All the news from the British Athletics Cross Challenge final and de facto UK cross-country championships at Prestwold Hall on Saturday

On a sunny morning the temperature was no higher than 3C but the snow on most of the course had disappeared and the two senior races went to Mahamed Mahamed and Grace Carson.

The threatened afternoon rain did not appear and neither did some of the favourites including last year’s men’s winner Calum Johnson, which left the North East Counties short of a full complement.

In the team stakes there were big gaps in the senior and under-20 races but the three youngest age groups all produced a nearly full team, as Yorkshire took three team titles.

Senior men

As the sun went behind the clouds and the course was at its most muddy, Mahamed Mahamed confirmed his position at the head of the UK Cross Challenge standings with a comprehensive victory on a course that ran longer than its advertised 10km.

To take more than 37 minutes to cover a 10km course, even if it was a bit muddy in places, showed that the length was something closer to 12km, even taking into consideration the hills.

Mahamed was the class of the race and his younger brother Zak, who was second to Johnson last year, promised to make it a family and Hampshire double until he ran out of steam in the last 400 metres, as Tom Evans and Jack Gray could hardly be split at the tape.

From mid-race onwards there was no doubt who would win and Mahamed Mahamed’s lead stretched out to 18 seconds before the battle for second saw it dwindle to 11 but then extend at the death to nearly half-a-minute.

Earlier, Southern and English National winner James Kingston, Jack Millar and Ben Alcock all seemed to be in with a shout but, on the final lap, it was the three-way battle for the two minor medals that drew the attention.

Ultra man Evans and Midland winner and English National runner-up Gray, pulled out five seconds on Zak Mahamed by the line, where it took the judges to decide that Evans took silver to Gray’s bronze.

The Mahamed brothers took first and second in the UK Challenge and pocketed £2000 and £1,000, respectively.

The winner said: “There were five of us on the first small lap then, by the hill, I felt good so started to open up, so I am happy. Job done.”

Mahamed the elder added: “I am on 100 miles a week but only train once a day as I am studying and work for Garmin. I do four or five sessions, with an 18 or 20 miler on a Sunday and he said he hopes to get inside 28 minutes for 10,000m this year.

The Mahamed brothers’ Hampshire were beaten by Evans’ Leicestershire in the team stakes.

Men: 1 M Mahamed (Hampshire) 37:10; 2 T Evans (Leicestershire & Rutland) 37:39; 3 J Gray (Warwickshire) 37:39; 4 Z Mahamed (Hampshire) 37:44; 5 J Millar (Bristol & West AC) 38:18; 6 B Alcock (Bedfordshire) 38:25; 7 J Kingston (Kent) 38:28; 8 S Moakes (Derbyshire) 38:36; 9 O Bell (Hertfordshire) 38:41; 10 M Pearce (Hertfordshire) 38:41; 11 A McMillan (Yorkshire) 38:43; 12 N Johnston (Northern Ireland) 38:45; 13 D Bebbington (Lancashire) 38:47; 14 M Campion (Nottinghamshire) 38:50; 15 A Howard (Kent) 38:50; 16 L Grattan (Staffordshire) 38:53; 17 M Knowles (Lancashire) 38:56; 18 C McClean (Northern Ireland) 38:58; 19 A Teuten (Hampshire) 39:04; 20 C Jones (Cornwall) 39:08; 21 M Hussein (Leicestershire & Rutland) 39:17; 22 D Hallam (Leicestershire & Rutland) 39:19; 23 R Slade (Buckinghamshire) 39:21; 24 A Watson (Leicestershire & Rutland) 39:26; 25 J Millar (Suffolk) 39:28; 26 C Bell (Yorkshire) 39:29; 27 L Taylor (Lincolnshire) 39:33; 28 C Charleston (Essex) 39:35; 29 J McKenna (North East) 39:36; 30 S Eglen (Surrey) 39:40; 31 C Main (Leicestershire & Rutland) 39:40; 32 B Cole (Kent) 39:45; 33 J Shayler (Oxfordshire) 39:47; 34 H Brodie (Bedfordshire) 39:51; 35 M James Ramsden (Lancashire) 39:59; 36 E Chuck (Surrey) 39:59; 37 L Smith (Norfolk) 40:00; 38 B Rushman (Hertfordshire) 40:01; 39 D Haworth (Derbyshire) 40:02; 40 C McCaughey (Northern Ireland) 40:05; 41 F Slemeck (Surrey) 40:07; 42 L Milburn (Yorkshire) 40:08; 43 T Fawden (Middlesex) 40:10; 44 C McMillan (Avon & Somerset) 40:11; 45 W Brown (Buckinghamshire) 40:13; 46 S Byrne (Wiltshire) 40:14; 47 S Goodchild (Cornwall) 40:15; 48 G Beardmore (Worcestershire) 40:16; 49 J Tuffin (Warwickshire) 40:18; 50 T Butler (Hertfordshire) 40:18; 51 G Crummy (Northern Ireland) 40:20; 52 L Burgess (Sussex) 40:28; 53 W Bryan (Hampshire) 40:31; 54 T Humphries (Cumbria) 40:34; 55 J Eves (Hertfordshire) 40:35; 56 L Pollard (Leicestershire & Rutland) 40:37; 57 A Hampson (Lincolnshire) 40:40; 58 J Hancock (Surrey) 40:42; 59 A Bailes (North East) 40:44; 60 M Collins (Shropshire) 40:46; 61 C McMeechan (Northern Ireland) 40:49; 62 A Miell-Ingram (Oxfordshire) 40:52; 63 J McCrae (Lincolnshire) 40:52; 64 T Wood (North Wales) 40:54; 65 J Douglas (Cumbria) 40:54; 66 B Fish (Lancashire) 40:58; 67 G Jayasuriya (North East) 40:59; 68 G Cunliffe (Lancashire) 41:01; 69 G Phillips (Nottinghamshire) 41:03; 70 J Cann (Sussex) 41:05; 71 S Costley (Hampshire) 41:07; 72 E Smales (Yorkshire) 41:08; 73 T Harrison (Cambridgeshire) 41:12; 74 R Harrison (Lancashire) 41:12; 75 G Chalmers (Yorkshire) 41:15; 76 T Wright (Kent) 41:15; 77 X O’Hare (Greater Manchester) 41:15; 78 O Garrod (Surrey) 41:15; 79 C Dockerill (Kent) 41:16; 80 S Robinson (Lincolnshire) 41:17; 81 A Holliday (Cumbria) 41:18; 82 G Mallett (Surrey) 41:21; 83 G Gurney (Middlesex) 41:22; 84 T Renshaw (Surrey) 41:24; 85 P Hart (Hampshire) 41:25; 86 S Hancox (North East) 41:26; 87 B Davies (Bedfordshire) 41:26; 88 J Bartlett (Yorkshire) 41:27; 89 E Smith-Rasmussen (Lincolnshire) 41:28; 90 J Skelly (Lincolnshire) 41:30; 91 K Barnes (Sussex) 41:31; 92 O Randall (Essex) 41:32; 93 T Power (Yorkshire) 41:32; 94 R Ellis (Devon) 41:36; 95 F Ward (Northamptonshire) 41:36; 96 J Hotham (Essex) 41:38; 97 Z Houghton (Norfolk) 41:39; 98 M Grindrod (Sussex) 41:41; 99 T Wallis (Essex) 41:42; 100 S Jackson (North East) 41:43; 101 M Revier (Hampshire) 41:43; 102 E Banks (Warwickshire) 41:44; 103 T Spencer (Derbyshire) 41:44; 104 B Warren (Bedfordshire) 41:45; 105 J Williams (Warwickshire) 41:48; 106 M Jenkin (Cornwall) 41:50; 107 G Hatton (Lincolnshire) 41:53; 108 S Millett (Norfolk) 41:55; 109 D Husbands (Shropshire) 41:58; 110 C Pacey (Lincolnshire) 41:58; 111 O Chadwick (Merseyside) 41:58; 112 A McGrady (Cheshire) 41:59; 113 H Lupton (Leicestershire & Rutland) 42:00; 114 J Batterick (Cumbria) 42:01; 115 Z Bridgeland (Essex) 42:03; 116 L Foley (Lancashire) 42:04; 117 F Lydon (Leicestershire & Rutland) 42:07; 118 J Rowe (Cornwall) 42:07; 119 O Pritchard (Sussex) 42:08; 120 S Brown (Kent) 42:10; 121 A Sutton (Berkshire) 42:10; 122 C Jones (Herefordshire) 42:10; 123 J Bell (North East) 42:13; 124 O James (Dorset) 42:14; 125 D Poynting (Wiltshire) 42:15; 126 J Stolberg (Warwickshire) 42:17; 127 J Stewart (Essex) 42:18; 128 O Harradence (Warwickshire) 42:20; 129 T Foster (East Wales) 42:22; 130 T Hartley (Greater Manchester) 42:24; 131 M Robinson (Oxfordshire) 42:26; 132 O Matharu (Nottinghamshire) 42:29; 133 R Wilson (Lincolnshire) 42:34; 134 R Price (Oxfordshire) 42:38; 135 J Hudak (Greater Manchester) 42:41; 136 A Fautly (Hampshire) 42:42; 137 J Minter (Bedfordshire) 42:43; 138 C Coulson (North East) 42:46; 139 A Davidson (Buckinghamshire) 42:46; 140 M Marshall (Oxfordshire) 42:47; 141 J Humphries (Cheshire) 42:49; 142 D Brewis (Warwickshire) 42:51; 143 M Hedley (North East) 42:52; 144 O Newton (Middlesex) 42:52; 145 J McKibbin (Devon) 42:53; 146 D Lawrence (Oxfordshire) 42:54; 147 N Williams (Cheshire) 42:56; 148 E Mallett (Surrey) 42:56; 149 C Gibbens (Kent) 42:58; 150 S Allen (Leicestershire & Rutland) 42:59; 151 H Read (Oxfordshire) 43:00; 152 D Franks (Yorkshire) 43:02; 153 C Halsey (Sussex) 43:03; 154 J Thomas (Staffordshire) 43:03; 155 W Ewens (Wiltshire) 43:04; 156 R Doorly (Oxfordshire) 43:06; 157 M Eccles (Norfolk) 43:07; 158 C Choules (Devon) 43:08; 159 M Dicks (Buckinghamshire) 43:10; 160 J Ocal (Norfolk) 43:11; 161 M Caddell (Buckinghamshire) 43:11; 162 E Diamond (Derbyshire) 43:12; 163 D Carpenter (Middlesex) 43:13; 164 M Snowdon (Suffolk) 43:13; 165 D Giles (Wiltshire) 43:14; 166 R Hanley (Cornwall) 43:14; 167 B Davis (Essex) 43:15; 168 A Headley (Bedfordshire) 43:16; 169 R Haw (Derbyshire) 43:18; 170 F Dyer (Buckinghamshire) 43:20; 171 J Wragg (Derbyshire) 43:21; 172 B Lines (Wiltshire) 43:23; 173 A Millbery (Worcestershire) 43:25; 174 A Banfield (Norfolk) 43:26; 175 J Dry (Cornwall) 43:26; 176 T Harris (Bedfordshire) 43:26; 177 S Wiggins (Hertfordshire) 43:26; 178 M Green (Berkshire) 43:29; 179 O Paulin (Oxfordshire) 43:30; 180 D Hayes (Merseyside) 43:30; 181 N Bunting (Cambridgeshire) 43:31; 182 I McAdam (Wiltshire) 43:32; 183 M Hill (Greater Manchester) 43:37; 184 A Bradford (Greater Manchester) 43:39; 185 W Ryle-Hodges (Middlesex) 43:41; 186 S Spencer (Humberside) 43:41; 187 E Taylor (Herefordshire) 43:45; 188 R Green (Gloucestershire) 43:50; 189 D Bishop (Derbyshire) 43:51; 190 C Chessell (Wiltshire) 43:51; 191 S Wilkinson (Sussex) 43:52; 192 L Minale (Middlesex) 43:53; 193 C Emmerson (Bedfordshire) 43:53; 194 M Grantham (East Wales) 43:54; 195 E Mitchell (Cornwall) 43:55; 196 L Lambeth (Staffordshire) 43:55; 197 N Lapham (Devon) 43:58; 198 J Cutlan (Cornwall) 44:01; 199 D Awde (Avon & Somerset) 44:01; 200 J Buckley (Cheshire) 44:02

