Liverpool hosted an entertaining UK Athletics Cross Challenge fixture with several athletes booking their places on the plane to Türkiye for next month’s European Cross Country Championships.

Kate Axford (Belgrave) continued her superb form with a fantastic display to win the senior women’s race in Sefton Park for the first time. After Poppy Tank (Luke Gunn) set the pace on the opening two laps, Axford ran a measured race to sweep past the City of Plymouth athlete as the senior athletes moved into their final long lap. Her lead kept extending as the lap unfolded and she secured her second Cross Challenge victory of the season and guarantee her first Great Britain and Northern Ireland vest.

As Axford moved ahead, Tank became embroiled in a contest with Cari Hughes (Andrew Walling, Cardiff) and Abbie Donnelly (Rob Lewis, Lincoln Wellington) on the final lap, all knowing the top four would automatically book the European slots. The trio worked together with Hughes ultimately coming through for second, Tank claiming third, and Donnelly – a bronze medallist at last year’s Europeans – in fourth. Izzy Fry (Sonia McGeorge, Newbury), who could not quite stay with the pace of the group of three, fought well through the strung-out field, to secure fifth slot ahead of Jess Gibbon (Reading).

With the U23 women running one lap less than the senior women, Meg Gadsby (Mick Woods, City of Norwich) ran solidly to win the trial race and secure her first European spot. She was well-clear of her teammate Kate Willis (Dean Miller, City of Norwich) who edged ahead of Mia Waldmann (Mark Booth, Reading) for second, while Poppy Craig-McFeely (Philip O’Dell, Herne Hill) was fourth.

There was a huge performance from Tomer Tarragano (Dean Miller) as he sealed his first senior men’s victory at Sefton Park. After navigating the busy crowds on the final lap, the Brighton & Hove athlete achieved the biggest win of his career to date. He certainly was made to work hard over the demanding course by last year’s winner Hugo Milner (Derby) and Scott Beattie (Mike Bateman, Morpeth) on the first two laps, but the final circuit was his to enjoy as he secured a famous victory.

Milner – fourth in the senior men’s race at the Europeans last year – could not live with Tarragano’s pace on the final lap but he staved off the challenges behind him to secure his place on the team, with Beattie a clear third place. Ellis Cross (Andrew Hobdell, Aldershot Farnham & District) was able to get the better of Rory Leonard (Morpeth) in the final run-in, while Calum Johnson (Gateshead) claimed sixth overall.

In his first race since February, David Stone (Jeremy Sothcott, Shaftesbury Barnet) produced a phenomenal display to win the U23 men’s race. He had enough of a lead in the closing stages to jog into the finishing tape to win ahead of reigning European champion Will Barnicoat (Aldershot, Farnham & District). Peter Molloy (Scottish Schs) was third, just pipping Brett Rushman (Andrew Hobdell, Herts Phoenix) into fourth.

Maddie Deadman delivered one of the finest performances of her career as she won the women’s short course European trial by a big margin. The Basingstoke and Mid Hants athlete hit the front around the midway point, and her lead continued to extend from there. In the end, she held a comfortable margin ahead of Holly Dixon (Cambridge Harriers) and Elise Thorner (Helen Clitheroe, Elise Thorner) to book her place in the GB & NI team for Antalya.

In only his second race since returning from injury, Joshua Lay (Anthony Love, Rugby & Northampton) produced a commanding display to comfortably win the men’s short course European trial. Racing over 1.5km, Lay moved to the head of the field after the long downhill straight from the start and he dominated the race thereafter. With 500m to go, he accelerated away to take the win which would book his slot in the mixed relay team for the Europeans next month.

Lay – who won bronze as part of that mixed relay team in 2023 – was followed home by Tyler Bilyard (Jethro McGraw, Great Yarmouth) who held off Jack Higgins (Mark Hookway, Tonbridge) to seal second position overall.

