Ireland take Englands scalps in premier masters cross-country event on Saturday in Dublin

On a good weekend for English cricket and poor for English rugby, English masters cross-country had a disappointing outing of their own in Ireland as for the first time since the event was run in 1988 they did not win the mens overall, the womens overall or the combined overall as a strong Ireland team made the most of home advantage to win all the three trophies, although it was only a single point that decided the overall mens categories.

It was Englands first overall defeat at the 33rd time of asking in any of those sections although they did gain a few team wins and individual victories.

Rugby may have something to do with the defeat as the weekend saw a clash with a Ireland rugby match in Dublin and an increase in hotel prices meant many English (and Scottish and Welsh runners) decided against an outlay of well over 500 for the honour of representing their country.

However, additionally the best English younger vets have not put themselves forward recently for an event that used to be the prized masters race with English vests also much easily available on the road in UK mainland races at less cost to the individual and the English team picked for the first time by a trial like the other nations resulted in a weaker team in many age groups with one age group (the W55s) just having a single finisher.

Individually in Ireland, the best performance came from M65 winner Alastair Walker of Scotland with a two- minute victory while W75 Angela Copson gained a record 13th win (albeit against skeleton opposition) while others to add to their growing list of wins over numerous age groups were W60 Fiona Matheson and W55 Clare Elms.

The event was last held in Aintree in 2019 after the pandemic caused cancellations in 2020 and 2021 and each of the five nations take it in turn to host the event and there are five-year age groups from M35 and W35 up to M75 and W75.

There is not full gender or age equality and it is six to run and four to score in the four youngest male age groups and four to run and three to score in the older men and all the womens events.

The course beside the famous Santry track is quite flat but testing because of the speed on the slopes and the grass was excellent considering recent rain and the event was well organised by the Irish Masters team led by Mike Fennell. The course was rather bland for the runners but excellent for spectators with a minimum of four laps of 1500m but two extra laps of 1000m for the younger men, making it six in total for 8km.

Next years race will be in Glasgow.

W35:
As expected Irish Trials winner Sinead OConnor dominated the main womens race and led Ireland to W35 team success their 11th at this age group from Scotland and Wales with England unusually fifth and last.

OConnor had won the Irish senior 10km title back in April as she made a successful debut in the event.

On the Santry course, her Irish team-mate Fiona Santry (20:39) was second and Scotlands former senior marathon Jennifer Wetton (20:46) won bronze.

TEAM: 1 IRL 7: 2 SCO 22; 3 WAL 26; 4 NIR 35; 5 ENG 40

W40:
Finishing third overall with a strong last lap Scotlands Sara Green was a clear winner in 20:42.

She had been 17th and first master in the recent Scottish Short Course Championships but had only been 12th woman (and sixth W35) in 2019 and 17th woman (and 10th W35) in 2018 as she improves with age.

Juliet Potter (21:05) had a strong second half and led England to a narrow team by a single point win while Irelands Dympna Ryan (21:18) won bronze.

This was Englands 11th successive team win in this age group.

TEAM: 1 ENG 13; 2 IRL 14; 3 SCO 24; 4 NIR 33; 5 WAL 50

W45:
Up among the overall leading group for much of the race Irish trials winner Natasha Adams (21:14) finished seventh woman and won her age group from team-mate Claire McCarthy (21:25) as Ireland won easily.

Scotlands Carol Parsons (21:26) took bronze.

Defending champion and eight times a winner in her age group Claire Martin finished fifth (21:50) just behind English Trials winner Christine Lathwell (21:47) as England finished second.

TEAM: 1 IRL 9; 2 ENG 16; 3 SCO 21; 4 NIR 42; 5 WAL 53

W50:
Ireland also won individual and team gold in this section. Despite limping prior to the race when warming up, once it started the 2005 W35 winner, which was also in Dublin, Annette Kealy looked fine during the race and she dominated to retain her title in 21:52.