TEAM: 1 Leic & Rutland 158; 2 Hampshire 233; 3 Lancashire 273; 4 Yorkshire 315; 5 Surrey 325; 6 Kent 328; 7 Herts 339; 8 Lincolnshire 400; 9 NE 465; 10 Warwick 513; 11 Bedford 537; 12 Essex 557; 13 Sussex 583; 14 Cornwall 631; 15 Oxford 646; 16 Derby 652; 17 Bucks 697; 18 Norfolk 733; 19 Cumbria 748; 20 Middx 810; 21 Wiltshire 848; 22 G Manchester 930; 23 Staffs 996; 24 Devon 1037; 25 Cheshire 1067; 26 Suffolk 1082; 27 Shropshire 1166; 28 Cambridge 1175; 29 Mersey 1178; 30 Berkshire 1367

Under-20 men

The junior men’s race was first away in sunshine on a busy day and Luke Birdseye took the title. For much of the race over two laps it looked like George Couttie would take the title.

The first to show was Solomon Okrafo-Smart but Couttie soon went ahead and was already 20-metres clear going down the steep dip through the trees. He was still clear at the half-distance, then lost the lead to the Windsor man before, as Birdseye said: “He got me again on the hill.”

This advantage was not to last as the 18-year-old regained the lead and came away for a narrow victory.

He said: “You have to come with a mindset to win but I knew it would be tough as there was so much mud in the race, but I am very pleased with the season.”

Fifth here last year, Birdseye won the Milton Keynes leg of the challenge and was third in the Euro Trials to guarantee a trip to the Euro Cross in Italy.

He slipped to third in the Southern back in January but went to Australia for the World Cross where he finished 28th, but his win here gave him the UK Cross Challenge overall win.

Despite first and fourth places, Birdseye’s Berkshire were comfortably headed by Kent in the four-to-score team race.

Runner-up Couttie improved greatly from his 16th at Liverpool and the North of England Championships though he was a more competitive sixth at the English National.

Ethan Primett, the South of England runner-up, took bronze.

U20 men: 1 L Birdseye (Berkshire) 28:25; 2 G Couttie (Yorkshire) 28:28; 3 E Primett (Hertfordshire) 28:44; 4 S Hodgson (Berkshire) 28:46; 5 B Brown (Hampshire) 28:50; 6 L Small (Kent) 29:01; 7 S Okrafo-Smart (Nottinghamshire) 29:07; 8 C Harper (Scotland West) 29:08; 9 L Beagley (Scotland East) 29:08; 10 J Blevins (North East) 29:17; 11 J Small (Kent) 29:34; 12 M Ruby (Dorset) 29:36; 13 J O’Connell (Surrey) 29:40; 14 J Keir (Kent) 29:46; 15 J Vaughan (Worcestershire) 29:48; 16 C Hudson (Middlesex) 29:50; 17 F Roden (Yorkshire) 29:51; 18 J Richardson (Cheshire) 29:53; 19 M Dubery (Kent) 29:56; 20 R Andrews (Norfolk) 29:57; 21 S Bennet (Scotland East) 29:58; 22 E Brady-Jones (Merseyside) 30:00; 23 W Sutcliffe (Cheshire) 30:02; 24 A Hudson (Surrey) 30:04; 25 T Chandler (Surrey) 30:06; 26 L Davis (Warwickshire) 30:06; 27 W Strickley (Merseyside) 30:14; 28 S Gilson (Derbyshire) 30:14; 29 J Harrison (Cornwall) 30:16; 30 B Harrison (Cornwall) 30:29; 31 H Yelling (Sussex) 30:30; 32 C O’Neill (Hertfordshire) 30:32; 33 J Wilson (Cheshire) 30:37; 34 J Tilley (North East) 30:42; 35 E Hobbs (Yorkshire) 30:46; 36 D Stanley Holman (Lancashire) 30:49; 37 A Sproston (Sussex) 30:49; 38 J McKenny (North East) 30:49; 39 S Smyth (Greater Manchester) 30:50; 40 A Wright (Scotland East) 30:50; 41 L Buttrick (Nottinghamshire) 30:51; 42 T Archer (Middlesex) 30:55; 43 S Lea (Worcestershire) 30:56; 44 M Walton (North East) 31:03; 45 W Curry (Lancashire) 31:04; 46 J Atwal (Berkshire) 31:07; 47 B White (Hampshire) 31:08; 48 T Stubbins (Warwickshire) 31:11; 49 C Parker (Berkshire) 31:12; 50 A Hughes (North East) 31:14; 51 W Parker (Greater Manchester) 31:15; 52 B Squire (Nottinghamshire) 31:18; 53 S Greenstein (Middlesex) 31:27; 54 T Le Cheminant (Hampshire) 31:34; 55 Z Clemens (Cornwall) 31:38; 56 J Reeve (Yorkshire) 31:40; 57 T Woodward (Essex) 31:42; 58 D Hughes (North East) 31:43; 59 J Palmer (Buckinghamshire) 31:43; 60 O Mills (Cambridgeshire) 31:47; 61 S Christie (North East) 31:48; 62 J Hopley (Lancashire) 31:49; 63 J Downey (Scotland West) 31:50; 64 J Rathod (Leicestershire & Rutland) 31:52; 65 J Hayward (Suffolk) 31:53; 66 A Pester (Warwickshire) 31:55; 67 S Hollins (Cheshire) 31:56; 68 W Longden (Derbyshire) 31:59; 69 J Gunning (Wiltshire) 31:59; 70 L Richardson (Worcestershire) 31:59; 71 A Flaherty (Yorkshire) 32:00; 72 B Chambers (Sussex) 32:03; 73 J Kandola (Norfolk) 32:03; 74 P Welsh (Derbyshire) 32:07; 75 W Annable (Derbyshire) 32:10; 76 J Calvino-Palomares (Middlesex) 32:11; 77 J Fisher (Middlesex) 32:15; 78 S Yates (Warwickshire) 32:20; 79 J Winship (Surrey) 32:23; 80 L Randall (Essex) 32:24; 81 W Campbell (Hampshire) 32:25; 82 J Reindel (Cambridgeshire) 32:26; 83 J Garratt (Suffolk) 32:32; 84 L Finch (Leicestershire & Rutland) 32:33; 85 S Waite (Essex) 32:39; 86 M Sunderland (Surrey) 32:39; 87 B Nour (Hertfordshire) 32:43; 88 M Holmes (Oxfordshire) 32:44; 89 M Jacobs (Oxfordshire) 32:46; 90 L Stone (Surrey) 32:48; 91 H Harvey (Hampshire) 32:48; 92 T Jones (Merseyside) 32:51; 93 K Chilvers (Cambridgeshire) 32:53; 94 M Brown (Kent) 32:55; 95 A Seed (North East) 32:56; 96 D Tomaselli (Cambridgeshire) 32:58; 97 J Martin (Sussex) 33:08; 98 E Cairns (Bedfordshire) 33:10; 99 N Campbell (Warwickshire) 33:13; 100 H Jonas (Norfolk) 33:13

 TEAM: 1 Kent 50; 2 Berkshire 100; 3 Yorkshire 130; 4 NE 126; 5 Cheshire 141; 6 Surrey 41; 7 Hants 187; 8 Middx 187; 9 Warwick 718; 10 Sussex 237; 11 Worcester 245; 12 Derbys 245; 13 Lancs 246; 14 Mersey 264; 15 Norfolk 294; 16 Essex 324; 17 Cambs 331; 18 G Manch 352; 19 Suffolk 438; 20 Bucks 441

Under-17 men

Craig Shennan gave Scotland its second victory of the afternoon but Sam Plummer pressed hard and was just a few ticks down at the line.