In a demonstration of her quality on the cross-country terrain, Innes FitzGerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) secured her spot in Antalya with a stunning victory in Liverpool. The reigning European U20 champion will seek to defend her title in Türkiye after winning the junior women’s race at the trial. Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley) pursued FitzGerald on the opening lap, but the gap widened on lap two as the Devon-based athlete moved away to take a fine victory. The top two remained the same until the tape with a ferocious battle taking place close behind.

With the top five automatically selected for the Europeans, Lizzie Wellsted (Colchester) – a key member of the gold-medal winning team in 2023 – was the next athlete home in third place. Zoe Gilbody (Sarah Benson, Telford) worked hard to take fourth position narrowly ahead of Isobel Jones (Wolverhampton and Bilston), with Eleanor Strevens (Christopher Voice, Eastbourne) nine seconds back in sixth place.

The junior women’s race was combined with the U17 girls’ race, with Ellarose Whitworth (Marc Thorpe, Lincoln Wellington) improving upon her third position in Cardiff as she crossed the line as the first U17. Olivia Forrest (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) was next home in second with Zara Redmond (Sarah Dempsey, Kilbarchan) completing the podium.

For the second year in a row, Henry Dover was triumphant in the U20 men’s race to secure his GB&NI vest. The Shaftesbury Barnet athlete was a leading protagonist throughout the race, but even though he felt pressure from William Rabjohns (Mark Pauley, Poole) and others on the final lap, he took the final turn superbly, and he powered his way to first place with the Poole athlete close behind in second.

Much like the junior women’s race, the top five would book their spots at next month’s continental championships, with Oliver Conway (Radley) in third, overtaking Miles Waterworth (Bruce Warren, Brighton Phoenix) in the closing stages, while Quinn Miell-Ingram (Wendy Miell-Ingram, Radley) was the fifth U20 across the line from Noah Campion (Bedford & County).

In the combined U17 race, Abdirahim Hamud (Idris Hamud, Shaftesbury Barnet) was first across the line with Jack Marwood (Salford) matching his Cross Challenge position from Cardiff in second, and Evan Grime (Ian Grime, Salford) close behind in third.

A superb turn of pace in the second half of the race was the defining factor in Kara Gorman’s (Shireen Higgins, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) second Cross Challenge win of the season in the U15 girls race. Kitty Scott (Mick Woods, Aldershot Farnham & District) had led for long stages, but at the halfway point, Gorman came onto her shoulder and exerted pressure around the top section of the course. As they approached the downhill section before turning back to the finish, Gorman had opened a race winning lead from Scott to take the win. Summer Smith (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) was third.

One of the best finishes of the day came in the U15 boys race with Ewan Withnall (Graham Lamb, Burton) and Yaried Alem (Leeds) separated by the finest of margins. The pair were locked in battle and shoulder to shoulder in the closing stages, and although the Leeds athlete threw himself at the line, the officials reviewed the footage to see it was Withnall who was adjudged to have taken it from Alem – both getting the same time – with Osian Parry (Menai T&F) in third place.

Madison Kindler (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) followed up her win in Cardiff at the opening Cross Challenge fixture with a second one in Liverpool after a strong performance. Kindler won at Sefton Park last year in the U11 category, and she used her knowledge of the course to pull away from Preston’s Ellie Blackhurst (Peter Crook) and Jessica Thake (Hallamshire Harriers).

Scotland’s Sam Deery (Dennese Whiteford, Giffnock North) came through to seal victory in the U13 boys race despite a late charge from the challengers behind. In a fast and furious finish where just four seconds separated the top four, Deery crossed the line first ahead of Rocco Hawley (Wolverhampton & Bilston), with Thomas Hastings (Wakefield) bagging third place from Edward Salter (Taunton).

The U11 girls’ race was taken by Alba Jones (Wolverhampton & Bilston) who finished 14 seconds ahead of Ada Penfold (North Shields Poly) with Lianne Esterhuysen (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) in third place. The U11 boys’ race was won by Rowan Carson (Bridgend) from James Lombard (Salford) and Sebastian Buxton (Julie Smith, City of Stoke).

Results can be found HERE. https://results.sporthive.com/events/7265327202869182464