IT was a game of catch-up for Worcester Athletic Club's men in the Midlands 12-stage road relay at Sutton Park, Birmingham.

Due to a mix-up with starting times, the first Worcester athlete missed the start of the race by three minutes 40 seconds, a gap that would prove costly.

Despite this poor start, the team pulled out the stops and started to pull it back on the field, but still finished in 24th place, in a time of 4:29:10.

This was their best placing for some years, considering they were missing a few key members, but the gap at the start cost the team a place in the national finals.

The qualifying position required was 20th, and Worcester's men missed out by two-and-a-half minutes, so making the result more of a disappointment.

The team consisted of P. Richardson, L. Amphlett, W. Miles, S. Sternkopf, C. Smallman, D. Waldron, A. Peach, D. Wilde, S. Coomber, I. Atkins, N. Wonfor and G. Aston.

It was an identical result for the ladies in the six-stage relay, but this was made all the better by the fact that Worcester had two teams in the race, showing an increased interest for the team. They finished 24th in a time of 2:10:33.

The veterans' team finished 21st in their six-stage road relay race in a time of 2:33:06.

With the new track and field season on a month away, the club is looking for new members to help bolster the team.

Anyone interested in competitive or recreational athletics can go to sessions at Nunnery Wood Sports Centre's athletics track on Tuesdays from 6-9pm and Thursdays from 7-9pm, or can visit their website at: www.worcester-ac.co.uk.