The Giffnock North runner was second in the Milton-Keynes leg of this winter’s Cross Challenge behind fellow Scot Connor Bell, who was back in sixth here.

After being the silver medallist in the under-15 Inter-Counties race last year, Shennan took the Scottish Schools title earlier in March, after a third spot in the Scottish National and expressed surprise at his win here.

“Before the Scottish National I got an injury and only wanted to get into the top ten, as I am first year, here.”

He added of this race: “I got dropped and was 10-metres behind, but then you sprint all you can for the lead and I got to the front at the top of the last hill.”

Behind Plummer, English National champion Henry Dover was a well beaten third but his and Plummer’s Essex narrowly beat the two Scottish district quartets to team gold.

Plummer is also a first year under-17 and had finished third in last years under-15 race.

U17 men: 1 C Shennan (Scotland West) 20:19; 2 S Plummer (Essex) 20:22; 3 H Dover (Essex) 20:37; 4 J Stevens (Kent) 20:39; 5 B Robert Pye (North East) 20:41; 6 C Bell (Scotland East) 20:46; 7 A Adams (Warwickshire) 20:47; 8 M Waterworth (Sussex) 20:51; 9 D Stoneman (Avon & Somerset) 20:52; 10 H Maxwell (Wiltshire) 20:53; 11 L McCay (Merseyside) 20:54; 12 W De Vere Owen (North East) 20:55; 13 I Thomas (West Wales) 20:55; 14 A Burgess (Warwickshire) 20:58; 15 Q Miell-Ingram (Oxfordshire) 20:59; 16 H McKay (Scotland East) 21:00; 17 J Rees Gara (Lancashire) 21:09; 18 N Paterson (Kent) 21:11; 19 R Marshall (Scotland East) 21:13; 20 W Rabjohns (Dorset) 21:16; 21 S Boy Hughes (Yorkshire) 21:17; 22 D Van Aardt (Leicestershire & Rutland) 21:18; 23 A Poulston (Merseyside) 21:19; 24 J Hughes (Yorkshire) 21:22; 25 O MacDonald (Scotland West) 21:23; 26 T Redmond (Buckinghamshire) 21:23; 27 F Hart (Swindon Harriers) 21:24; 28 C Norman (Surrey) 21:24; 29 T Claridge (Kent) 21:26; 30 A Nugent (Scotland West) 21:27; 31 J Connor (Scotland West) 21:29; 32 A Ballard (Essex) 21:31; 33 J Ormrod (Lancashire) 21:36; 34 I Morgan (Cambridgeshire) 21:40; 35 W Atkins (Hampshire) 21:41; 36 M Knak (Scotland West) 21:41; 37 B Simpson-Alexander (Yorkshire) 21:44; 38 A McWilliam (Scotland East) 21:44; 39 O Graham-Pereira (Essex) 21:45; 40 S Stapley (Surrey) 21:45; 41 A Darood (Yorkshire) 21:46; 42 H Smith (Norfolk) 21:47; 43 G Thomas (Berkshire) 21:48; 44 A Wallace (Scotland East) 21:48; 45 L Roche (North East) 21:49; 46 C Chilton (Surrey) 21:51; 47 S Bentham (Yorkshire) 21:52; 48 J Pearce (Surrey) 21:54; 49 H Evans (East Wales) 21:54; 50 J Dixon (North East) 21:56; 51 W Walker (Lancashire) 21:57; 52 L Gambling (Suffolk) 21:58; 53 H Totton (Buckinghamshire) 21:59; 54 F Rattray (Essex) 21:59; 55 B Andrews-Callec (Hampshire) 22:02; 56 A McDonald (Hertfordshire) 22:04; 57 T Bowman (Lancashire) 22:07; 58 F Bruce (West Wales) 22:07; 59 S Barber (Yorkshire) 22:08; 60 R Brown (Scotland East) 22:09; 61 H Fraser (Kent) 22:10; 62 C Chong (Giffnock North AAC) 22:10; 63 B Peck (Suffolk) 22:12; 64 A Smart (Hampshire) 22:13; 65 I Bowen (West Wales) 22:13; 66 E Willis (Surrey) 22:14; 67 J Grange (Essex) 22:14; 68 A Bishop (Surrey) 22:15; 69 O Smith (Hampshire) 22:16; 70 M Fisher (Suffolk) 22:16; 71 J Wallace (Scotland West) 22:17; 72 E Supple (Bedfordshire) 22:18; 73 R Snelson (Northamptonshire) 22:18; 74 B Marr (North East) 22:19; 75 T Cropley (Hertfordshire) 22:20; 76 B Sproats (North East) 22:20; 77 C Jones (Hampshire) 22:20; 78 H Parker-McLain (Cheshire) 22:23; 79 T Gilliver (Derbyshire) 22:23; 80 T Ash (Lincolnshire) 22:25; 81 A Riley (Sussex) 22:26; 82 A Lydon (Cambridgeshire) 22:28; 83 I Mohamed Achchi (Buckinghamshire) 22:29; 84 H Richardson (Dorset) 22:29; 85 W Pridden (Worcestershire) 22:31; 86 L Miles Starr (Northamptonshire) 22:31; 87 G Hopkins (Kent) 22:34; 88 L Buchallet (Cambridgeshire) 22:34; 89 T Adler (Surrey) 22:34; 90 A Starvis (Kent) 22:35; 91 A Finch (Hertfordshire) 22:37; 92 S Tilley (Suffolk) 22:38; 93 M Gilvear (Devon) 22:39; 94 J Maxwell (Wiltshire) 22:39; 95 T Taylor (Suffolk) 22:40; 96 M Cattini (Middlesex) 22:40; 97 R Gayer (Middlesex) 22:41; 98 T Webb (Surrey) 22:41; 99 N Thomas (Berkshire) 22:42; 100 A Marshall (Hertfordshire) 22:43

TEAM: 1 Essex 76; 2 Scotland E 79; 3 Scotland W 87; 4 Kent 112; 5 NE 112; 6 Yorks 123; 7 Lancs 158; 8 Surrey 162; 9 Hants 223; 10 Mersey 252; 11 W Wales 255; 12 Warwick 264; 13 Suffolk 277; 14 Sussex 314; 15 Bucks 316; 16 Hetrts 322; 17 Cambs 328; 18 Oxon 404; 19 Dorset 420; 20 Berks 421

Under-15 boys

North of England champion and English National runner-up George Wilson has been putting Cleethorpes and Lincolnshire on the map this winter and here, in the absence of Bolesworth Castle winner Owen Ulfig, wound up with a narrow victory over English National bronze medallist Matthew Drummond-Clark.

This time the margin doubled from one second to two and it was a close race for much of the distance.

Wilson said: “The race did not break up for at least the first mile, then me and Matt started to break away and it has been close between us for most of the season. It was on the downhill that I went away.”

Drummond-Clark never conceded but remained well clear of third-placed Tristan Robin, whose Scotland West took team gold.

