Deal Tri Club provided a super quick course at Fowlmead Country Park for the fourth of seven races in the Kent Fitness Cross Country League on Sunday morning, writes Alan Newman.

There were 343 finishers, who completed two circuits of the predominantly flat perimeter trail.

The absence of mud did not prevent the previous race winner, Craig Sharp (M40, Dartford Harriers), from adding a second victory to his tally and increasing his overall lead in the league.

Sharp finished four seconds ahead of James Gibson, of Istead and Ifield Harriers, in 29min27sec for the five and a half miles. Noel Sutton (M40, Thanet Roadrunners) was a further eleven seconds in arrears in third.

With the Kent Masters’ championships this weekend there was added interest in the age-group leaders and they included M45 Theo Bately (Deal Tri, 15th), M50 Keith Dowson (Sevenoaks, 20th), M55 Trevor Wignall (Larkfield, 46th), M60 James Graham (Sevenoaks, 55th) and M65 Phil Wallace (Medway and Maidstone, 121st).

The women’s race featured a demonstration run by local favourite Jill Cliff (W40 Deal Tri, 33.39), who finished a minute ahead of Claire Day (Paddock Wood). Cliff and Day have both won two races but Cliff is two to one in head to head competition and leads the league by a tiny margin.

Lynne Champion (W45, Istead and Ifield Harriers) enjoyed her best ever result to finish third overall. Stephanie Hearn (Medway and Maidstone), Faye Roberts (Canterbury Harriers) and Jo Malpass (W40, Deal Tri) completed the top six.

Higher age-group leaders were W50 Julie Stoppani (Maidstone Harriers, 8th); W55 Barbara Wenman (Canterbury Harriers, 13th) and W60 Sue James (Paddock Wood, 36th).