MATT James of Hereford Couriers and Suzanne Turvey of Croft Ambrey Running Club consolidated their leading positions in the contest for individual honours, while the Wye Valley Runners men’s team and Hereford Couriers women’s team continued their dominance in the penultimate race of the 2008/09 Herefordshire Cross Country League.

The race was held at Monkhall Farm courtesy of farmer Mike Price, himself a runner with organising club Wye Valley Runners, over a course of field margins, stony tracks and woodland trails with tricky underfoot conditions of mud on top of frozen ground underneath.

The newly-designed course offered a sting in the tail with a steep uphill finish on tired legs after negotiating the earlier strength-sapping mud.

In the men’s race Matt James recorded his fourth straight win of the series with another commanding performance.

James was never able to fully relax with the improving Christian Jones of Wye Valley Runners running in his slipstream.

James fought off Jones’ spirited challenge in the closing stages to win by nine seconds.

With the consistent John Pullen in third place, a resurgent Richie Richards in sixth and former six times league champion Mike Fawcett seventh, Wye Valley runners completely dominated the men’s team race to register their fourth straight win.

Couriers just hung on to second place with James supported by Dave Williams in 11th place, Mike Link 17th and Stuart Morrish 22nd.

Just two points adrift in third place were Ledbury and District Harriers with their best-ever league placing thanks to Barry Thompson in fourth place, Cliff Berry fifth, Steve Rooke 18th and Chris Law 26th.

In the women’s race, 17-year-old Suzanne Turvey and Couriers’ Lisa Quinn shared the early pace with Turvey pushing on the uphill sections and Quinn closing the gap on the flat.

At the halfway point on a tricky downhill part of the course, Turvey opened up daylight between the two and, with her elegant style of running unaffected by the slippery conditions, she gradually increased the gap to finish powerfully up the hill to win by 15 seconds.

Alison Cooke of Couriers produced her usual solid display to finish third to follow Lisa home, with a best-ever league performance from Ledbury’s Jenny Jones in fourth and Couriers’ Nikki Edwards in fifth.

Quinn, Cooke and Edwards monopolised the team race for Couriers with Croft Ambrey RC second with Turvey’s winning exploit well supported by her mother Nicky Turvey in 10th place and Rachel Nelson with a battling display in 14th.

Hereford Triathlon Club produced an enthusiastic best league finish in third place thanks to Jenny Papworth in eighth place, Jo Crissal in 13th and Sharon Edelstyn 15th.

The final race in the five race series will be held at Presteigne on Sunday, February 1, starting at 11am.

Men’s Positions: 1 Matt James (Hereford Couriers) 45.10, 2 Christian Jones (Wye Valley Runners) 45.19, 3 John Pullen (WVR) 46.01, 4 Barry Thompson (Ledbury & District Harriers) 46.17, 5 Cliff Berry (LD Harriers) 46.20, 6 Richie Richards (WVR) 46.22, 7 Mike Fawcett (WVR) 46.45, 8 Stuart Moore (WVR) 47.20, 9 Stacey Morgan (Croft Ambrey RC) 48.03, 10 Jon Tetley (Hfd Triathlon Club) 48.35, 11 Dave Williams (Hfd Couriers) 49.07, 12 Stafford Rees (Rhayader AC) 49.21, 13 Andy Taylor (HfdTC) 49.41, 14 Dan Barnett (Croft) 49.57, 15 Glyn Williams (Presteigne Pacers) 50.05.

Women’s Positions: 1 Suzanne Turvey (Croft) 32.47, 2 Lisa Quinn (33.02), 3 Alison Cooke (Hfd C) 33.49, 4 Jenny Jones (LDH) 34.14, 5 Nikki Edwards (HC) 35.02, 6 Jayne Littlewood (HC) 35.11, 7 Mandy Evans (Prest Pacers) 35.43, 8 Jenny Papworth (HTC) 35.53, 9 Celia Speake (Builth & Dist Runners) 36.08, 10 Nicky Turvey (Croft) 36.32, 11 Sarah Coggins (LDH) 38.23, 12 Tracey Edwards (WVR) 38.49, 13 Jo Crissall (Hfd TC) 40.21, 14 Rachel Nelson (Croft) 40.36, 15 Sharon Edelstyn (HTC) 40.59.

Men’s Team Positions: 1 Wye Valley Runners 20pts, total 80; 2 Hereford Couriers 19, 76; 3 Ledbury & District Harriers 18, 65; 4 Croft Ambrey RC 17,71; 5 Wye Valley Runners B 16, 63; 6 Hereford Triathlon Club 15, 53; 7 Hereford Couriers B 14,58; 8 Wye Valley Runners C 13, 39; 9 Ludlow Runners 12, 57; 10 Croft Ambrey RC B 11, 42.

Women’s Team Positions: 1 Hereford Couriers 10,10; 2 Croft Ambrey RC 9, 33; 3 Hereford Triathlon Club 8, 21; 4 Hereford Triathlon Club B 7, 8.

l VANESSA Brann, who won the under-17 section of the Herefordshire Championships, has now won her section of the race five times in six years. She came second in the year she missed out on top spot.

Brann also won the 5km road race in Brussels, run in conjunction with the European Cross Country Championships.