Northern Irelands Elisoa Crawford (22:02) finished strongly for second while Breda Gaffney (22:16) in third aided Irelands easy team win.
TEAM: 1 IRL 10; 2 ENG 22; 3 SCO 29; 4 NIR 31

W55:
Englands Clare Elms gained her fifth title in her fifties as she defended her 2019 Aintree win in style.

Cautious after not feeling at her best in previous races, she trailed Northern Irelands Deborah Rushman by 10 seconds after the opening 1500m lap but she picked the pace up on the second lap to catch Rushman and then pushed on to win by 50 seconds in 22:35.

Scotlands Ana Richardson came through strongly to snatch silver in 23:25 and her team won on countback with it all going on their third scorer as England had to rely on W60 reserve Heather Robinson as their third scorer as Rushman (23:28) held on for bronze.

TEAM: 1 SCO 17; 2 ENG 17; 3 IRL 20; 4 NIR 35

W60:
In the best clash of the day, multiple world record breaker Fiona Matheson of Scotland (23:04) won her eighth title as she fought off the challenge of another all-time great Niamh OSullivan (23:05) of Ireland who has previously won the overall womens race by a single second. Had OSullivan won they would have had seven titles each.

The Scot started quick heading W55 winner Elms initially but OSullivan looked the stronger in the closing stages but just failed to get past her rival.

That pair actually finished ahead of two of the W55 medallists while a distant third was former W50 champion Monica Williamson (24:01), led England to only their second womens team victory on the day.

It was remarkably their 17th win in the 19 times this event has been contested.

TEAM: 1 ENG 13; 2 SCO 19; 3 IRL 32; 4 NIR 34; 5 WAL 36

W65:
Irelands Pauline Moran, who had won W60 gold in 2018 and 2019, started fast in the separate 65-plus race but looked to be losing ground on the third lap before moving away again on the fourth and she won by just under half a minute in 25:15.

Jane Kidd was a clear second (25:42) and led Scotland to a team win and she was ably backed up by Isobel Burnett (26:16) in third though Ireland were only two points back in second.

Sue Haslam missed a medal by just four seconds in fourth (26:20) and they finished third despite a three-minute gap to her team-mates.

TEAM: 1 SCO 11; 2 IRL 13; 3 ENG 26; 4 WAL 36

W70 (and W75 individual):
Ireland again dominated in a surprisingly competitive age group. Eileen Kenny (27:00) led home her team-mate Margaret Glavey (27:18) with Scotlands Jeanette Craig (27:23) a close third.

Mary Lynch (27:35) gave Ireland three in four and less than 150 metres down on the winner the 2018 W65 winner and former Hong Kong Olympian Yuko Gordon finished fifth (27:44).

The other two English W70 scorers were W75 competitors and Angela Copson (29:26) and Pauline Rich (34:44) and they finished third.

An agreed change overnight allowed the W75 competitors to still score in the W70 team but be eligible for W75 individual honours (where there was no team).

Copson, despite just a handful of opposition, thus remarkably won gold for a record 13th consecutive time as she moved clear of Mike Hagar as the most successful ever athlete in this event and she would have even scored for the W65 team.

She first won gold in the W60 category in 2008.

There was one potential hiccup when a confused Scottish W75 did a lap short and came in just before Copson through the finish funnel but she was later disqualified.

TEAM: 1 SCO 11; 2 IRL 13; 3 ENG 26; 4 WAL 36

Overall women: 1 IRL 34; 2 ENG 30; 3 SCO 30; 4 NIR 12; 8 WAL 8

M35:
Steven McAlary, only second in the Northern Ireland trial, was ultimately a decisively winner of the overall mens race as they won individual gold in the age group for the third successive year.

He bided his time early on and worked his way up to the leading group with BMAF champion Ed Chuck leading most of the way.