U15 boys: 1 G Wilson (Lincolnshire) 14:10; 2 M Drummond Clark (Lancashire) 14:13; 3 T Robin (Scotland West) 14:18; 4 O Calvert (North East) 14:20; 5 J Marwood (Cheshire) 14:27; 6 E Grime (Greater Manchester) 14:29; 7 J Alexander (Scotland West) 14:32; 8 A Lennon (Surrey) 14:33; 9 J Sanderson (Yorkshire) 14:37; 10 L Culliton (Scotland East) 14:40; 11 N Scott-Donkin (Cambridgeshire) 14:40; 12 C Dick (Scotland West) 14:41; 13 J Nugent (Nottinghamshire) 14:44; 14 A Wilkinson (Scotland West) 14:44; 15 A Pearson (Hampshire) 14:46; 16 T Webb (Avon & Somerset) 14:47; 17 O Cresswell (Worcestershire) 14:47; 18 J Pepin (Hampshire) 14:51; 19 O Buck (Kent) 14:52; 20 R Price (Hampshire) 14:57; 21 W Birchall (Devon) 14:58; 22 A Peaker (Yorkshire) 15:00; 23 L Gorrill (Sussex) 15:02; 24 T Hooper (Yorkshire) 15:02; 25 J Wotherspoon (Scotland East) 15:03; 26 J Scanes (Kent) 15:03; 27 S Hembry (Worcestershire) 15:03; 28 A Hughes (Buckinghamshire) 15:04; 29 R Taylor (Scotland East) 15:05; 30 D Martin (Gloucestershire) 15:06; 31 O Kewley (Merseyside) 15:08; 32 H Allison (Scotland East) 15:09; 33 S Wilson (Gloucestershire) 15:10; 34 O Chirnside (Scotland East) 15:12; 35 O Davis (Staffordshire) 15:14; 36 R Gambling (Suffolk) 15:15; 37 F Rowe (Essex) 15:16; 38 O Gill (Lancashire) 15:16; 39 I Stabler (Yorkshire) 15:17; 40 G Wagstaff (Worcestershire) 15:17; 41 D Asmelash (North East) 15:18; 42 T Jones (Essex) 15:18; 43 S Aspey (Lancashire) 15:18; 44 M Jenkins (North Wales) 15:19; 45 W McNally (Cumbria) 15:20; 46 P Aron (Greater Manchester) 15:21; 47 A Fraser (Greater Manchester) 15:22; 48 K Hardie (Scotland East) 15:23; 49 O Tomlinson (North East) 15:24; 50 J McAllen (Suffolk) 15:25; 51 I Froley (South Wales) 15:26; 52 M Clark (Norfolk) 15:27; 53 M Falle (Devon) 15:27; 54 J Hill (Kent) 15:27; 55 J Starvis (Kent) 15:31; 56 M Hibbins (Surrey) 15:31; 57 M Bacon (Yorkshire) 15:32; 58 J Hutchinson (Greater Manchester) 15:33; 59 N Gallagher-Thompson (Yorkshire) 15:33; 60 T Loughlin (Wiltshire) 15:34; 61 S Collins (Nottinghamshire) 15:35; 62 W Smith (Surrey) 15:38; 63 M Parsley (Norfolk) 15:39; 64 A Khursheed (Sussex) 15:40; 65 E Manning (Surrey) 15:40; 66 O Scott (Kent) 15:40; 67 W Vose (Merseyside) 15:41; 68 W Potts (Oxfordshire) 15:42; 69 J Work (Scotland West) 15:42; 70 F Dobson Emmas (Greater Manchester) 15:42; 71 C Collins (Dorset) 15:43; 72 L Johnson (Merseyside) 15:43; 73 F Kelly (Suffolk) 15:45; 74 W Harries (West Wales) 15:45; 75 F Baker (Devon) 15:46; 76 E Sone (Surrey) 15:47; 77 W Percival (Norfolk) 15:47; 78 T Morris (Lincolnshire) 15:47; 79 D Watson (North East) 15:47; 80 T Roberts (Oxfordshire) 15:48; 81 S Blackwell (Suffolk) 15:49; 82 J Orchard (Northamptonshire) 15:49; 83 E Holden (Nottinghamshire) 15:49; 84 M Taylor (Merseyside) 15:50; 85 L Thomas (Scotland North) 15:50; 86 M Rose-Brown (Norfolk) 15:50; 87 E Sayers (Middlesex) 15:51; 88 T Glew (Devon) 15:51; 89 C Oliveira (Devon) 15:51; 90 A Bentham (Shropshire) 15:51; 91 J Titmas (Berkshire) 15:51; 92 G Tough (South Wales) 15:52; 93 H Wright (Essex) 15:52; 94 E Wilkinson (Yorkshire) 15:52; 95 F Blythe (Sussex) 15:53; 96 B Robinson (Lancashire) 15:53; 97 H Stokes (Greater Manchester) 15:53; 98 D Jopling (Humberside) 15:54; 99 R Baines (Hampshire) 15:54; 100 C Prendergast (Kent) 15:55

TEAM: 1 Scotland W 36; 2 Yorks 94; 3 Scotland E 96; 4 Hants 152; 5 Kent 154; 6 G Manch 157; 7 NE 173; 8 Lancs 179; 9 Surrey 191; 10 Worcs 228; 11 Devon 237; 12 Suffolk 240; 13Mersey 354; 14 Norfolk 278; 15 Essex 278; 16 Sussex 305; 17 Cheshire 346; 18 Notts 366; 19 Gloucs 406; 20 Warwick 435

Under-13 boys

Tom Thake is unbeaten in his age group since the middle of last year and has Yorkshire, Northern and English National titles to his name in 2023.

However, he said: “I got quite a slow start, then went to the front down the hill and onto the back field.”

This was enough of an effort to secure the title as Caspian Holmes showed a big improvement from his ninth in the Southern and eighth in the English National to claim second but was 50-metres down at the line.

Midlands and English National runner-up Noah Homer added to his medal collection with a bronze.

Hertfordshire won the team event.

U13 boys: 1 T Thake (Yorkshire) 11:53; 2 C Holmes (Surrey) 12:04; 3 N Homer (Warwickshire) 12:10; 4 G Watkins (Essex) 12:11; 5 G Gilbert (Sussex) 12:14; 6 A White (Greater Manchester) 12:17; 7 W Delamere (Merseyside) 12:19; 8 R Laing (Victoria Park City of Glasgow AC) 12:20; 9 C Still (Merseyside) 12:33; 10 T Ford (Hertfordshire) 12:34; 11 E Withnall (Derbyshire) 12:35; 12 O McDonald (Hertfordshire) 12:36; 13 O Blake (Derbyshire) 12:36; 14 L Hemmings (Lincolnshire) 12:38; 15 F Gibson (Kent) 12:39; 16 N Williamson (North East) 12:40; 17 L Howard MacHado (South Wales) 12:41; 18 D Orbell (Surrey) 12:43; 19 G Ayers (Hertfordshire) 12:46; 20 L Fairey (Derbyshire) 12:50; 21 G Marsh (Yorkshire) 12:52; 22 W Neil (Shropshire) 12:52; 23 F Winship (Norfolk) 12:52; 24 H Pearson (Cambridgeshire) 12:53; 25 J Parrott (Essex) 12:53; 26 T Murphy (Hertfordshire) 12:53; 27 S Smith (Devon) 12:53; 28 M Phelan (Merseyside) 12:54; 29 A Lessard (Middlesex) 12:54; 30 S Ball (Staffordshire) 12:55; 31 H Potton (Essex) 12:55; 32 S Williams (Devon) 12:55; 33 S Noori (Hampshire) 12:56; 34 D Lewis (Middlesex) 12:56; 35 H Cantell (Cambridgeshire) 12:57; 36 F laskey (Giffnock North AAC) 12:57; 37 J Ireland (Cheshire) 12:59; 38 A Evans (North Wales) 13:00; 39 F Lumber-Fry (Sussex) 13:01; 40 R Steel (North East) 13:02; 41 T Wood (Cheshire) 13:02; 42 M Bunn (Buckinghamshire) 13:02; 43 J Clements-Nash (Surrey) 13:03; 44 M O’Connor (Sussex) 13:03; 45 C Quantrill (Buckinghamshire) 13:03; 46 T Whorton (Surrey) 13:05; 47 L Boyce (Derbyshire) 13:06; 48 J Stafford-Bell (Hampshire) 13:07; 49 M Bramhald (Suffolk) 13:07; 50 A Whitton (Surrey) 13:08; 51 G Odonnell (Cheshire) 13:08; 52 J Peters (Cornwall) 13:09; 53 L Davies (North Wales) 13:09; 54 L Howard (Shropshire) 13:10; 55 T Spurr (Gloucestershire) 13:10; 56 W Hovell (Warwickshire) 13:10; 57 S Weeks (Berkshire) 13:11; 58 J Sturman (North East) 13:12; 59 J Messer (Sussex) 13:12; 60 L Oliver (Hertfordshire) 13:12; 61 H Stedeford (Cornwall) 13:13; 62 B Lucas (Berkshire) 13:13; 63 L Furby (Hampshire) 13:13; 64 J Longworth (Warwickshire) 13:13; 65 B Hughes (Yorkshire) 13:14; 66 A Steer (Middlesex) 13:15; 67 B Birkett (Merseyside) 13:16; 68 I Gibson-Dunt (Hertfordshire) 13:16; 69 L De Giovanni (Sussex) 13:17; 70 O Knipe (Hampshire) 13:18; 71 S Nixon-Gagg (Oxfordshire) 13:18; 72 F Sharpe (Leicestershire & Rutland) 13:19; 73 J Bowyer (Surrey) 13:19; 74 C Warren (Kent) 13:20; 75 C Grocott (Hampshire) 13:20; 76 E Scobie (Giffnock North AAC) 13:20; 77 T Clerkin (Surrey) 13:22; 78 W Reddish (Nottinghamshire) 13:22; 79 M Watts (East Wales) 13:22; 80 D Horgan (Kent) 13:23; 81 T Thom-Watts (Sussex) 13:24; 82 J Jenkins (West Wales) 13:25; 83 J Carroll (Kent) 13:25; 84 M Muddle (Leicestershire & Rutland) 13:27; 85 L Battrum (Essex) 13:28; 86 O Emmerson (South Wales) 13:29; 87 W Pease (Lancashire) 13:29; 88 J Hearn (Essex) 13:29; 89 A Burniston (Hampshire) 13:30; 90 R Austin (Dorset) 13:30; 91 R Dasoar (Essex) 13:31; 92 R Davey (Cambridgeshire) 13:31; 93 E Eadie (Dorset) 13:32; 94 J Pennell (Gloucestershire) 13:32; 95 B Tomlinson (Cheshire) 13:33; 96 H Stennett (Lancashire) 13:33; 97 H Harding (Middlesex) 13:33; 98 D Leigh (Buckinghamshire) 13:33; 99 A Williamson (Warwickshire) 13:33; 100 O McClemens (Nottinghamshire) 13:34

TEAM: 1 Herts 67; 2 Derby 91; 3 Surrey 109; 4 Mersey 112; 5 Essex 145; 6 Sussex 147; 7 Hants 214; 8 NE 218; 9 Warwick 222; 10 Cheshire 224; 11 Middx 225; 12 Yorks 225; 13 Kent 252; 14Cambs 263; 15 Bucks 296; 16 Devon 309; 17 N Wales 312; 18 Berks 367; 19 Norfolk 383; 20 Cornwall 451

Senior women

With the top three from last year’s race not toeing the line, it was Grace Carson, who had been sixth in the UK Euro Cross Trial at Liverpool and then a fine fifth in under-23 championships in Italy back in December, who was a likely winner.

