LEE MERRIEN is better than Paula Radcliffe. Over 10 miles, anyway.

The Guernseyman ran a fine race to finish 12th overall and second Briton over the line in yesterday’s televised Bupa Great South Run in Portsmouth.

He clocked an island all-time best of 48min. 49sec. to better Radcliffe’s winning time in the women’s race by nearly two-and-a-half minutes.

‘I was really pleased because I wasn’t sure what shape I was in. But to run that sort of time, I’m made up to be honest,’ he said of a run which was 1min. 19sec. quicker than the previous island record of 50-08 held by Dave Kreckeler.

The women set off 15 minutes before the elite men and the first phase of runners in the mass field of 19,500, most of them running for charity and including Merrien’s wife Teresa, who clocked 1hr 44min. 11 weeks after giving birth to their first child.

Radcliffe never looked like losing the chase for the women’s top prize and for a long time seemed set to break the world record for the distance.

But while the race’s big star adopted the most positive of approaches, Merrien chose not to go with the lead group which wasted little time in opening a gap, but the Guernseyman was sensibly settling into the race and the tactics paid off.