THIRD place in the final round was enough for Ludlow Runners’ Amy Fulford to bring home the Herefordshire Cross Country League individual crown.

Fulford claimed the championship for the first time with consistent results across the five races in spite of finishing behind winner Danca Machakova (Wye Valley) and Gemma Mallett (Croft Ambrey) at Presteigne.

Machakova (36.06) and Mallett (36.38) set the pace throughout but Fulford (37.25) was the best of the rest and was later supported by solid performances from team-mates Eilish Gilbert (42.21) in 11th, Emily Hinton (42.25) in 12th and Viv Dempsey (42.57) in 18th.

Ludlow’s women finished third in the overall standings, two points behind Croft Ambrey and four shy of champions Wye Valley. They were some 14 clear of their nearest challengers for third, Hereford Triathlon Club.

The success saw Fulford comfortably claim the over-40s prize with Dempsey coming out on top in the over-45s.

There was more joy for the veterans in the men’s section as Clive Richardson finished overall second in the over-60s with David Haynes following suit in the over-70s.

The club’s first male finisher at Presteigne was Paul Lewis (54.28) in 32nd, closely followed by Craig Collier (54.36).

Ludlow’s team finished 10th on the day, a position they matched in the overall league table despite being within three points of eighth-placed Maldwyn Harriers B.

The next event on the Herefordshire Athletic Association calendar will be the Summer Off Road League starting in June. Dates and venues will be announced in due course.