Farnham Runners achieved some impressive results in the Southern Cross Country League fixture at Lord Wandsworth College organised by Hart Road Runners.

The course proved to be challenging all the way round, either hilly, muddy or with roots to look out for that had been marked in orange by the host club.

Those who had run the route in previous years remarked it could be much wetter underfoot, sometimes with knee-deep puddles where there were muddy patches.

Farnham Runners finished third on the day out of 22 clubs, with the ladies second and the men seventh.

The club’s scorers were Joe Collins (fourth), Chris Cary (16th), Ivan Chunnett (60th) and Colin Addison (68th) for the men and Lizzie May (second), Leza Milligan (11th), Gabriella Hitchcock (13th) and Linda Tyler (27th) for the ladies.

In the top 100 were Charles Ashby (77th), Simon Millard (80th), Paul Keogh (83rd) and Harvey Wickham (90th) for the men and Sue Taylor (33rd), Candy Waller (35th), Gemma Whitehouse (52nd), Tori Shaw (76th), Kay Copeland (77th), Jane Georghiou (85th), Vicky Goodluck (90th) and Lizzie Collins (100th) for the ladies.

Also braving the mud were Charlie Walters, Mike Carter, Harry May, Richard Denby, Chris Gill, Howard Inns, Terry Steadman, Craig Tate-Grimes and Jonathan Tyler for the men and Alison Lamb, Kelly Lincoln, Laura Smith, Jane Allen, Laylan Pointon-Berkowitz, Colette Grist, Kate Townsend, Nicola O'Connor, Penny Schnabel and Julia Tagg for the ladies.

Chris Raby joined former Farnham Runners’ men’s captain Ali Hardaway, who is now based in Wales, for the 34-mile (55km) Celtic Ultra Marathon.

With 5,850ft of ascent through the remote Afan Forest and Rhigos mountains, it was a serious challenge for which both had put in the mileage in training.

Running together on the day, they finished in 7:07.33 to top their age categories.

By Jane Georghiou