On the last lap McAlary (25:56) accelerated away and he won the overall race by nine seconds and the M35 title by 17 seconds from his Trials conqueror John Craig (26:13) as the pair led Northern Ireland to a narrow team win over Ireland.

However, while he was 35 at the time of the Trials, he had turned 40 last month and was eligible for the older age group but decided to take the risk of competing in the younger age group to strengthen Northern Irelands chances.

His one previous appearance in the race in Derry in 2017 would not have identified him as a potential winner. He was 34th and 17th M35, two minutes down on the winner.

Chuck who was clipped on the last lap and then suffered a cramp, took bronze in 26:20 to be the only English individual medalist in the final race and he led England to bronze.

TEAM: 1 NIR 23; 2 IRL 25; 3 ENG 37; 4 SCO 68; 5 WAL 76

M40:
Scotlands Mark Doherty was in the leading overall group throughout and enjoyed a comfortable victory in 26:08 (even if he did trail an M40 who was moving down an age group)  but Ireland with four in seven won the team race easily and provided the other medallists in Paul Monahan (26:22) and Niall Shanahan (27:00).

England led by trials winner Rob Warner in eighth (27:32) took bronze well behind a strong Scottish team.

TEAM: 1 IRL 16; 2 SCO 30; 3 ENG 55; 4 WAL 64; 5 NIR 67

M45:
Despite giving 10 years to many of his opponents, Brian Maher, who won the overall race in 2017 two minutes up on McAlary, again excelled to finish second overall and win the M45 title in 26:05 to win his section by around 300 metres.

Maher has a 10,000m PB well inside the half hour as Ireland again dominated as they clean swept the medals and won the team event with ease.

The 2017 third-placer Declan Reed (26:54) and Ciaran McGonagle (27:02) finished well clear of the best of the rest led by Northern Irelands Brian McElveanna (27:28), who ran 2:27 at the Berlin Marathon and Englands Jan Bailey (27:30).

England, with four in ten, were a clear second but it was only the fifth time in 33 runnings that they have failed to win gold.

TEAM: 1 IRL 15; 2 ENG 30; 3 NIR 50; 4 SCO 72; 5 WAL 75

M50:
With seven previous victories, Englands Tim Hartley is one of the most successful men in history at the eventChampionships and he appeared to be in control in the M50 plus race as he accelerated on the penultimate lap but Irelands Shane ONeill eventually covered the move and then moved away himself on the last lap to win in 27:14.

Hartley, who moves into the M55 category next year took silver (27:22) and had the consolation of leading England to a clear team win (their 28th out of 33 championships) and he was followed home by his compatriots Simon Baines (27:30), Ben Paviour (27:36) and Tony OBrien (27:51) as they had four of the top five.
Ireland were a very clear second.

TEAM: 1 ENG 14; 2 IRL 26; 3 SCO 59; 4 NIR 69

M55:
Pauric McKinney, who won the M50 title the last time the race was held in Dublin in 2015, finished strongly on the final lap to win in 28:31 as he finished 10th overall in the combined M50-M60 race.

However his Irish team came off second best in the team as England won comfortably as he was followed home by Jon James (28:36), defending champion Andrew Leach (28:43) who challenged him initially and another multiple BMAF champion Ben Reynolds (29:19) who all packed in the top four.

TEAM: 1 ENG 9; 2 IRL 14; 3 SCO 30; 4 NIR 39; 5 WAL 49

M60:
Three years ago Steve Watmough was out of the medals in the M55s but now in a new age group he dominated throughout and took gold by almost half a minute in 29:40 which was comfortably inside six-minute miling.

Watmough, who runs the Valencia Marathon next month, had been eyeing the British M60 record but has recently seen the record fall from 2:45:14 to 2:41:16 in September and then 2:39:16 in October.

John Convery in second (30:09) ensured another easy team win for England with Mark Cursons (30:59) completing the scoring in fourth.

Ireland with Kevin Griffin (30:48) third and former champion Tommy Payne (31:08) in fifth were a clear second.

