TIM Iveson and Laura Tootell took the 2015 Herefordshire Summer Off Road League honours for the first time, with Wye Valley Runners being crowned the best club.

The last round took place at Shobdon, with Builth Wells' Iveson again showing his dominance to win the men's race.

Tootell sat out the final event, but had already built a formidable lead during the previous three event to win her first league title convincingly.

There were a record 150 finishers in the last race that was held at Shobdon Court.

It was organised by Croft Ambrey RC, who appropriately ended the season with their best performance of the series to comfortably take the first team place on the night.

The race became a contest between Iveson and Hereford Couriers’ reigning champion Eliot Taylor as they battled for supremacy and for the honour of taking the league individual title. The two protagonists ran stride for stride for most of the two laps of the five-and-a-half mile undulating course until the Builth runner tested his rival by powering up the final steep climb emerging from the picturesque arboretum section about a mile from the finish line.

Taylor responded resolutely and closed the gap but Iveson kicked again on the last field margin ascent towards Shobdon Arches before sprinting down the grassy tree-lined avenue to the finish line to win by seconds anmd ensure he won his first league title.

Just 14 seconds further back was Croft Ambrey’s Mark Lamonby who continued his good form by holding off a fast finishing Andy Stephens of Monross Trailblazers to take a hard-earned third place. These 3 runners finished in that same order in the four race series to win the major medals.

Suzanne Turvey, running possibly her final race in the sky blue colours of Croft Ambrey before she transfers her allegiance to an Essex based club nearer to where she now lives and works, went out in a blaze of glory by winning the women’s race by nearly two and a half minutes and finishing 30th overall.

Ludlow Runners’ Amy Fulford was 48th and Laura Lelievre of Monross Trailblazers completed the top three females home.

Tootell's Wye Valley club mate Gintare Gaigaliene was second overall in the league standings with Fulford third.

Croft Ambrey recorded an emphatic team triumph on the night with Turvey and Lamonby’s excellent runs strongly supported by Stacey Morgan, who also took the award for the first veteran in the series in sixth, while Toby Austin was first junior home in ninth.

Croft’s total of 48 points was the lowest registered in the series and was well clear of second placed Ludlow with Wye Valley in third.

Wye Valley had, however, established an almost unassailable lead in the earlier races to convincingly win the team prize and retain their title.

Croft Ambrey’s strong performance pulled them up to second place with the Wye Valley ‘B’ team illustrating the club’s strength in depth by taking third place.

The winter cross country league series kicks offshobdon01 in October.