Zim star so close to record

ZIMBABWE'S Williard Chinhanhu posted the fastest road time in the UK this year with a clear win in yesterday's Healthspan 10k road race. Poole-based Chinh-anhu took it on after a slow first kilometre to finish in 29min. 19sec., just five sec. outside the course best held by Rob Whalley.

Lee Merrien was runner-up in 30-28, finishing just ahead of Kenyan Joseph Kibor in the biggest and classiest field the annual festival opener has seen.

In the women's race Steph Twell, the European junior cross-country champion, destroyed her own course record but had to produce a sprint finish to hold off fellow Aldershot star, Susie Bush.

Twell, who was forced to withdraw from the recent world cross-country championships due to injury, was ecstatic about running so quick in her first race back.

'I was surprised and didn't expect to go so quick. It was only six seconds outside my PB,' said the women's winner and big hope for future stardom.

Twell's 34-04 was exactly a minute-and-a-half quicker than her winning 2006 time, but she had to work hard to stave off Bush, who finished a few strides back. GIAAC's Louise Perrio was the fifth woman over the line.

Up ahead, Chinhanhu had taken the race by the scruff after a conservative start at Port Soif by all the expected protagonists.

'The time that the guy won it with was a phenomenal performance, considering the first kilometre was so slow,' said James Thie, the GB international and sixth-place finisher.

Chinhanhu, who did not know the course record until informed by an observer in the lead car with just two kilometres to go, said that the slow start had convinced him to take it on.

I could have won with a high 28 if I had had someone to push me on. It is a fast course.'

Steve Dawes, the 2006 winner and overall series champion, was eighth in 32-38, despite being well over a minute inside his winning performance of last year, while Alan Rowe led home the veterans, clocking 32-49 to to just beat an off-colour Kassa Tadesse of Ethiopia.

John Nobes struck brilliantly to his task of looking after dangerman Yazalde Santos, and although the home side got nearer and nearer as the shadows lengthened, Ian Drillot had only one save to make all afternoon; a 14th min. scurry to his left to palm around a low 25 yarder from the classy Craig Morton was indeed a better save than it may have looked.

In front of Drillot though the five-man defence earned their share of the bubbly, and on chances created Scottish could have no complaints at the end of the day - they lost to the better side.

In referee Graham Barber we had a man who, unlike last year, knew how to handle such a passionate occasion. Although the average booking count when these two sides meet was comfortably reached, five in all, (three Sylvans and two Scottish), the game was never in danger of boiling over with the precedent the Premiership official set.

The first half saw little in goalmouth action as both sides looked to get a grip of the midfield zone. One or two sparkling bursts through the middle from Grant Chalmers and those slithering breaks down the flank from Paul Nobes tilted the first 45 slightly in Sylvans' favour.

Adam Greig knew all right where the threat was coming from a stamping tackle on Chalmers was duly punished with a caution, his saving grace surely the fact that the ball was somewhere in the vicinity at the time.

A Jimmy Reilly riser from 25 yards grazed Drillot's crossbar in the opening minute of the second half and duly kicked Colin Renouf's side into life.

The passing became much crisper and Scottish struggled to cope with the movement off the ball in and around their last third. And then the moment.

Nobes robbed balding veteran hard man Martin Forbes just outside his own area and a double shimmy took him outside one defender, inside another and a flick of the trusty left peg lifted the ball over the advancing Paul McDermott.

Guernsey football's outstanding performer of the campaign wheeled away and then stood, a shrug of the shoulders, a turn to the crowd and a smile as broad as a Jersey bean before a 'Nobby eclipse' from a sea of red-and-white shirts.

Scottish pressed for an instant reply and Mark Coutanche was sent racing clear again by Paul Nobes with a golden chance to seal it, but McDermott saved with his feet and Jan Renouf struck the follow up just wide.

With Santos being well shackled by the younger Nobes, Pat Brennan's men began to pump long balls into a packed area and Reilly got closer and closer.

Twice in as many minutes Sylvans' hearts were in their mouths as the front man wasted point blank chances. First he nodded a free header into a grateful Drillot's arms from six yards out and then squared to a marked Santos when a good old fashioned hoof from eight yards could have grabbed the Jocks a lifeline.

Nine nervy minutes of stoppage time followed during which substitute Tony Vance was clipped by Forbes when clean through and Martin Gauvain cleared desperately off the line before the tension was finally relieved with a last blast of Mr Barber's whistle.