BENTLEY’S Louise Small won the senior women’s race at the Hampshire Cross Country Championships at Fairthorne Manor, near Botley, last Saturday.

The championships used a new and varied course, taking advantage of the whole estate that includes a former golf course

Small won the 7,850m race by nearly one and a half minutes from Guernsey Island’s Sarah Mercier, the athlete who had taken the title from her last year.

The Aldershot, Farnham & District runner, continuing her form of last month when she finished ahead of the whole England squad in Brussels, came home in a time of 28mins 46secs.

Small’s fellow AFD member, Daisy D’Santos, won the women’s under-20 race (6,200m) by over a minute in 23-12 from Winchester & District’s Hannah Knapton (24-13).

And D’Santos secured another gold medal when Lucy Rochford, sixth, Evie Grice, seventh, and Rebekah Pantony, ninth, joined her in compiling the event’s only complete team.

Harry Hide (11mins 50secs for 3,200m) also picked up two gold medals as he led Oliver Harris, fifth, Ryan Martin, sixth, and Bailey Roberts, 13th, to AFD’s victory in the U13 boys’ event.

The U17 men’s race was over 6,200 metres and Jack Boswell (20-08), also of AFD, triumphed by nearly half a minute from Jersey Spartan’s Sam Maher who was sixth over 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Youth Games last September.

AFD’s other individual gold medallist was Austin Soane in the over-60 men’s category.

Other team gold medals for the club came from the U17 women (Lucy Pygott, second, Stacey Burrows, third, Maisie Grice, fourth, Tilly Horton, seventh) and the U13 girls (Charlie Parsons, third, Emily Squibbs, fourth, Alice Garner, fifth, Emma Boswell, 14th).

Bryn Smith took an individual bronze in the U20 men’s event.

All four of AFD’s individual winners at the Surrey Championships in Dorking led their teams to gold.

Georgie Bruinvels successfully defended her senior women’s crown and was supported by Katie Bingle, fourth, Laura Gent, fifth, and Hannah-Rose Thomas, seventh. The club won the combined U20 and U17 women’s race. Overall winner Katie Shiel-Rankin was backed by Nancy Scott, third, and Gabi Eglen, fifth.

George Gathercole was victorious in the U20 men’s event where MacGregor Cox was fourth and Nathan Gibson fifth. Max Heyden claimed the U15 boys’ title, while AFD’s other counters were Marcus Shantry, fifth, Joseph Jakubait, seventh, and Eoin Canning, tenth.

The club also provided the winning team in the U15 boys’ race, with Alfie Spear fifth, Sam Bodoano sixth, Ed Henderson seventh and Theo Cheshire 23rd.

Ollie Percival took silver in the U17 men’s event and Jack Rowe was the senior men’s bronze medallist.