laurie Baker – who ran with great persistence recording a time of 13:08 – in 18th, and completing the team was Dominic Parsons who kept going well for his 31st place in 13:51.

Reading’s total of 54 points gave them a well-deserved third place behind Aldershot and Winchester, and they have now moved up to fifth on aggregate.

For the U15s in their 4.4km race, Reading were led home by Joseph Mott, who showed great strength in moving through to fifth place for his best league position so far, recording 15:28.

Ben Rollings had run determinedly with Mott for most of the race, but faded a little on the final hill to finish seventh in 15:40, while Olly Moor, another to finish in his best league position, persevered well for 29th place in 17:49.

Reading’s total of 41 points was equal with that of the Isle of Wight, but they had to concede third place behind Aldershot and Southampton on the finishing position of the final scorer. Nevertheless Reading remain comfortably in third place on aggregate with one fixture to go.

A combination of injuries, illness and unavailability left Reading with just one runner in the U17 6.5km race. However Tom Nike, who has had his own problems with illness and injury, coped well with the difficult course and recorded 24:38 for 19th place.

In the 2.3km U11 race, Adam Tivey finished 20th. He was followed by Elliott McCarthy and Pascal Giret, who both ran with great determination to end in the middle of the field.