However she was pushed hard by Gemma Steel, the European cross-country champion back in 2014. The Charnwood runner was also the winner of this event 13 years earlier but her ambition to regain the Inter-Counties title here was thwarted after a fall. h

Steel said: “She (Carson) clipped my spike and I fell at mile two.”

With the confidence of a solid winter of victories behind her, Steel was soon up and back in contact with the leaders. The 37-year-old then looked to be in with a shout of victory, before slipping back behind Julie Emmerson, whom she had beaten to the Midland title in January.

By half-distance Carson had opened up a 14 second lead as Steel fell back and said: “On the second lap I tried to work up the hill. It was a great course and I liked the hills and the mud.”

The gap to the lead then closed as Steel moved back to second but the victory went to Carson by 14 seconds. The 23-year-old’s win was the first for Northern Ireland for 25 years and she added: “I felt good and you keep pressing for as long as you can, but you can’t take anything for granted, but it was easier on the hill.”

Going into this final race of the Cross Challenge in third spot, Carson’s double points took her to the top of the standings and £2,000 the richer.

Surrey led by South of England champion Georgie Bruinvels in ninth won the team title.

Women: 1 G Carson (Northern Ireland) 31:37; 2 G Steel (Leicestershire & Rutland) 31:51; 3 J Emmerson (Warwickshire) 31:55; 4 P Williams (Yorkshire) 32:07; 5 S Adkin (Cumbria) 32:14; 6 S Tarver (Merseyside) 32:23; 7 I Lee (Hampshire) 32:37; 8 A Gummow (Hertfordshire) 32:42; 9 G Bruinvels (Surrey) 32:54; 10 S Green (Scotland East) 32:58; 11 H Viner (Middlesex) 33:03; 12 R Wiseman (Essex) 33:10; 13 K Olding (Middlesex) 33:18; 14 K Estlea (Hampshire) 33:19; 15 N Scott (Surrey) 33:22; 16 N Brown (Surrey) 33:23; 17 B Murray (Cumbria) 33:26; 18 M Davis (Cornwall) 33:31; 19 S Wallis (Lincolnshire) 33:31; 20 J Potter (Nottinghamshire) 33:34; 21 N Bartlet (Leicestershire & Rutland) 33:40; 22 D Corradi (Surrey) 33:41; 23 C Penfold (North East) 33:46; 24 V Hopkins (Sussex) 33:49; 25 Y Lock (Middlesex) 33:55; 26 S Monk (Surrey) 33:57; 27 H Seager (Leicestershire & Rutland) 34:02; 28 I Wood (Cornwall) 34:06; 29 B Penty (Yorkshire) 34:09; 30 R Harrison (Lincolnshire) 34:10; 31 N Collier (Lincolnshire) 34:12; 32 F Richards (Nottinghamshire) 34:17; 33 S Green (Leicestershire & Rutland) 34:24; 34 A Kelly (Oxfordshire) 34:27; 35 S Lavery (Northern Ireland) 34:29; 36 M Jordan-Lee (Suffolk) 34:37; 37 A Garner (Hampshire) 34:44; 38 M Jordan-Lee (Suffolk) 34:45; 39 E Joanna McLeod (Yorkshire) 34:51; 40 E Renondeau (Cheshire) 34:53; 41 C MacDonald (North East) 34:54; 42 A Pearse (Yorkshire) 34:55; 43 A Wills (Hampshire) 35:02; 44 R Woodhams (Cumbria) 35:05; 45 H Fisher (Suffolk) 35:06; 46 E Smith (Leicestershire & Rutland) 35:06; 47 S Pyke (Merseyside) 35:06; 48 K Hughes (Cornwall) 35:06; 49 C Bishop (Essex) 35:09; 50 E Byram (Yorkshire) 35:10; 51 R Ezra Ham (Cornwall) 35:20; 52 C Slack (Yorkshire) 35:24; 53 J Vine (Hertfordshire) 35:26; 54 D Sherwin (Cheshire) 35:28; 55 O Desborough (Middlesex) 35:30; 56 S Ainley (Middlesex) 35:33; 57 C Parsons (Cheshire) 35:35; 58 C O’Connor (Northern Ireland) 35:36; 59 C Parker (Oxfordshire) 35:39; 60 L Dickens (Oxfordshire) 35:41; 61 R Gallop (Nottinghamshire) 35:45; 62 R Lord (Hampshire) 35:45; 63 R Weston (Oxfordshire) 35:46; 64 L Gent (Surrey) 35:49; 65 K Oakley (Scotland West) 35:58; 66 H Cox (Middlesex) 35:59; 67 A Fuller (North East) 36:01; 68 A Philps (Dorset) 36:01; 69 A Seager (Leicestershire & Rutland) 36:02; 70 A Carter (Kent) 36:05; 71 H Cowley (Cheshire) 36:07; 72 N Harris (Berkshire) 36:11; 73 F Spruit (Avon & Somerset) 36:13; 74 M Blake (Warwickshire) 36:13; 75 P Jackman (Lincolnshire) 36:14; 76 F German (Devon) 36:15; 77 N Lenane (Surrey) 36:16; 78 B Reid (Lancashire) 36:17; 79 R Frake (Oxfordshire) 36:18; 80 E Jolley (Hampshire) 36:18; 81 H Angell (Hertfordshire) 36:20; 82 M Squibb (Kent) 36:21; 83 M Peel (Lincolnshire) 36:24; 84 A Van Dijk (Derbyshire) 36:25; 85 R Luxton (Essex) 36:25; 86 M Taylor (Yorkshire) 36:27; 87 L Tolson (Berkshire) 36:28; 88 R Nicholls (Staffordshire) 36:30; 89 L Marlow (Berkshire) 36:32; 90 J Penn (North East) 36:34; 91 N Edmunds (Devon) 36:38; 92 H Greenwood (Cambridgeshire) 36:41; 93 E Baines (Yorkshire) 36:42; 94 S Peach (Norfolk) 36:42; 95 F Sharpley (Cheshire) 36:44; 96 H Pettersson (Suffolk) 36:49; 97 T Rogers (North Wales) 36:51; 98 H Gill (Derbyshire) 36:52; 99 O Bailey (Warwickshire) 36:53; 100 A Jackson (Leicestershire & Rutland) 36:57; 101 N Donnelly (Merseyside) 36:57; 102 K Casterton (Middlesex) 36:59; 103 S Murphy (Cheshire) 37:00; 104 S Whittaker (Greater Manchester) 37:02; 105 R Broome (Essex) 37:05; 106 K Stevenson (North East) 37:06; 107 R Hillman (Sussex) 37:06; 108 N Moynihan (Lancashire) 37:16; 109 A Cox-Rushbridge (Sussex) 37:16; 110 D Knotkova-Hanley (Sussex) 37:17; 111 V Bradbury (Warwickshire) 37:17; 112 A Kellard (Cumbria) 37:17; 113 M Pace (North East) 37:20; 114 S Hoskin (Cornwall) 37:24; 115 C Dover (Humberside) 37:26; 116 P Oliver (Warwickshire) 37:29; 117 J Fox (North East) 37:31; 118 K Lord (Cumbria) 37:33; 119 B Holt (Lancashire) 37:34; 120 A Smith (North Wales) 37:38; 121 A Taylor (Herefordshire) 37:39; 122 Z Hadfield (Warwickshire) 37:39; 123 E Patton (Derbyshire) 37:40; 124 K Barnett (Northamptonshire) 37:40; 125 R See (Gloucestershire) 37:40; 126 R Stobart (Cornwall) 37:41; 127 J Robinson (Lancashire) 37:42; 128 E Strathdee (Oxfordshire) 37:44; 129 H Knight (Gloucestershire) 37:45; 130 I Matthews (Sussex) 37:46; 131 F Vickers (Staffordshire) 37:47; 132 K Grimoldby (North East) 37:49; 133 C Powell (East Wales) 37:50; 134 H Kealy (Hertfordshire) 37:50; 135 N Tarrega (Yorkshire) 37:51; 136 I Elliott (Merseyside) 37:52; 137 H Wooley (Kent) 37:56; 138 K Murrell (Norfolk) 37:59; 139 G Ingles (Hertfordshire) 38:02; 140 B Watterson (Lancashire) 38:03; 141 C Olford (Hampshire) 38:05; 142 S Gordon (Sussex) 38:05; 143 S Horner (Leicestershire & Rutland) 38:05; 144 H Blair (Devon) 38:06; 145 R Jackson (Cheshire) 38:06; 146 H Matharu (Nottinghamshire) 38:09; 147 N Kuiper (South Wales) 38:11; 148 C Leek (East Wales) 38:13; 149 A Gandee (Nottinghamshire) 38:15; 150 S Hurst (Warwickshire) 38:16; 151 A Saker (Worcestershire) 38:17; 152 R Twardochleb (Staffordshire) 38:17; 153 C Andrew (Cheshire) 38:19; 154 M Williams (Essex) 38:20; 155 E Hardie (North East) 38:23; 156 M Vernon (Staffordshire) 38:24; 157 S Ryan (Merseyside) 38:26; 158 S Lake (Devon) 38:27; 159 H Bolton (Essex) 38:28; 160 J Louise French (Sussex) 38:28; 161 G Knapp (Gloucestershire) 38:30; 162 L Bradshaw (Gloucestershire) 38:32; 163 K Hinshelwood (East Wales) 38:33; 164 G Parnell (East Wales) 38:36; 165 T Woods (Devon) 38:37; 166 K Simister (Hampshire) 38:40; 167 A Heather-Hayes (Suffolk) 38:40; 168 S Duffy (Cambridgeshire) 38:43; 169 L Foley (Lancashire) 38:44; 170 K Alhadeff (Gloucestershire) 38:44; 171 S Duncan (Avon & Somerset) 38:45; 172 E Fowler (Warwickshire) 38:46; 173 L Higgins (Worcestershire) 38:46; 174 B Thornton (Greater Manchester) 38:47; 175 A Mellor (Derbyshire) 38:53; 176 L Blazey (Suffolk) 38:53; 177 M Ferguson (Oxfordshire) 38:53; 178 I Klavina (Cambridgeshire) 38:55; 179 K Spring (Essex) 38:55; 180 I Rayner (Berkshire) 38:56; 181 L Lelievre (Herefordshire) 38:59; 182 E Young (Cambridgeshire) 39:02; 183 C Cooney (Lincolnshire) 39:03; 184 K Telford (Gloucestershire) 39:04; 185 K Jones (East Wales) 39:09; 186 C Foley-Wray (Norfolk) 39:11; 187 D Thomas (Staffordshire) 39:12; 188 F Molossi-Murphy (Northamptonshire) 39:13; 189 A Stocks (Northern Ireland) 39:14; 190 K Trehane (Norfolk) 39:15; 191 C Jeffery (Suffolk) 39:17; 192 J Cappleman (Humberside) 39:18; 193 V Hughes (Staffordshire) 39:21; 194 E Etheredge (Hampshire) 39:30; 195 H Langham (Merseyside) 39:32; 196 R Theobald (Merseyside) 39:32; 197 N Shipp (Shropshire) 39:33; 198 H Knight (Lincolnshire) 39:35; 199 Z Morrall (Cornwall) 39:36; 200 K Spenser (Warwickshire) 39:36

