Leeds City’s men and Charnwood’s women took the senior honours at the English Cross Country Association National Relays in Mansfield on the 5th November.

Ten different clubs won the 10 age-group titles on a relatively dry Berry Hill Park course, the home of the popular event since 1989.

Charnwood stepped up from second last year to take the senior women’s 3x4km title as Gemma Steel turned back the clock to anchor them home.

Herts Phoenix took the lead through Khahisa Mhlanga, who clocked 9:41.4 for the slightly shorter opening leg as the eventual winners were sixth via Mia Atkinson (9:48.9).

Wirral’s Juliet Hodder briefly took over before Charnwood’s Hannah Nuttall tore through the field with a storming leg. Her 9:40.9 was the quickest of the last two laps and it gave her team a lead of 38 seconds over Herts Phoenix.

Despite Lincoln Wellington’s Abbie Donnelly scoring the best final leg of 9:42.75 to bring them up to second, it was Steel who came home to a 10.03.4 and an overall time of 29:33.

Lincoln Wellington were 34 seconds behind as Aldershot, Farnham & District, with Steph Twell on the final leg, took third, a further five seconds adrift.
Steel, who was last on a winning team here in 2011, then headed to the adjacent track for an interval session as she said the race was too short for her these days. After recovering, she said: “It was a solid run from everyone. I had an easy job really at the end just to hold it together. 10:03 is not too bad. I think my best round here was about 10:00. It’s quite encouraging really.”

Nuttall added: “It was really good. I just had a few people to pick off and then I moved through them slowly and then, when I got to the front, I just kept pushing.”

Leeds’ men regained the title they last won in 2019 after an exciting 4x5km race.

Wirral led on the first lap through Joe Wigfield’s 14:57.55, while Leeds had David Mullarkey (15:15.75) passing on in fourth.

Cambridge & Coleridge’s Thomas Keen had a stint in front on leg two. However, Philip Seseman clocked a 15:24.75 to give Leeds a big lead. Then it was Ellis Cross, who moved Aldershot, Farnham & District up from fifth to first with 15:10, four seconds in front of Leeds’s Graham Rush (15:46.55).

It was not enough of a gap, though, as Cairess ran a 15:02.8 split, the fastest of the standard-length splits, to come home in 61:30. Cambridge & Coleridge were 47 seconds behind in second and AFD third, another five seconds back.

Cairess, who was top British finisher at the Cardiff Cross Challenge last month, said: “After the quick start to try and catch the guy from Aldershot, I just tried to keep on the pace and keep pushing. It helped me that it wasn’t a soft course. I like to run on fast courses.”

The first race of the day saw Loughborough Students take under-20 women’s 3×2.5km victory although, with university teams exempt, City of Norwich took the gold medals.

Megan Harris (8:34.1), Jess Norkett (8:58.8) and Jess Spilsbury (8:56.0) combined to give Loughborough an overall 26:28.9, just over 12 seconds clear. Norwich, who had Megan Gadbsy, Grace Buchanan and Hattie Reynolds, were another 25 seconds in front of University of Birmingham. Wolverhampton & Bilston and Aldershot were silver and bronze medallists respectively.

Alice Bates (8:28.85) had put Kettering into the lead on the shorter leg one, while Norkett and Spilsbury were quickest on their respective legs.

Spilsbury said: “I was so pleased to keep it going for the other girls who did first and second leg and pleased to be in Loughborough colours.” Having taken over with a lead of 36 seconds, she added: “It was a little bit of pressure but it was just one of those where you’ve just got to get your head down and run it and hope no one comes behind. But it was a good run-out before the cross-country gets kicked off really.”

In the under-20 men’s race, Cambridge & Coleridge’s Alex Melloy took over the lead early on the final leg and stayed in front. He had enough time for a celebratory tape-hurdling attempt at the finish as he brought the team a time of 26:29.2. Melloy’s split of 8:43.9 was headed only by Aldershot’s Will Barnicoat’s 8:31.3 on his leg.

Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow were second, three seconds adrift with Aldershot third.
Earlier Thomas Bridger (8:37.8) and William Newcombe (9:07.5) had placed third and second respectively at the end of their stages for C&C.

Melloy said afterwards: “We knew we were going to be up there. I was just so happy to execute it well. Everyone had a great run. I pushed quite hard at the start to try and overtake the guy who was ahead of me. I maybe paid the price at the end… but I knew it was comfortable and I sort of relaxed up by the second lot of trees knowing that the uphill was coming. I feel like, if they were on my shoulder, maybe I’d have had more to outkick them.”

Exeter’s Sam Mills had led home the runners on the opening leg with 8:33.5 for the 3km.

Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow took the closest race of the day, that of the under-17 women’s 3x3km. Rachel Clutterbuck took the tape just seven tenths ahead of Wreake & Soar Valley’s Zoe Gilbody, whose 8:48.9 was the quickest of the race.

Ella Davey (9:16.15) and Freya Ruffels (9:24.2) had put Clutterbuck within striking distance of the lead of the first two laps before her final 9:07.4 brought them a cumulative 27:47.75.
Rotherham Harriers were third overall in 27:55.95, thanks in part to Lilia Harris, whose 8:59.6 led at the start. Isobelle Jones of Wolverhampton & Bilston ranked best of the second-leg times with 8:48.9.

In the under-17 men’s race, Rotherham Harriers clocked 27:49.45 for their three 3km laps. Zak Ferguson (8:53.95) gave them a third behind leader Oscar Schofield (8:46.5) on the opener. Jonson Hughes (9:30.35) then put them in the lead before his brother, Sonny Boy Hughes (9:35.15), completed the job.

Invicta East Kent were 12 seconds behind in second with Aldershot, whose James Dargan (8:54.35) was fastest on the final stage, were third. Benjamin Peck, with 9:01.45 comfortably led the second-lap times.

Aldershot took a comfortable win in the under-15 girls’ race. Lottie Quinn was third on the opening 2km leg with 7:09.5 behind Vale Royal’s Eva Jha (7:03.5). Katie Pye was then fastest overall on the middle stage with 7:14.25 before Emmeline Orbell’s 7:43.1 saw them 16 seconds in front with 22:06.4. Blackheath & Bromley and Rotherham Harriers were second and third respectively. Megumi Hoshiko for Wirral was quickest of the final-leg runners with 7:22.95.

Tonbridge led the under-15 boys’ race at the end of all three stages before Toby Bawtree cemented a seven-second winning margin in a time of 19:47.6. Their Oliver Head ran 6:26.5 for the first 2km loop before Connor Prendergast and Bawtree followed with 6:41 and 6:40.1 respectively. Wolverhampton & Bilston’s Owen Ulifg was quickest on the second stage with 6:23.3. Meanwhile, Jake Meyburgh moved Windsor up from seventeenth to ninth with his 6:27.1, which was the fastest on the final leg. Salford Harriers were second and Bromsgrove & Redditch third.

The lead changed several times in the under-13 girls’ race before Birtley AC crossed the finish in a time of 22:29.55. Kitty Graham (7:26.9) opened up before Olivia Murphy’s 7:35.5 put them in front and then Nell Graham’s 7:37.6 was the quickest of the final stage. Aldershot, Farnham & District, with Kitty Scott posting the top-ranked 7:20.9 in the middle, were runners-up. Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow, who had the lead on leg one via Zoe Allan (7:08.2), were third.

Wolverhampton & Bilston were more comfortable winners of the boys’ corresponding 3x2km. William Hughes led them off with 7:31.1 before Fred Jones moved them up 29 places with a 6:34.95 best of the day. Sam Ball then secured the win with 7:13.85. Their time of 21:19.9 saw them 15 seconds clear of Hallamshire Harriers, who were gaining thanks to Thomas Thake and his 6:39.7, which rated top on the final leg. Herne Hill Harriers placed third. Burton’s Ewan Withnall had led on the opening leg with 6:44.55.