NEWMARKET S Paul Holley won the annual East Cambridgeshire Half Marathon on Sunday. The race saw an intriguing battle between Holley, of Newmarket Joggers, and Cambs and Coleridge s Pietro Liguori, with Holley opening a clear 1min 5sec gap at the finish l

NEWMARKET'S Paul Holley won the annual East Cambridgeshire Half Marathon on Sunday.

The race saw an intriguing battle between Holley, of Newmarket Joggers, and Cambs and Coleridge's Pietro Liguori, with Holley opening a clear 1min 5sec gap at the finish line. His time, 1hr 14min 38sec, was 1min 52sec up on last year's winner Matthew Axton.

Vice-chairman of East Cambridgeshire District Council, Hazel Williams, started the race and 135 runners from across the region completed it.

The race was organised by staff from the Ross Peers Sports Centre and started at Soham Village College on Sunday morning.

The field made its way through Soham, before journeying to Padnal, on to Wicken and back into Soham to finish at the college's Lodeside campus.

Former Soham resident Chris King, who used to work at the Ross Peers Sports Centre, was the first female home in 1hr 35min 8sec.

Arthur Cutter, from Witchford, was the only wheelchair entrant, and he finished in 1hr 4min 25sec.

Newmarket Joggers won the club competition for the second year in a row, with three runners finishing in the top four. Robin Clifford (1.18.30) came third and James Beeton (1.20.31) finished fourth.

Alfredo Verna was the first of 15 Ely Runners to complete the course, recording 1.23.32 and finishing seventh, just ahead of club-mates Adam Etches, with 1.24.55 in ninth spot, and Stephen Pettit, who finished 10th with 1.25.11.

Manager of Ross Peers Sports Centre and race organiser, Carole Brannan, said: "It was a very good day, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we have already had a lot of positive feedback.

"The standard was very high and the times were very good considering the warm conditions. I think only two runners didn't finish, but there were no serious injuries, which is very pleasing because our main aim is to get everyone around safely.