TEAM: 1 ENG 7; 2 IRL 17; 3 NIR 34; 4 SCO 34

M65:
Alastair Walker, one of the nominees for the AW Readers Choice Awards, underlined his credentials with one of the greatest performances at any event since the championships debuted in 1988.

In the separate M65 plus race he was 10 seconds clear after 400m and went further and further away. By the end of the four laps of 1500m he had extended his winning margin to an astonishing two minutes. It was Scotlands first ever win in the age group and next week Walker is targeting a world best at 10 miles to add to his growing list of accomplishments which have seen a number of world records on track and road.

He had won the M60 category in the two previous editions in 2018 and 2019.

Some 600 metres back there was a great and highly competitive battle for second. At one stage it looked as if Jonathan Haynes would win the battle but with great support many time world masters track medalist Joe Gough underlined his track speed to take second in 22:46 ahead of Haynes (22:49).

That sprint also effectively also decided the team race as Ireland beat England by a single point.

TEAM: 1 IRL 15; 2 ENG 16; 3 SCO 25; 4 WAL 40; 5 NIR 44

M70:
Scotlands Tony Martin, who like W55 Elms and W70 Kenny won Euro masters road gold in Italy in May, dominated the race throughout and ended up winning gold in 23:11, over a minute and a half up on his team-mates Andrew McLinden (24:47) and Alex Sutherland (24:58) who ensured  a clean sweep and minimum score of six points.

Their Ed Norton in fourth (25:00) failed to score despite beating all the opposition runners.

Northern Ireland took second as defending champion Terry Eakin finished eighth (26:01) as a below-par England were the last of the four teams to complete a team who finished the necessary scorers. They had won the 10 previous titles and 17 of the past 18 Championships.

TEAM: 1 SCO 6; 2 NIR 25; 3 IRL 29; 4 ENG 36

M75:
The professional guitarist Peter Giles, who only took up running at the age of 44, won his third title as he remarkably retained his title at the age of 78 and actually beat all the English M70 participants.

For most of the race he followed Northern Irelands Gerry Lynch but making use of his better track speed, he pushed clear on the last lap, jumping on to a road section beside the course to get some momentum to win in 26:21 to his rivals 26:26.

Giles also won team gold as his effort was backed up by Mick Casey (26:51) in third as Ireland and Scotland took the other team medals.

Last in the M75 race was Dic Evans of Wales, who ran in the first international in 1988 and won the M45 race in 1991.

TEAM: 1 ENG 10; 2 SCO 22; 3 IRL 29; 4 NIR 37; 5 WAL 40

Overall men: 1 IRL 37; 2 ENG 36; 3 SCO 29; 4 NIR 23; 8 WAL 8

Overall (men & women): 1 IRL 71; 2 ENG 66; 3 SCO 59; 4 NIR 35; 5 WAL 16

Open races
Jane Potter (22:20), watching her sister Juliet, won the open race by half a minute from England W40 reserve Catherine Charlton (22:50).

Northern Ireland M35 Ricky Johnston won the mens 8km in 28:26 with English M55 Andrew Taplin (29:53) third overall.

Irelands Will Tyrrell won the M65 plus race in 24:22 with BMAF officer M70 Peter Kennedy third in 27:09.

Most runners live in large urban areas. And while its convenient for grabbing a quick meal or doing the groceries, it makes life dangerous for people who love the sport.

Street running has been around since the 1960s when the athletics movement really got going and became something ordinary people did. Runners would hop on and off the sidewalk, in and out of parked cars, and around slow-moving pedestrians. 

But from the start, it was clear that all was not well with the practice. Some people loved it because it let them create elaborate routes, both on-street and off, but there were downsides, too. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the perils of street running and why youre much better off doing laps of the park if you live in an urban area. Read on to learn more. 

