Emile Cairess anchors Leeds to the men’s victory while Gemma Steel anchors Charnwood’s women to glory in Mansfield on Saturday

The overnight rain and early morning drizzle stopped before the racing began in Berry Hill Park, but the day was always overcast and later runners in the senior men’s race almost needed torches to navigate the wooded sections of the course.

With the going good underfoot there was no slipping and sliding but there were, nevertheless, a few tumbles in that wooded section but, once again, safety issues decreed that the opening stage of each race was shorter than subsequent legs.

Charnwood completed a solid women’s victory before Leeds City concluded the afternoon’s proceedings with a solid performance in a competitive men’s race.

The top two clubs in both senior races go on to compete in the European clubs’ championship events.

Leeds City take men’s title

The shorter first stage saw Joe Wigfield put in a good show over two 2.5km laps with 14:58 for the 5km trip, that gave the runners on subsequent legs a standard to beat. He said after the stint: “I am getting there but was injured last year.” He said he did not like the wooded section of the course but added: “As soon as you get out of the woods you are okay.”

Most did not, apart from Ellis Cross, who returned to form with a 15:10 split that gave his Aldershot club a possible stab at victory on the penultimate leg before a solid last stage run from Leeds’ Emile Cairess sealed a win for his club. Cairess’s 15:03 split was probably just better than that of Wigfield as the distance was about 30 metres further. “I took the lead towards the top of the hill on the first lap,” he said.

Earlier Callum Elson, who was only ninth in the Cardiff Cross Challenge last month, snatched second on the opener with 15:08 ahead of Leeds’ David Mullarky. The second stage had seen Scott Halsted take Bracknell ahead mid lap before Phil Sesemann came through for Leeds after a 15:25 split as James Kingston also moved Tonbridge up. Sesemann said he was getting back into shape following the London Marathon last month and that his Leeds club had three good teams in the race as they finished first, eighth and 15th.

It was all pretty close on the third stage, as Graham Rush looked to be in charge for Leeds after one of their two laps. That was before Cross came through for Aldershot, but Cambridge & Coleridge and Shaftesbury Barnet were also in with a shout.

Almost ambling across the finish line, Cairess sealed it on the final 5km double lap. “I was just working hard, but Phil (Sesemann) put us in a strong position.” Behind, Jonathan Escalante-Phillips also passed Aldershot near the finish to give Cambridge & Coleridge silver ahead of Joe Morwood.

Fastest first lap: J Wigfield (Wirr) 14:58; C Elson (C&C) 15:08; D Mullarky (leeds) 15:16

Fastest other laps: E Cairess (leeds) 15:03; E Cross (AFD) 15:10; J Kingston (Ton) 15:20

Charnwood storm to glory in the women’s race

Last weekend, Gemma Steel anchored her Charnwood club to the British Masters’ cross-country relay title with her familiar arms aloft victory celebration and, just a week later, made it a double by bringing her club home first to annex the English senior title in similar fashion.

On both occasions the 36-year-old had been given a solid lead by her clubmates. Here, however her 10:04 final lap time was bettered by both of her team-mates, but they had given her ample margin for victory.

Charnwood began with Mia Atkinson and, in a tight twisting loop, the racing was close. Bracknell’s Elena Carey led going down into the woods for the first time before Khai Mhlanga showed promise at the front before going on to take the opening 3km stage with a 9:42 split, narrowly ahead of and Saskia Millard’s 9:46 for Herne Hill.

Carey was also there with 9:46 just ahead of Atkinson, as Gemma Kersey for Basildon and Nancy Scott for holders Aldershot were both given 9:54.

Mhlanga said: “I was a little bit back but worked up and then, with 150 yards to go, saw an opportunity and gave it my all.” This left Wirral’s Sophie Tarver a second down with 9:43.

Charnwood went to the front on the middle stage of the race as Hannah Nuttall took them into a big lead after a race fastest non-opening leg stint of 9:42. “I have had injuries and been a bit up and down but, for the past three months have been going up,” said the 25-year-old, who was at or near the top of the rankings at under-20 and under-17 level.

Kate Estlea had kept Aldershot in the frame mid-race ahead of Sophie Wallis’ Lincoln but the colour of the medals was decided on the final lap.

Steel was safe up ahead and posted a solid 10:04 to given Charnwood a comfortable victory. Aldershot closed slightly through Steph Twell’s 9:59, but they were overtaken by Lincoln Wellington as Abbie Donnelly again produced a solid relay leg. Her 9:43 time was second fastest, as her club took silver. “It has been fun,” she said.