TEAM: 1 Surrey 152; 2 Leics & Rut 198; 3 Yorks 216; 4 Middx 226; 5 Hants 243; 6 Cornwall 385; 7 Cheshire 420; 8 Lincs 421; 9 Oxon 423; 10 NE 440; 11 Warwick 525; 12 Suffolk 558; 13 Essex 564; 14 Sussex 622; 15 Notts 632; 16 Mersey 642; 17 Lancs 742; 18 Devon 839; 19 Berks 857; 20 Staffs 907; 21 Derby 930; 22 Gloucs 930; 23 E Wales 1022; 24 Cambs 1045; 25 G Manch 1146; 26 Northants 1240; 27 Worcs 1270; 28 Humber 1302; 29 Salop 1360

Under-20 women

Megan Harris led the UK cross standings coming into this final race of the series and duly completed the job with a victory over Hannah Ryding, with Eve Whitaker a distant third but the latter had the consolation of leading  Yorkshire to a team win.

Harris said of her race: “I took it easy on the first lap when there had been seven of us together, then I felt really good on the back hill half-way through and went away.”

Third in the Milton Keynes leg of the UK Cross Challenge the 18-year-old was 23rd in the Euro Cross championships and seemed to benefit from her trip to the World cross in Bathurst, where she was well down on Ryding. That trip came after a lowly 15th in the BUCS two weeks earlier but her run here ensured that the Inter-County title and overall Cross Challenge were hers.

U20 women: 1 M Harris (Essex) 23:09; 2 H Ryding (Scotland West) 23:17; 3 E Whitaker (Yorkshire) 23:41; 4 H Reynolds (Norfolk) 23:46; 5 O Martin (Oxfordshire) 23:54; 6 P Roessler (Surrey) 23:58; 7 E Platt (Greater Manchester) 24:06; 8 E Greenway (Humberside) 24:12; 9 S Duval (Staffordshire) 24:21; 10 A Baines (Berkshire) 24:24; 11 C Marshall (Warwickshire) 24:32; 12 E Inch (Yorkshire) 24:37; 13 A Finnis (Wiltshire) 24:39; 14 E Gibbins (Yorkshire) 24:43; 15 A Wallace (Wiltshire) 25:03; 16 A Jones (Yorkshire) 25:03; 17 H Weedall (Cheshire) 25:08; 18 H Waugh (North East) 25:09; 19 M Barker (Essex) 25:12; 20 E Muzio (Sussex) 25:15; 21 S McGrath (Hertfordshire) 25:16; 22 J Elvin (Essex) 25:18; 23 E Jones (Derbyshire) 25:19; 24 K Maher (Lancashire) 25:19; 25 F O’Hare (Merseyside) 25:22; 26 Z Hunter (Yorkshire) 25:23; 27 G Goode (South Wales) 25:29; 28 H Clark (Kent) 25:30; 29 I Richardson (Yorkshire) 25:36; 30 L Armitage (Greater Manchester) 25:37; 31 O Gregory (Cheshire) 25:38; 32 C Thornley (Gloucestershire) 25:46; 33 C Muzio (Sussex) 25:49; 34 A Stratton (Lancashire) 25:55; 35 K Hewitt (Surrey) 25:56; 36 T Spinney (Gloucestershire) 25:59; 37 M Breese (North East) 26:00; 38 A Whitaker (Yorkshire) 26:07; 39 N Mason (Greater Manchester) 26:09; 40 S Latham (Middlesex) 26:09; 41 K Webb (Surrey) 26:12; 42 R Giffen (Scotland West) 26:12; 43 J Palmer (Middlesex) 26:15; 44 L Tse (Hertfordshire) 26:18; 45 A Cox (Sussex) 26:20; 46 J Sails (North East) 26:21; 47 I Chesterton (Bedfordshire) 26:24; 48 T Graham (North East) 26:26; 49 E Yelling (Sussex) 26:31; 50 S Huxtable (Lancashire) 26:37; 51 E Webb (Kent) 26:43; 52 K Brady-Jones (Merseyside) 26:44; 53 I Cunningham (Lancashire) 26:54; 54 M Dave (Berkshire) 26:55; 55 A Goddard (Suffolk) 26:59; 56 K Francis (North East) 27:15; 57 L Shi (Sussex) 27:17; 58 A Young (Kent) 27:23; 59 M Boon (North East) 27:36; 60 L Milling (Merseyside) 27:37; 61 H Clayton (Cambridgeshire) 27:39; 62 E White (North East) 27:44; 63 A Rose Chrispin (Nottinghamshire) 27:45; 64 R Hodges (Hertfordshire) 27:49; 65 A Marshall (Cumbria) 27:50; 66 E Ayden (Kent) 27:51; 67 L North (Hampshire) 27:55; 68 M Knightley (Kent) 27:57; 69 A Corke (Derbyshire) 27:58; 70 G Ceccherini (Surrey) 28:01; 71 E Hill (Greater Manchester) 28:03; 72 L Hoseasons (Surrey) 28:06; 73 R Pearlman (Middlesex) 28:12; 74 M Preece (Shropshire) 28:12; 75 K Manek (Berkshire) 28:12; 76 A Goodhand (Kent) 28:14; 77 J Bemand (Cheshire) 28:17; 78 E Richardson (Lancashire) 28:18; 79 A Smith (Greater Manchester) 28:20; 80 L Henson (Middlesex) 28:24; 81 T Powe (Devon) 28:25; 82 S Toyn (Derbyshire) 28:27; 83 K Oldfield (Sussex) 28:28; 84 C Hemmings (Lincolnshire) 28:34; 85 A Rule (Northamptonshire) 28:35; 86 A Palmer (Kent) 28:36; 87 E Theobald (Merseyside) 28:37; 88 E Ranger (Worcestershire) 28:40; 89 I Bunnag (Suffolk) 28:51; 90 E Turnbull (Cheshire) 28:53; 91 A Walters (Northamptonshire) 28:58; 92 N Smith (Hampshire) 28:58; 93 M Hope (Hampshire) 28:59; 94 L Hall (Berkshire) 28:59; 95 E Baines (North Wales) 29:11; 96 P Elton (Worcestershire) 29:18; 97 I Sutton (Suffolk) 29:28; 98 J Wymer (North Wales) 29:33; 99 Z White (Merseyside) 29:36; 100 R Morley (Suffolk) 29:38

TEAM: 1 Yorks 45; 2 Sussex 147; 3 G Manch 147; 4 NE 149; 5 Surrey 152; 6 Essex 158; 7 Lancs 161; 8 Kent 203; 9 Cheshire 215; 10 Mersey 224; 11 Berks 233; 12 Middx 236; 13 Derby 292; 14 Gloucs 297; 15 Suffolk 341; 16 Hants 364; 17 Worcs 409

Under-17 women

With winner here Innes FitzGerald, who was fourth in the European under-20 championships, and second placed Zoe Gilbody, who ran in the World Cross under-20 championships, in the race, this was the class event of the day. However, it resulted in a near walk-over for FitzGerald who opened out the biggest victory margin of the day with fully 66 seconds over Gilbody.