High volumes of air pollution

The amount of air pollution in urban areas is bad for non-runners. But it is particularly troublesome for those who run regularly. Running causes people to breathe more deeply which then opens up more areas of the lungs to damage. 

Right now, diesel fumes are the biggest issue. Despite efforts to tax them into oblivion, there are still many cars on the road running on this fuel. And things dont look set to change for at least a decade, probably longer. 

Diesel is particularly harmful because of the small particles it contains. When these interact with alveolar lung cells, it causes DNA mutations that then lead to conditions like emphysema, lung cancer, and COPD. The number of runners with these conditions is rising, thanks to polluted city runs. 

Theres also the general soreness and throat issues that city pollution causes. Inactive people remain unaffected. But runners tend to take the brunt of it, thanks to the rate at which they breathe. Heavy breathing thins the protective mucosal layer in the back of the throat, causing pain in the short term. Regular city air is not harmless. 

Traffic concerns

Besides air pollution, street runners also have to deal with traffic concerns. Running through a city is an unusual activity, something that tech geeks might call a corner case. Its not a normal part of life, so when someone does it, it can catch other people off guard.

For this reason, runners are at a higher risk of getting involved in accidents. Pedestrians, for instance, dont expect runners to come up quickly from the side or behind them. Therefore, many step out in front of runners paths when they cross the street or turn on the sidewalk, leading to collisions. Granted, rarely are these serious, but they can be unpleasant. And, naturally, the runner is always the one who is at fault. 

Then there is the risk of collision with bicycles. These tend to result in more severe accidents because the energies involved are so much higher. Cyclists and runners find it hard to predict each others movements. People on bicycles generally understand how walkers behave, but those galloping at full pace. Sudden changes of direction really confuse them. 

Cars, of course, are one of the biggest threats. Every year, thousands of street runners get injured by moving vehicles crossing their paths. And, unfortunately, this can lead to serious injuries that prevent runners from enjoying their sport in the future. 

Top of the list of dangers, though, are trucks. Many runners often wind up going to a truck accident lawyer to get compensation for life-changing injuries they sustain. The damage done by trucks can be immense thanks to their weight and power.

In summary, therefore, city environments are dangerous for runners. Street running might be fun, but the presence of other traffic makes it a covert high-risk sport. 

What can runners do to protect themselves?

While pollution and traffic are significant urban running perils, there are things that you can do to protect yourself. 

The first is, quite obviously, to change the location in which you run. If youre not interested in taking risks for the sake of it, do laps at the park or drive out of town to a traffic-free green area where you can practise. Its both healthier and itll keep you safe. 

If thats not an option for you, try increasing your visibility so that other people and drivers can see you coming. Avoid the temptation to wear stylish running gear. Instead, put on reflective strips and wear outlandish colours that people will notice. Pay particular attention to your attire if you go running after dark. Most people wont be able to see you coming unless you have some sort of reflective patches on your body. 

Furthermore, if you do want to run at night, make sure that you wear a light. These days, you can get lightweight LED lamps that you attach to your head, a bit like the type of lights miners wear. You can find these at camping stores. 

In addition, make sure that you stay predictable. Run in a straight line at a constant speed. Dont run too close to parked cars because you never know when someone might open a door. If you need to change direction, look all around you first to see whether anyone will cross your path. Dont run too close to pedestrians if you are coming up behind them. Make sure theres at least a two-foot gap between your body and theirs to reduce the risk of startling them. 

Headphones are a bad idea for street runners (though they can be great if youre out on the track). You cant hear whats going on around you, so warnings and traffic noise go unheeded. Dont rely on sight alone, particularly if you are sweating a lot. Run headphone-free or, if you want to be safe, go to the park. 

Lastly, be sure to stay alert. Many runners love the sport because it helps them to zone out and just enjoy the experience. But thats not something you can do when theres loads of traffic around.

