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

Kate Axford (Belgrave) continued her superb form with a fantastic performance to win the senior women’s race at Sefton Park for the first time. After Poppy Tank (Luke Gunn) set the pace in the first two laps, Axford ran a measured race to pass the Plymouth City athlete as the senior athletes began their final long lap. Her lead continued to expand as the round progressed and she took her second Cross Challenge victory of the season and secured her first Great Britain and Northern Ireland vest.

As Axford advanced, Tank found himself embroiled in a competition with Cari Hughes (Andrew Walling, Cardiff) and Abbie Donnelly (Rob Lewis, Lincoln Wellington) on the final lap, all knowing that the top four would automatically book the European places . The trio worked together, with Hughes finishing second, Tank third and Donnelly – a bronze medalist at last year’s European Championships – fourth. Izzy Fry (Sonia McGeorge, Newbury), who failed to keep pace with the group of three, fought well among a very tight field to secure fifth place ahead of Jess Gibbon (Reading).

With the U23 women running a lap less than the senior women, Meg Gadsby (Mick Woods, City of Norwich) ran strongly to win the trial race and secure her first European place. She was well ahead of teammate Kate Willis (Dean Miller, City of Norwich) who beat Mia Waldmann (Mark Booth, Reading) for second place, 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 racing through the crowd on the final lap, the Brighton & Hove athlete claimed the biggest victory of his career to date. He certainly had to work hard on the demanding course run by last year’s winner Hugo Milner (Derby) and Scott Beattie (Mike Bateman, Morpeth) in the first two rounds, but the final circuit allowed him to enjoy his victory famous.

Milner – fourth in the senior men’s race at the European Championships last year – couldn’t live with Tarragano’s pace on the final lap, but he avoided challenges behind him to secure his place in the team , with Beattie a clear third place. Ellis Cross (Andrew Hobdell, Aldershot Farnham & District) managed to get the better of Rory Leonard (Morpeth) in the final showdown, while Calum Johnson (Gateshead) finished sixth overall.

In his first race since February, David Stone (Jeremy Sothcott, Shaftesbury Barnet) produced a phenomenal performance to win the U23 men’s race. He had enough of a lead in the final stages to cross the line and win ahead of reigning European champion Will Barnicoat (Aldershot, Farnham & District). Peter Molloy (Scottish Schs) finished third, narrowly edging Brett Rushman (Andrew Hobdell, Herts Phoenix) into fourth.

Maddie Deadman produced one of the best performances of her career by comfortably winning the European women’s short course event. The Basingstoke and Mid Hants athlete struck in front at halfway, and his lead continued to expand from there. In the end, she maintained 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 an impressive display to comfortably win the European men’s short course event. Running for 1.5km, Lay moved to the front of the pack after the long descent from the start and went on to dominate the race. With 500m to go, he accelerated to take the victory that would book his place on the mixed relay team for the Europeans next month.

Lay – who won bronze as part of this 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 place in the general classification.

In a display of his skills on the cross-country field, Innes FitzGerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) secured his place in Antalya with a superb victory in Liverpool. The reigning European U20 champion will look to defend her title in Türkiye after winning the junior women’s race at the trial. Jess Bailey (Matthew Long, Leven Valley) chased FitzGerald on the first lap, but the gap widened on the second lap as the Devon-based athlete pulled away to take a fine victory. The first two remained the same until the tape with a fierce battle taking place right behind.

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

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

For the second year in a row, Henry Dover triumphed in the U20 men’s race to earn his GB&NI vest. The Shaftesbury Barnet athlete was one of the main protagonists throughout the race, but although he felt pressure from William Rabjohns (Mark Pauley, Poole) and others on the final lap, he superbly took the final corner and worked his way into first place with the Poole athlete following close behind in second.

Just as with the junior women’s race, the top five would book their place 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 to cross the finish line since Noah Campion (Bedford & County).

In the U17 combined race, Abdirahim Hamud (Idris Hamud, Shaftesbury Barnet) was first to cross the finish line with Jack Marwood (Salford) equaling his Cardiff Cross Challenge position in second, and Evan Grime (Ian Grime, Salford) just behind in third.

A superb change of pace in the second half of the race was the deciding factor in Kara Gorman’s (Shireen Higgins, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) second Cross Challenge victory of the season in the U15 Women’s race. Kitty Scott (Mick Woods, Aldershot Farnham & District) had led for long stages, but halfway through Gorman came on her shoulder and applied pressure at the top of the course. As they approached the downhill section before heading back toward the finish, Gorman had opened up a winning lead over Scott to take the win. Summer Smith (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) finished third.

One of the best results of the day came in the U15 boys with Ewan Withnall (Graham Lamb, Burton) and Yaried Alem (Leeds) separated by the biggest margins. The pair went head-to-head in the closing stages, and although the Leeds athlete threw himself over the line, officials reviewed the footage to see that it was Withnall who took him from Alem – both achieving the same time – with Osian Parry (Menai T&F) in third place.

Madison Kindler (Paul Forrest, Brentwood Beagles) followed up her victory in Cardiff in the opening match of the Cross Challenge with a second 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 stand out from Preston’s Ellie Blackhurst (Peter Crook) and Jessica Thake (Hallamshire Harriers).

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

The U11 girls race was won 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 men’s race was won by Rowan Carson (Bridgend) from James Lombard (Salford) and Sebastian Buxton (Julie Smith, City of Stoke).

Results can be found HERE.