HOST club Woodbridge Shufflers recorded a sweet double at the annual Woodbridge 10K road race, thanks to the efforts of David Miller and Penny Rooney.Defending champion Miller broke his own course record on his way to victory in 32mins 41secs, while Shufflers club-mate Rooney lifted the ladies' title in 41.

Carl Marston

HOST club Woodbridge Shufflers recorded a sweet double at the annual Woodbridge 10K road race, thanks to the efforts of David Miller and Penny Rooney.

Defending champion Miller broke his own course record on his way to victory in 32mins 41secs, while Shufflers club-mate Rooney lifted the ladies' title in 41.09.

Once again a bumper field lined up for this testing two-lap challenge - the entry limit was reached several weeks ago - and Miller was soon in the driving seat.

The 37-year-old had won seven of the previous eight years, and he duly rattled up his eighth Woodbridge title by slicing four seconds off his own course record (32.45 from 2002).

It also brought him one step nearer to achieving an incredible double century of career wins. He is now just 20 short of attaining that goal, having celebrated his 180th victory at Woodbridge.

More worrying for his opposition, he wasn't even feeling 100% on the day! Miller revealed: “I'm still getting over a chest infection, and if it was any other race, I probably wouldn't have run today.

“But I went out quite hard, and went through the first 5K in 16.00. I'm feeling good at the moment, and I think losing a bit of weight has helped.”

His current run of form was confirmed at his 179th win, at the Nicola 5 on Canvey Island earlier this month, when his time of 25.13 has since been ranked as the second-fastest five-mile title by an over-35 veteran in the UK this year, only eclipsed by Dominic Bannister, of Shaftesbury Barnet.

Another runner in top form is Robert Chenery, of Ipswich JAFFA. He was only just over a minute behind the flying Miller in a time of 33.52, smashing his own personal best.

JAFFA club-mate David Laing was third overall and the leading veteran in 35.01, while at the other end of the age scale teenager Joshua Entwistle took fourth spot in 36.01.

Age group victories were also celebrated by JAFFA's Scott MacSephney (over-40), Sudbury Joggers' Mark Clark (over-45) and unaffiliated athlete Gary Lowe (over-50).

Local runner Steve Levinson (over-55) and the unattached trio of Roger Coombs, Colin Carter and Robert Morton, triumphed in the older sections.

Meanwhile, Penny Rooney won a close ladies' race in which the top three were separated by less than a minute. She was 24 seconds clear of runner-up Janet Brammar (41.33), with Sudbury Joggers' Amanda Henry (41.58) in third.

It was Rooney's first-ever win and it was a double celebration because she also set a personal best time, beating her previous effort set on a flat course at Martlesham.

Rooney said: “It is very exciting to have won my first race, especially in my home town. I know where all the hills are and this helps.

“I was second at half-way behind Amanda Henry but I finished strongly.”

JAFFA's Gail Pryke was the top over-45 veteran and fourth overall in 42.56, while JAFFA club-mates Julie Haselwood (over-55) and Maureen Wright (over-60) also headed their age groups.

Results at the Woodbridge 10K

Top 30 men: 1 D Miller (Woodbridge Shufflers) 32.41; 2 R Chenery (Ipswich JAFFA) 33.52; 3 D Laing (JAFFA) 35.01; 4 J Entwistle (Felixstowe RR) 36.01; 5 L Jones (Unattached, Clopton Emu Breeders) 36.03; 6 W Benton (Sudbury Joggers) 36.05; 7 P Higham (Norfolk Gazelles) 36.17; 8 N Smith (un, Clopton EB) 36.26; 9 P Hudson (Un) 36.38; 10 B Davies (Un, Woodbridge Emu Slayers) 36.41.

11 P Preston (Sudbury Joggers) 36.51; 12 S MacSephney (JAFFA) 37.16; 13 A Skrimshire (Wooodbridge) 37.31; 14 Z Nichols (Winchester & District) 37.33; 15 D Judd (Sudbury) 37.42; 16 R Fawcett (Ipswich Harriers) 37.54; 17 R Peacher (Framlingham Flyers) 37.59; 18 W Campbell (Sudbury) 38.28; 19 B Jones (JAFFA) 38.46; 20 M Bowditch (Ipswich Triathlon Club) 38.56.