AW promotion: There are several different track events in athletics, but which track event remains the most popular? Find out here

The main types of athletics track events are the 100m sprint, middle-distance track events that are usually anywhere from 800 to 1500 metres, and long-distance track events that can be 3000, 5000, or 10,000 metres. You also have relay race events and hurdling track events, but which of these is the most popular?

A lot of people will agree that the 100m sprint is the most popular of all track events, which means that it tends to attract more attention from spectators than any other track event. Its the fastest race thats usually over in around ten seconds, and the speed at which the runners complete the race is often what makes it so popular for sports fans around the world.

Why is the 100-metre sprint the most popular track event?

One of the main reasons why the 100m sprint is so popular is that the event is the clearest and easiest race to understand, which means that theres no real strategy involved, racers dont have to pace themselves, and its a straightforward race to see which runner will be the quickest over a relatively short distance. The current world record is held by Jamaican international superstar runner Usain Bolt, who ran the distance in a time of just 9.69 seconds at the Beijing Olympics in China in 2008.

Some sports betting people also like to place a real money wager on the 100m race at top events, such as the Summer Olympics, the Pan American Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games, and the Mediterranean Games, to name just a few major athletics events. These same people will tell you that theres nothing like having a few dollars on the race and then winning that bet.

Other famous runners who have run the 100 metres race in under 10 seconds

Some of the other famous runners that have also run the 100 metres in less than 10 seconds are the following:

• Ferdinand Omanyala from Kenya (9.77 seconds)
• Su Bingtian from China (9.83 seconds)
• Marcell Jacobs from Italy (9.80 seconds)
• Patrick Johnson from Australia (9.93 seconds)

Robson da Silva from Brazil also came very close when he ran 100 metres in 10.00 seconds flat. Several women have also run the distance in some impressive times. For example, Marie-José Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast ran the distance in 10.72 seconds, and Li Xuemei from China ran it in 10.79 seconds.

There was also Christine Aaron from France, who ran the 100 metres in a time of 10.73 seconds. Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand ran it in 11.08 seconds, and Rosângela Santos from Brazil ran it in 10.91 seconds. The current womens world record holder is Florence Griffith Joyner (aka Flo-Jo) from the United States, who once ran the 100-metres in 10.49 seconds.

More reasons why the 100m sprint remains the most exciting event on the track

Theres always a chance that someone will run the 100 metres in a world-record-breaking time. These days, it doesnt happen very often, but when it does happen, it adds to the excitement of watching the race as it unfolds. Everyone wants to see exactly how far human endurance can be pushed, and the 100-metre sprint is a great way to find out. Surely, we are getting to a point where the record will no longer be able to be broken?

For example, you would think that a runner will never be able to complete the 100-metre race in less than 9 seconds. We will more than likely see more accurate ways of measuring how fast the runners can complete the race being implemented over the coming years.

Currently, lasers are used to determine exactly how fast the race has been won for the most precise results. Also, instead of using just milliseconds, an extra unit of time (another decimal point) may be added to determine exact times, just like in Formula 1 racing, which could potentially lead to more new records being set at some point in the not too distant future.

Unseasonably warm weather greeted the runners at the British Athletics Cross Challenge and Home International at Milton Keynes on Saturday

It was yet another mild autumn day, where temperatures rose to 18C, so racing turned out to be much like a summer outing with parkland conditions underfoot.

As well as being the second British Athletics Cross Challenge of the winter, the event incorporated a Home International and the Mahamed brothers led home an England sweep of the top four places in the mens race, whereas the womens race saw another victory for England as Alex Millard beat Northern Irelands Grace Carson.

Both senior races saw the 2021 champions beaten, too, with Hugo Milner fourth and Jess Gibbon third.

Men

England dominated the race but the outcome in the individual match race only became clear once the Mahamed brothers took control midway through the second of three laps, totalling 9.5km.

Both Mahamed and Zak had previously run well in this leg of the Cross Challenge with Mahamed a three-time winner between 2017 and 2019 and Zak finishing runner-up twice. They had also both won the English National so it was no surprise to see them at the head of affairs after the first lap.

