SEVERN AC's cross-country team overcame a broken down coach en route to Wolverhampton to produce top form and equal their season's best placing in the concluding Birmingham League Cross-Country Division Two match.

Hastily-summoned cars got the runners to the course five minutes before the start.

Fifth on the day, they moved up from eighth to seventh in the final league placings. Last year they were 11th.

A relieved team captain Steve Hale said: "If we had failed to get a team out we would have been automatically relegated to Division Three.

"The lads have run well this winter and didn't deserve that."

Tim Dalton had travelled independently from Loughborough but had to ignore his race preparations to declare the team and get the numbers.

He was with the leaders for two miles of the six-mile icy course but then looked uncomfortable on the frozen surface, dropping back from third to 11th.

Behind him the Severn team ran themselves into the race before improving.

James Rose, 44th at halfway, just edged out Matt Atkins on the run-in.

Ian Smith gained ten places in the last three miles as Mark Keeling capped a fine comeback season with a league best of 60th.

Captain Hale, who missed the start, caught the field after half a mile then passed 150 runners to anchor the team in 85th place.

Birmingham XC League Division Two: 11 Tim Dalton 35.13, 29 James Rose 36.28, 32 Matt Atkins 36.34, 50 Ian Smith (V50) 37.43, 60 Mark Keeling (V45) 38.32, 85 Steve Hale 39.42, 119 Steve Maguire 41.35.

Final League Points: 1 Rugby/Northampton 562, 2 Worcester 658, 3 Wolverhampton 719, 4 Telford 907, 5 Dudley/Stourbridge 1160, 6 Gloucester 1223, 7 Severn 1342, 8 Leamington 1424, 9 Sphinx 1658, 10 Bromsgrove/Redditch 1701, 11 Stratford 1711, 12 Newcastle 1738, 13 Amazing Feet 1748, 14 Centurions 1803, 15 Tamworth 2235, 16 Sparkhill 2255, 17 West Bromwich 2418, 18 Solihull DNF.

British Universities Championship, senior ladies: 78 Rachel Underhill 27.34.

Bristol Shortwood 5K: 119 John James (2nd V60) 23.12.