21 M Clark (Sudbury) 39.00; 22 M Barkes (Un, 2mine) 39.07; 23 A Dick (JAFFA) 39.35; 24 S Brammar (Un) 39.35; 25 W Hearne (Un, Woodbridge ES) 39.35; 26 J Hardwicke (Un, 2mine) 39.37; 27 D Hutton-Squire (Woodbridge) 39.38; 28 A Garvie (Un, Clopton EB) 39.39; 29 C Batty (Un, Martlesham Leisure) 39.42; 30 J Wilkinson (Un) 39.53.

Top 30 ladies: 1 P Rooney (Woodbridge) 41.09; 2 J Brammar (Un) 41.33; 3 A Henry (Sudbury) 41.58; 4 G Pryke (JAFFA) 42.56; 5 K Roxburgh (Elmbridge RR) 44.02; 6 T Bailey (Un) 44.13; 7 R O'Neill (Un) 44.14; 8 M Gordon (Felixstowe RR) 44.49; 9 S Vick (Saxons) 44.58; 10 K Hamilton (Ips/Harr) 45.33.

11 R Jones (Un) 45.46; 12 H Wood (JAFFA) 46.20; 13 C Burrows (Un) 46.23; 14 A Morton (Woodbridge) 46.32; 15 L Askins (Un) 46.40; 16 F Coe (Un, Martlesham Leisure) 46.42; 17 J Abbott (Framlingham Flyers) 46.47; 18 J Cooke (Un) 47.15; 19 C Wincomb (JAFFA) 47.23; 20 E Wilton (Un, Woodbridge ES) 48.08.

21 C Capstick (Un, Martlesham Leisure) 48.15; 22 A Reynolds (Un) 48.16; 23 L Grave (Woodbridge) 48.26; 24 N Hewitt (Un) 48.34; 25 R Campbell (Un) 48.36; 26 A Canham (Saxons) 48.58; 27 A Mallett (Ipswich Tri) 48.59; 28 E Mortimer (JAFFA) 49.01; 29 S Osbourne (Un, Snape Maltings) 49.01; 40 S Lewis (Un) 49.05.

Male age group categories, juniors (15-19): 1 Entwistle, 2 Davies, 3 Skrimshire. Over-40: 1 Laing, 2 MacSephney (prize-winner), 3 Campbell. Over-45: 1 Clark, 2 Dick, 3 R MacKenzie (Framlingham) 40.48. Over-50: 1 G Lowe (Un) 43.21; 2 J Penny (Un, Woodbridge School) 47.36; 3 M Cooper (JAFFA) 48.31.

Over-55: 1 S Levinson (Un) 41.22; 2 B Kingaby (Waveney Valley AC) 42.30; 3 D Fordham (The Saxons) 45.14. Over-60: 1 R Coombs (Un) 50.20; 2 J Webb (Un) 53.33; 3 B Nelson (Un, Martlesham Leisure) 57.07. Over-65: 1 C Carter (Un) 55.15; 2 R Spinks (JAFFA) 57.33; 3 W Brammar (Un) 59.30. Over-70: 1 R Morton (Un) 62.59; 2 F Uff (Framlingham) 65.16; 3 E Daykin (RRC) 66.51.

Female age group categories, juniors (15-19): 1 Hamilton, 2 Wilton, 3 Canham. Over-40: 1 Bailey, 2 Askins, 3 Abbott. Over-45: 1 Pryke, 2 Cooke, 3 Grave. Over-50: 1 L Witherley (Un) 49.29; 2 K Barlow (Wymondham) 53.23; 3 M Roberts (Woodbridge) 53.41. Over-55: J Haselwood (JAFFA) 52.00; 2 C Muttitt (Bungay Black Dog) 53.46; 3 M Wright (Un, James Paget Hospital) 56.47. Over-60: 1 M Wright (JAFFA) 51.18; 2 P McCann (Un) 56.40; 3 M Marshall (JAFFA) 62.31. Over-65: 1 W Merfield (Saxons) 71.48.

Teams, affiliated: 1 Ipswich JAFFA; 2 Woodbridge Shufflers. Unaffiliated: 1 Clopton Emu Breeders; 2 Woodbridge Emu Slayers.