Also in there was 2021 winner Milner, while Alex George, Callum Elson and Matt Stonier were also along for the ride in a large group that refused to break up in the early stages.

Once the Mahamed brothers finally took control, it was Milner who went with them and that left George, the fourth member of the official England team, in a bit of a no-mans-land.

The last lap then saw the brothers drop Milner on the initial loop down by the lake and that left him vulnerable to attack by George, who seemed then to relish the chase.

Finally, it was Mahamed Mahamed who edged clear of his younger brother Zak and that was how it stayed to the end. Behind, George ran down the tiring Milner who seems to be a little short of his 2021 form.

England took the team with a clean sweep as Elson and Stonier, both overlooked in the team selections, completed the top six.

Mahamed said: I was pushing on the hills and I split it up and tried to test myself.

Zak played second fiddle to his older brother and said: I was with him the whole way but there was no point in challenging him.

He suggested that it might be a different story in the Euro Trials in Liverpool in a fortnight.

George admitted to feeling uncomfortable during the early stages of the race, saying: I didnt feel good but I gradually caught him (Milner) on the big hill with an effort on the hill and then ran hard off the top.

Milner, 24, was philosophical about losing out in the battle for third, as he explained: I was in an awful position (when they got away) but I am training for triathlon intensely as I have just given up work to be a full-time triathlete.

England did not have it all their own way in the separately run under-20 mens race and found themselves headed by a South of England pair, as Luke Birdseye and Rowan Miell-Ingram got the better of the rest.

Windsors Birdseye, who might have been running in the later Chiltern League senior mens race here, had been overlooked for an England junior vest as he had missed the Cardiff Cross Challenge fixture in October but he now goes to the Euro Cross Trials with added confidence.

Behind the top two, Blackburns Matt Ramsden also got the nod over both the area and national selected teams.

Earlier the England vested pair of Edward Bird and Ben Brown had been the first to show in front before being joined temporally by George Couttie at the front, but going on to their second lap Birdseye had moved up, along with Miele-Ingram and Ramsden.

The race then unfolded on the back of the course near the biggest hill and Birdseye said: My plan was to go on the big hill no matter what and I then got a gap and held on to the end.

Women

Last year, Jess Gibbon won here in her Reading AC vest but this time was in an England shirt and she was always in contention in what proved to be a massive field that wound its way around this Teardrop Lakes multi-lap course.

As in the mens race there was a large group at the head of affairs for much of the first half of their race over three differing in size laps. The first to show in front at the start was Olivia Mason but Amy-Eloise Markovc was also at the front alongside Gibbon, Jenny Walsh, Melissa Courtney-Bryant and Alexandra Millard but gradually the field whittled itself down to just five, then three after Markovic, who had led out on to the middle lap, fell back.

It was Millard who came out narrowly on top from Grace Carson, who had not shown in the early stages and Gibbon.

Millard seemed surprised by her win and said: I was not really expecting much.

Gibbon said: Through the woods I felt good but everyone was a bit tentative until the big hill. I had a tough day at the office and my legs felt dead.

The team race was Englands but they had to wait until Walsh closed in ninth for their third scorer. Earlier, Walsh had been higher up, as had Courtney-Bryant and the Celtic pair of Welsh woman Cari Hughes and the Scot Eloise Walker, both of whom were running as individuals in the Cross Challenge.

They were all well ahead of Niamh Bridson-Hubbard, whose 10th spot led home the second placed South of England team.

The South also did well in the under-20 womens match and would have won the team challenge with a different selection of women. In the final tally England won comfortably and were led home by overall winner Alice Bates.

At the start it had been Louise Hackett who was the first to show in front but there was still a dozen or so in contention going out on to their second lap, before Bates began to take control.

After crossing the line, Bates said: I planned to sit in then with 2km to go kicked and stretched it out, but I felt so comfortable, added the 17-year-old.

