A BRIEF HISTORY

The league was formed in 1990 after discussions between the Hampshire road running committee and the founders of the Dorset league. One of the founders of the Hampshire League was Roger Dymock, a long-serving Portsmouth Joggers' committee member and former Chairman. He became the league's first administrator. The idea behind the league was to give road-running clubs something to compete for as a team rather than, as in most races, an individual. The league started off with 26 clubs from all around Hampshire and had one men’s and one ladies' division. The teams had 6 races to compete in, with 4 to score for the men and 3 for the ladies. Runners of any ability get to score for teams especially since the introduction of the B divisions.

The first winner of the men's league was Ryde, Havant were 2nd and Portsmouth Joggers, 3rd. The Joggers maintained this position for the next 4 seasons. The B divisions were introduced for the 1993/94 season. PJC won the men’s and Southampton City, the Ladies.

After the first few seasons, interest began to wane and the league was down to just 15 clubs. A shake up was needed to revive interest and keep the clubs running for the whole season. Clubs were giving up once their teams started to drop behind after a few races. In 1999 the divisions were split into 2 and promotion and relegation introduced. Scoring remained as 4 men and 3 ladies but now, if a team is one runner short, for whatever reason, they can still score by taking the points behind the last finisher in the race.  The winning Men's Team for the 2004/5 season were Denmead Striders.

Races have increased to 10 with the Isle of Wight fixture being compulsory. The men can drop their worst 2 race scores and the ladies their worst 3. This means more teams have a chance to compete without feeling there is no point, particularly if they are from a small club. There are now 21 clubs in the league with the possibility of more next season. Mike Gratton's Leisure Pursuit Group are the sponsors of the league. There are first prizes given for individual performance over the season, with runners needing to complete 6 out of the 10 races to be eligible. Phil Guest, of Portsmouth Joggers, and Kathryn Bailey, Havant AC, were the first winners.  In 2004 and 2005, Steve Bishop of Denmead Striders was the individual men's winner.

There is a  chance for league champions of the men’s and ladies' division 1 to go to a national final organised by UK Athletics. The top 3 individual men and ladies will also be eligible. The final will be made up of the winners from 10 counties in the scheme. There will be prize money for the winning mens and ladies teams, also the runners up and the top individual runners.

If you want more information you can contact the Denmead Striders Club Captain - Julia Revill