In turn, Rebecca Flaherty, 23rd in Bathurst ahead of Gilbody’s 33rd, was a clear third but helped Yorkshire to another team gold.

FitzGerald, making her Inter Counties debut, also took this Cross Challenge series after the leader going in to this final, Sophie Nicholls, was down in seventh at the line.

Although she had no need to check the progress of her rivals, FitzGerald said: “I could see behind and was hoping for a good run here but the hill was hard.”

Just as in the senior men’s race, there was comment about the supposed 5km distance. “We did the 5.5km lap,” said the 16-year-old.

U17 women: 1 I FitzGerald (Devon) 19:24; 2 Z Gilbody (Shropshire) 20:30; 3 R Flaherty (Yorkshire) 20:51; 4 L Russell (Middlesex) 21:05; 5 S Jacobs (Bedfordshire) 21:13; 6 E Nicholson (Kent) 21:15; 7 S Nicholls (Avon & Somerset) 21:22; 8 H Haldane (Berkshire) 21:24; 9 A Lane (Yorkshire) 21:24; 10 G Bell (Cumbria) 21:28; 11 C Dillon (North East) 21:30; 12 S Livingstone (Devon) 21:41; 13 L Jones (Cambridgeshire) 21:43; 14 J Leggate (Cambridgeshire) 21:46; 15 B Bown (North Wales) 21:50; 16 A Reid (Essex) 21:51; 17 M Hughes (Buckinghamshire) 21:54; 18 I Frost (Hertfordshire) 22:01; 19 E Dougall (Scotland West) 22:05; 20 M Shorey (Devon) 22:06; 21 F Murdoch (Greater Manchester) 22:09; 22 E Davey (Berkshire) 22:09; 23 S Roiditis (Greater Manchester) 22:10; 24 C Firth (Kent) 22:14; 25 M Freeland (Buckinghamshire) 22:14; 26 E Bartlett (Berkshire) 22:15; 27 L Harris (Yorkshire) 22:19; 28 R Gasson (Sussex) 22:25; 29 S Clough (Greater Manchester) 22:26; 30 A Smethurst (Greater Manchester) 22:27; 31 C Rawstron (Yorkshire) 22:29; 32 A Svihalkova (Middlesex) 22:30; 33 M Pearce (Buckinghamshire) 22:33; 34 I Wrightam (Leicestershire & Rutland) 22:33; 35 E Wells (Dorset) 22:34; 36 T Ford (Humberside) 22:35; 37 O Shepherd (Scotland East) 22:35; 38 J Inglis (Scotland West) 22:35; 39 J Robertson (Berkshire) 22:36; 40 A Royden (Kent) 22:40; 41 A Clough (Greater Manchester) 22:48; 42 R Walsh (Scotland West) 22:49; 43 M Trueman (Derbyshire) 22:50; 44 F Griffiths (Greater Manchester) 22:51; 45 E Symes (Warwickshire) 22:54; 46 D Wilkinson (Hampshire) 22:55; 47 S Barrett (Norfolk) 22:57; 48 A Kemp (Surrey) 22:58; 49 S Smith (Cumbria) 22:59; 50 G Phelan (Merseyside) 23:01; 51 L Brown (Surrey) 23:01; 52 C MacPhie (Scotland East) 23:01; 53 B Rogers (Yorkshire) 23:05; 54 L McLaren (Staffordshire) 23:05; 55 L Mico (Worcestershire) 23:05; 56 I Nicole Bungay (North East) 23:05; 57 L Barlow (Middlesex) 23:06; 58 A Reed (Cambridgeshire) 23:06; 59 G Milnes (Hertfordshire) 23:07; 60 I Gray (Wiltshire) 23:07; 61 H Reid (Cornwall) 23:09; 62 H Coy (Yorkshire) 23:10; 63 S Honkowicz (Staffordshire) 23:10; 64 L Danobrega (Bedfordshire) 23:11; 65 K Flockhart (Berkshire) 23:11; 66 P Old (North East) 23:17; 67 C Jones (South Wales) 23:20; 68 I Johnstone (North East) 23:21; 69 I Mansley (Cambridgeshire) 23:21; 70 D Yelling (Sussex) 23:22; 71 H Watson (Essex) 23:26; 72 E Hudson (Surrey) 23:27; 73 D Murphy (Cheshire) 23:28; 74 L Milliner (Devon) 23:29; 75 C Phillips (Humberside) 23:30; 76 I Paterson (Scotland East) 23:30; 77 L Whyte (Kent) 23:31; 78 M Caldwell (Greater Manchester) 23:33; 79 L Bickerton (Avon & Somerset) 23:33; 80 R Vinton (Suffolk) 23:34; 81 E Shield (Buckinghamshire) 23:37; 82 K Wilkinson (Dorset) 23:37; 83 E Johnson (Derbyshire) 23:38; 84 S McNulty (Scotland West) 23:39; 85 C West (Sussex) 23:41; 86 C Horne (Scotland East) 23:41; 87 L Hatfield (Worcestershire) 23:42; 88 M Slattery (Kent) 23:42; 89 L Bryan (Leicestershire & Rutland) 23:43; 90 S Rylance (Cumbria) 23:43; 91 J Robertson-Dover (Humberside) 23:43; 92 E Fellows (North East) 23:44; 93 A Bushell (Surrey) 23:44; 94 R Le Fay (Sussex) 23:45; 95 O Walker (Cambridgeshire) 23:46; 96 R Mooney (Cornwall) 23:47; 97 G Mason (Hertfordshire) 23:48; 98 L Crossley (Kent) 23:49; 99 Z Darkin (Lancashire) 23:51; 100 F Baxter (Buckinghamshire) 23:51

TEAM: 1 Yorks 70; 2 Berks 94; 3 G Manch 104; 4 Devon 107; 5 Kent 147; 6 Cambs 154; 7 Bucks 156; 8 Scotland W 183; 9 Middx 196; 10 NE 210; 11 Scotland E 251; 12 Surrey 264; 13 Sussex 277; 14 Herts 295; 15 Essex 332; 16 Cumbria 332; 17 Leics & Rut 364; 18 Staffs 383; 19 Warwick 406; 20 Avon & Som 413

Under-15 girls

Zara Redmond ensured that it was three titles that went north of the border, despite a loss in the Scottish championships to the missing here Lois McRae. The challenge here came predictably from Sefton Park winner and then English National champion Shaikira King.

Only sixth in that Sefton Park leg of this challenge series, Redmond said she came here “hoping for a place in the top ten, as I was beaten by just a second in the Scottish.”

She added: “Here were ten of us then four, then the two of us were side by side.” There was just a tick of the watch in it at the line.

For her part King said: “I kind of slipped into a bend as it was tight and, as I was fourth last year, I definitely wanted to get a medal.”

Midlands runner-up Bethany Trow, only 14th at Bolesworth, took the bronze.

Yorkshire dominated the team event.