The South had the next three under-20s home as Beatrice Wood, Megan Harris and Alice Wright were all within eight seconds of the winner. However, Wood and Wright were not selected for any team so Libby Huxley and Kiya Dee completed the England team in sixth and eighth respectively.

Young athletes

The under-17 women ran with the junior women, as is the norm in the Chiltern League, who hosted this fixture for UKA and while they were somewhat over-shadowed by the older runners, they did manage to make inroads.

Prime among them was Sophie Nicholls, in fifth overall, albeit 14 seconds down on fourth. The Wells City runner had a more than comfortable margin over Crawleys Yasmin Kashdan as Lilia Harris just got the nod on Caitlyn Heggie and Beca Bown for third.

Nicholls, who hopes to run the junior European trial in Liverpool later this month, said: I hoped to win but I wasnt sure as I was only fourth at Cardiff so that gave me added motivation as it was really annoying.

Scott Heggie was the first non-English runner home but it was a different story in the U17 mens race where Central ACs Connor Bell had a comfortable victory over fellow Scot Graig Shennan. The pair had taken Ben Peck away from the rest of the field in the first half of the race before it was Welshman Iwan Thomas who eventually took a comfortable third spot in their two-lap race over 5.9km.

Earlier it had been Daniel van Aardt who had been the first to show in front before the eventual leaders took over.

Bell said: I didnt know if I was going to win but thought to myself these boys are not running too fast, then I pulled away steadily and felt comfortable after I eased away from them. I came here to win but I had a poor summer after long Covid but trained right the way through it and with Andrew Butchart once a week.

The under-15 Cross Challenge runners also ran with the large Chiltern League field but numbered less than 30 in each case. Leading the girls home was Welsh raider Millie Gold, who eventually came out on top of a tussle with Liverpools Holly Cross and Banburys Chiltern League runner Isla McGowan.

Libby Hale and McGowan had been in the lead mid-race but then Cross took over on the second lap before Gold came through to win. She said: I won! I am really surprised but passed her on the back straight.

It was a good birthday present for the Cardiff runner as she turned 15 on the day of the race.

The winners continued to be well spread around as Cleethorpes George Wilson was a comfortable under-15 boys race winner from Matthew Clark and Ollie Calvert. It was Cardiff Cross Challenge winner Clark who was the first to show soon after the start, but soon it was just Wilson and Clark making the running before the Cardiff second placer went away for his solid victory.

Wilson said: I knew he had a good kick so I went early and knew I had more of a chance here than at Cardiff which was longer.

The Chiltern League had their only outright winner in the Cross Challenge as Kara Gorman in the green and black vest of Chiltern Harriers had a narrow win over Cardiffs Bryony Boyce in the under-13 girls event. She said: It was hard and I thought I was going to die but it was easier on the downhill.

Wreake & Soar Valleys Noah Homer won the under-13 boys race over 3.2km by about 80 metres as Scotlands Rhuairdh Laing was a well beaten second. The pair had been at the head of affairs from the start before Homer went ahead on the second lap.

He said: I was thinking (about the win) but it was a matter of whether I could. I liked the course but there were a few twisty bits.

Men TEAM: 1 England 6; 2 Northern Athletics 24; 3 South of England 28; 4 Midlands 36; 5 N Ireland 46; 6 Wales 51; 7 Eastern Counties 72

U20 TEAM: 1 South of England 7; 2 England 15; 3 Wales 33; 4 Northern Atletics 37; 5 Midlands 43; 6 N Ireland 45

Women TEAM: 1 England 9; 2 South of England 23; 3 Midlands 36; 4 Northern Athletics 37; 5 N Ireland 48; 6 Eastern C 52; 7 Wales 60

U20 TEAM: 1 England 8; 2 South of England 14; 3 Northern Athletics 36; 4 Wales 39; 5 Midlands 41