Like her husband, Joe Morwood, Twell had to settle for a third-placed team medal for Aldershot. It was the same top three as in 2021 albeit in a different order.

Fastest first lap: K Mhlanga (Herts P) 9:42; S Tarver (Wirr) 9:43; S Millard (Herne H) 9:46

Fastest other laps: H Nuttall (Charn) 9:41; A Donnelly (Linc W) 9:43; N Bridson-Hubbard (B&B)/S Twell (AFD) 9:49

Young athletes’ races

Eight different clubs took winners’ plaudits in the age group races and the first event of the day, on an overcast Saturday morning, had been the junior women at 10:45am.

Loughborough Students won but it had been Kettering’s Alice Bates with an 8:29 split for their 2.5km lap who was home first ahead of the undergraduates’ Megan Harris.

Bates said: “I managed to avoid the mud, but it was not sticky. My goal is Liverpool and to peak this side of the season.”

Thereafter, Jess Norkett and Jess Spilsbury, the England 1500m champion, with the fastest non-opening leg time of 8:56, finished the job as Loughborough retained their title. They said: “We have a great team and there was support all the way round.”

Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow won the closest race of the day when just edging the under-17 women’s event from Wreake & Soar Valley.

Both had been headed by Lilia Harris’ 9:00 for Rotherham on the opening 2.5km lap. Freya Ruffles then took Windsor ahead on the last lap but had to defend valiantly at the death, as Zoe Gilbody gave it her all with the fastest split of the race of 8:27 to just miss out by 0.7sec according to the chip timing mechanisms. “I saw her coming,” said Windsor’s final leg runner Rachel Clutterbuck.

That was not the biggest place gain of the day as the race saw Wolves’ Isobel Jones, whose young brother Fred was in their winning under-13 team, advance 23 places to first on lap two with 8:49 before her club fell back.

Tonbridge won the under-15 boys’ race over three 2km laps by leading throughout, after Oliver Head’s 6:27 gave them a leading start. He said: “I had a bit of a bad start but took the lead after 800m.”

Connor Prendergast took over on the second leg for Tonbridge followed by Toby Bawtree on the anchor. However, Wolves’ Sam Thursfield was quicker mid-race for Wolverhampton with 6:23.

Aldershot added the under-15 girls’ event, again over 2km, as they won comfortably after Lottie Quinn had given them a third placed start. This was behind Vale Royal’s Eva Jha, whose 7:03 stood out, albeit only a second ahead of Portsmouth’s Florence East.

Katie Pye then took Aldershot ahead, before Emmeline Orbell finished things off. Pye said: “I took the lead at the top and felt quite good and powerful, but fast.”

Rotherham came through in similar fashion to win the under-17 men’s event. They had Zak Ferguson a close third on the opener, behind Sale’s Oscar Schofield and Shaftesbury’s Henry Dover as these three were the only runners under nine minutes, for their 3km lap.

While brothers Johnson Hughes and Sonny Boy Hughes finished things off for Rotherham, Invicta East Kent advanced to second through Adam Whitlock. Behind him, James Dargan was moving up seven places to third for Aldershot with the fastest non first leg time of 8:54.

Cambridge & Coleridge also started off in third on the opening lap of their victory in the junior men’s race, but it was close on their first circuit. Spare a thought though for Exeter’s Sam Mills who got the nod on the opener with 8:34 for his 3km, just ahead of Windsor’s Luke Birdseye and Cambridge’s Tom Bridger, but Exeter were unable to field a full team.

The missing Exeter men were identified by Mills as “one with a stress fracture and one at a party!” Of his race, Mills added: “I put in a burst but then didn’t increase the pace, they just slowed down.”

Will Newcombe and then Alex Melloy saw Cambridge & Coleridge home ahead of Windsor, as Will Barnicoat closed right up for Aldershot with the fastest non-first leg effort of 8:31. “It would have been nice to get first,” said Barnicoat, who now plans to go to Liverpool for the Euro Trials at the end of this month.

Aldershot took another medal in the under-13 girls’ race, over 2km, where their Kitty Scott’s 7:21 had moved them up mid-race. This came after Zoe Allan had run 7:08 on the opening lap for eventual third placers, Windsor, with a solid 7:08 clocking.

However, up ahead, it was Northern champions Birtley who produced a solid performance as twins Nell and Kitty Graham were joined by Olivia Murphy for a narrow win over Aldershot.

Wolverhampton & Bilston were down in 30th spot after the opening lap of the under-13 boys’ race before Fred Jones’ 6:35, the fastest in the race, took them to the front mid-race. Then Sam Ball completed the job.