U15 girls: 1 Z Redmond (Scotland West) 16:09; 2 S King (Leicestershire & Rutland) 16:10; 3 B Trow (Shropshire) 16:21; 4 O Forrest (Essex) 16:22; 5 E Heavey (Cheshire) 16:35; 6 I McGowan (Oxfordshire) 16:44; 7 O Steer (Devon) 16:47; 8 G Turner (Yorkshire) 16:47; 9 F Campbell (Scotland West) 16:49; 10 R Brook (Gloucestershire) 16:52; 11 H Cross (Merseyside) 16:54; 12 E Spencer (Wiltshire) 16:54; 13 S Wood (Wiltshire) 16:56; 14 E Ford (Hertfordshire) 16:58; 15 G Igoe (Yorkshire) 16:58; 16 C Hughes (Cambridgeshire) 16:59; 17 E Whitworth (Lincolnshire) 16:59; 18 I Moore (Suffolk) 17:00; 19 I Wharton (Cheshire) 17:02; 20 N Robinson (Yorkshire) 17:02; 21 S Massie (Surrey) 17:03; 22 M Hoshiko (Merseyside) 17:06; 23 K Webb (Buckinghamshire) 17:07; 24 F Pearce (Sussex) 17:08; 25 M Thomson (Gloucestershire) 17:09; 26 M Jobbins (Surrey) 17:10; 27 O Carroll (Surrey) 17:11; 28 L Wilkinson (Buckinghamshire) 17:11; 29 A Stewart (Scotland North) 17:12; 30 L Hale (West Wales) 17:12; 31 E Smart (Hampshire) 17:13; 32 J Taylor (Scotland East) 17:17; 33 R James (Middlesex) 17:17; 34 I Crossley (Kent) 17:18; 35 I Cherrett (Dorset) 17:19; 36 P Quinn (Devon) 17:19; 37 H Sterry (Hampshire) 17:19; 38 I Wilson (Yorkshire) 17:20; 39 M Taylor (Nottinghamshire) 17:21; 40 A James (Sussex) 17:22; 41 L MacDonald (Middlesex) 17:23; 42 I Hall (Hampshire) 17:23; 43 N Nyabadza (Scotland East) 17:23; 44 B Hughes (Merseyside) 17:24; 45 E Sinclair (Cheshire) 17:25; 46 A Kirk (Middlesex) 17:25; 47 J Wright (Greater Manchester) 17:26; 48 S Wilson (Scotland West) 17:26; 49 Z Jones (North East) 17:27; 50 P Henson (Yorkshire) 17:27; 51 S Chapman (Buckinghamshire) 17:29; 52 M Carvell (Merseyside) 17:29; 53 K Woods (Scotland West) 17:32; 54 M Barlow (Kent) 17:33; 55 L Bell (Cumbria) 17:34; 56 I Edwards (Hampshire) 17:34; 57 I Porter (Lincolnshire) 17:34; 58 E Foster (Wiltshire) 17:37; 59 K Shaw (Cambridgeshire) 17:38; 60 C McMinn (Scotland West) 17:39; 61 V Rudkin (Leicestershire & Rutland) 17:40; 62 T Thursfield (Staffordshire) 17:41; 63 F Collins (Worcestershire) 17:42; 64 E Foster (Devon) 17:43; 65 M Pierce (West Wales) 17:43; 66 P Worthy (Hampshire) 17:45; 67 D Skye Connor (Sussex) 17:45; 68 M Smithers (Sussex) 17:46; 69 E Baker (Kent) 17:47; 70 A Williams (West Wales) 17:48; 71 I Taylor (Kent) 17:48; 72 R Dickety (Norfolk) 17:49; 73 E Dallas (Scotland East) 17:49; 74 A Cox (Sussex) 17:49; 75 G Featherstone (Cambridgeshire) 17:49; 76 A Richardson (Scotland East) 17:51; 77 E Stephenson (Sussex) 17:52; 78 R Crossley (Kent) 17:53; 79 L Farr (Bedfordshire) 17:54; 80 C Lunt (Staffordshire) 17:55; 81 M Frew (Scotland West) 17:57; 82 M Reeves (Kent) 17:58; 83 M Bailey (Cumbria) 17:59; 84 S Hutchinson Thompson (Greater Manchester) 17:59; 85 F Salmon (Oxfordshire) 18:01; 86 R Philbin (Greater Manchester) 18:02; 87 A Jones (Lancashire) 18:05; 88 S Bartalotta (Greater Manchester) 18:06; 89 A Van Zyl (Middlesex) 18:06; 90 G Griffiths (Staffordshire) 18:08; 91 D Woodcock (Cumbria) 18:08; 92 P Evans (Dorset) 18:09; 93 G Carter (North East) 18:09; 94 A Farley (Berkshire) 18:10; 95 S Yates (Lancashire) 18:11; 96 L Webb (Buckinghamshire) 18:13; 97 J Walsh (Sussex) 18:13; 98 C Jones (Hampshire) 18:14; 99 K Battle (Yorkshire) 18:14; 100 E Fay (Merseyside) 18:14

TEAM: 1 Yorks 81; 2 Scotland W 111; 3 Mersey 129; 4 Hants 166; 5 Cheshire 172; 6 Surrey 175; 7 Bucks 198; 8 Sussex 199; 9 Wilts 205; 10 Middx 209; 11 Scotland E 224; 12 Kent 228; 13 Devon 228; 14 W Wales 271; 15 G Manch 305; 16 Leics & Rut 308; 17 Gloucs 314; 18 Cambs 333; 19 Cumbria 339; 20 Essex 359

Under-13 girls

Kara Gorman has been one of the class athletes of this group this past winter. Solid wins in the Chiltern League, which included the Milton Keynes leg of this challenge were followed, earlier in 2023, by third spots in both the Southern and English Nationals. She said: “I got away at the end of the downhill but then everyone else started getting tired.”

This left the Chiltern Harrier, running here for Buckinghamshire, clear and then home for an eventual win by ten seconds from Isabella Buchanan, the Southern champion and Kitty Scott, the English National and Southern runner-up, in the minor places but Scott led Surrey to team medals over Essex.

Bolesworth winner Jorjia March finished fifth.

U13 girls: 1 K Gorman (Buckinghamshire) 12:51; 2 I Buchanan (Sussex) 13:01; 3 K Scott (Surrey) 13:02; 4 C Wright (Team East Lothian) 13:14; 5 J March (Middlesex) 13:15; 6 S Smith (Essex) 13:15; 7 O Murphy (North East) 13:20; 8 Z Allan (Berkshire) 13:23; 9 M Davis (Oxfordshire) 13:28; 10 B Boyce (South Wales) 13:29; 11 P Kershaw (Lancashire) 13:29; 12 O McManus (Greater Manchester) 13:33; 13 I Pastor (Merseyside) 13:33; 14 A King (Essex) 13:36; 15 C Oakley (Hampshire) 13:36; 16 T Ferguson (Berkshire) 13:37; 17 S Richmond (Kent) 13:37; 18 P Langlands (Leicestershire & Rutland) 13:38; 19 I Harrison (Surrey) 13:39; 20 A McDonagh (Kent) 13:39; 21 B Soper (Greater Manchester) 13:39; 22 J Christmas (Cambridgeshire) 13:39; 23 P Boyle (Cumbria) 13:39; 24 N Graham (North East) 13:42; 25 L Graham (Merseyside) 13:46; 26 S Maxwell (Wiltshire) 13:47; 27 K Graham (North East) 13:48; 28 I Forrest (Essex) 13:48; 29 E Birchall (Devon) 13:49; 30 C Stuart (Shropshire) 13:50; 31 M Don (Leicestershire & Rutland) 13:50; 32 M Robertson (Surrey) 13:51; 33 A Klidjian (Hampshire) 13:51; 34 B Buckley (Yorkshire) 13:52; 35 K McBride (Surrey) 13:52; 36 E Kelly (Essex) 13:54; 37 A Chappell (Kent) 13:54; 38 A Towlson (Leicestershire & Rutland) 13:55; 39 O Avery (Gloucestershire) 13:55; 40 M Mullett (Nottinghamshire) 13:56; 41 E Dias (Berkshire) 13:56; 42 K Harrison Sargent (Yorkshire) 13:57; 43 I Bennetts (Northamptonshire) 13:59; 44 B Webb (Sussex) 14:02; 45 K Hoppe (Hampshire) 14:03; 46 H Martineau (Avon & Somerset) 14:04; 47 I Kaur (Surrey) 14:05; 48 F Mitchell M (Suffolk) 14:06; 49 L Power (Leicestershire & Rutland) 14:07; 50 J Smykala (Hampshire) 14:08; 51 S Chesterfield (Nottinghamshire) 14:09; 52 G Tongue (Hertfordshire) 14:09; 53 I Goodman (Lancashire) 14:10; 54 C Rendell (Gloucestershire) 14:10; 55 R Adams (Suffolk) 14:11; 56 M Davis (Buckinghamshire) 14:11; 57 H Watson (North Wales) 14:11; 58 K Leitch (Lancashire) 14:12; 59 K Alexandra Pye (North East) 14:12; 60 M McGuirk (Merseyside) 14:12; 61 G Baker (Avon & Somerset) 14:13; 62 E Ponkratieva (Middlesex) 14:13; 63 E McGinley (Hertfordshire) 14:14; 64 L Rose Dundas (Staffordshire) 14:15; 65 N Phillipson (North East) 14:16; 66 E Avery (Gloucestershire) 14:17; 67 O Thomas (Worcestershire) 14:18; 68 F Wheeler (Leicestershire & Rutland) 14:18; 69 I Murray (Kent) 14:19; 70 C Campbell (Oxfordshire) 14:19; 71 S Muscott (Devon) 14:21; 72 P Hutchings (Kent) 14:22; 73 F Lilly (Lincolnshire) 14:26; 74 I Wheeler (Sussex) 14:26; 75 K Otterson (North East) 14:26; 76 E Lole (Essex) 14:27; 77 Z Bratt (Staffordshire) 14:27; 78 A Keefe (Yorkshire) 14:27; 79 L Cox (Devon) 14:28; 80 H Harrison (Essex) 14:28; 81 P Guest (Surrey) 14:28; 82 C Wetters (Greater Manchester) 14:28; 83 N Hopkins (Yorkshire) 14:29; 84 L Bull (Gloucestershire) 14:29; 85 K Evans (West Wales) 14:30; 86 R Cormacain (Middlesex) 14:31; 87 E Jacobs (Wiltshire) 14:31; 88 E Thomson (Gloucestershire) 14:32; 89 A Taylor (Lancashire) 14:32; 90 A Thomas (Berkshire) 14:33; 91 T Bosley (Buckinghamshire) 14:34; 92 L Heather (Norfolk) 14:35; 93 F Mills (Surrey) 14:35; 94 I Crawford (Sussex) 14:36; 95 L Simpson (Avon & Somerset) 14:36; 96 C Whysall (Nottinghamshire) 14:36; 97 E Lennard (Sussex) 14:36; 98 M Buckingham (Shropshire) 14:38; 99 L Rhodes (East Wales) 14:39; 100 F Philipps (Essex) 14:40

TEAM: 1 Essex 84; 2 Surrey 89; 3 NE 1167; 4 Leics & R 136; 5 Kent 143; 6 Hants 143; 7 Berks 155; 8 Mersey 208; 9 Lancs 211; 10 Sussex 214; 11 G Manch 220; 12 Yorks 237; 13 Gloucs 243; 14 Bucks 249; 15 Devon 285; 16 Middx 307; 17 Notts 333; 18 Avon & S 343; 19 Wilts 383; 20 Herts 389