Like dad like son for the Bishops

HARRY Bishop followed in his father's footsteps by winning the 2011 Five Mile Cross-Country Handicap at Plock Court – 18 years after Nathan Bishop took honours at the Severn AC hosted event.

Bishop, a recent recruit to Rob Cytlau's elite distance group at Severn, was not daunted by finding himself the scratch man with distances to be made up ahead of him by the earlier starters.

He revealed: "Dad was scratch man when he won.

"Rob told me to start steady and to use the others in front as markers to take, one at a time."

Phillip Howells (above) then started and led until the first mile, before Alison Lane began to take over proceedings at the front.

Only at the halfway point did Bishop begin to catch the other runners, and on the final one-and-a-quarter mile lap Lane was still leading Bishop by 200 metres.

However, he then increased his pace to take the lead with half a mile left.

Finishing behind Lane in third place was Stroud veteran Chris Young, with Callum Hall in fourth.

FIVE MILE CROSS-COUNTRY HANDICAP: 1 Harry Bishop (Severn U17) 36.20 (29.20), 2 Alison Lane (Bourton LV50) 37.32 (35.47), 3 Chris Young (Stroud V55) 38.36 (36.06), 4 Callum Hall (Severn U17) 39.02 (34.12); 5 Dave Spackman (Glos V65) 39.18 (34.48), 6 Roger Briers (Stroud V65) 40.37 (38.37), 7 Geoff Trueman (Stroud V60) 40.37 (36.37), 8 Neil Taylor (Severn V40) 41.12 (36.32), 9 Philip Howells (Tewks V60) 42.15 (42.15).

Quedgeley Five Mile road race: 5 Andy Norman (1st V55) 30.42, 8 Dave Lowthian (V40) 32.00, 40 John James (V60) 39.52.

■ The Christmas Morning Three Mile Handicap will be held at 10.30am from the junction of Estcourt Road and Cheltenham Road. Runners must be 14 or over and report by 10am. It will followed by be the 180 metre handicap sprint up Kenilworth Avenue.

■ The Pilot Inn in Quedgeley will be the location for Severn's Christmas Four Mile road race on December 27, starting at 11.30am with registration at 10.30am. Runners must be 14 or over.