As well as cross-country action in Crewe, there were a number of record-breaking performances by British masters on the roads in the past few days.

England's leading masters international cross-country performers were out in force at Betley Court Farm near Crewe on Saturday in a week that also saw a number of masters bests on road and track, Steve Smythe reports.

Guaranteed selection was on offer for the leading participants for the Masters International Cross-Country at Roundhay Park in Leeds on November 15 where England take on Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in age groups from the over-35s to the M80s.

The much more easily attainable England Athletics masters selections on the road (solely against Wales) has mean in recent years some England masters have not applied for the cross country teams in the same numbers as previously but the lure of Leeds saw a good turn out in Crewe though it was mostly North and Midlands athletes who supported the event which was run on a fast surface in good conditions.

It is thought though to ensure the English masters get their best team in the future the trial needs to become an official English Championships offering individual and team medals.

The event was held within a North Staffs League event.

Lee Gratton, who won the masters international in Glasgow in 2023 and was runner-up in Belfast in 2024, was a clear men's winner.

The Midlands senior bronze medallist, who was in the top dozen seniors in the English National and UK Inter-Counties, took the honours in a time of 23:21 for the 8km course.

He was followed home by M45 UK 5km best-holder Alastair Watson (23:50) who was an isolated second with M40 winner Karl Darcy (24:38) a very clear third overall.

Watson at the age of 48 was easily deemed the age-graded performance of the event with it producing a 97.66 pc age-grading.

Chris Blackburn (26:00) was comfortably first M50 while other age group winners were M55 Anthony O'Brien (26:42) and M60 Mark Cursons (28:25).

Katie Latham of Nantwich won the women's 5km race in a time of 17:01.

The W35 who ran a 35:51 10km PB this summer narrowly won from former European cross-country champion Gemma Steel (17:03) who is now in the older age category and will lead England's W40 team in Leeds.

Kelly Edwards (17:14) was third across the line and was first W45 one place up on former masters 70international winner Kirsty Longley (17:28) while Elizabeth Renondeau (17:37) showed the W45 team   be England's strongest in Leeds as they provided three of the top five.

Kate Rennie (17:38) who was the top W50 in Belfast last year and a fine third overall, comfortably won her age group from Mary James (18:00).

Joanne Stanfield, who broke three hours for the first time in London this year, won the W55 age group by over a minute in 18:54.

Other women age group winners who confirmed their England selections were W60 Katrina Oddy (20:39), W65 Sue Cordingley (21:06) and W70 Sue Haslam (22:30).

The older men's age groups competed with the women over a 5km course and there was a win for Malcolm Eustace (18:05) from fellow M65 Eric Southam (18:14).

Other age group winners were M70 Jonathan Haynes (19:41) and M75 Arthur Daley (21:52) while Geoff Newton (24:57) was first M80.

Some athletes who applied for selection didn't compete in Crewe but hoped to get a wild card place available in each age group.

These included W65 Monica Williamson, M80 Peter Giles and W60 Clare Elms, who instead competed in the Westminster Mile the same day.

Williamson, a multiple medallist in the International with a dozen top fives, set a UK best in the mile with 5:58 (5:57 chip time) bettering Ros Tabor's 6:15.

World Masters 5000m champion and 2022 international winner Giles ran 6:45 (6:41 chip) breaking Harry Tempan's previous UK best of 7:05.

Multiple world champion and six-times international winner Elms had felt unwell after a midweek 5km so started behind Williamson and though after a quick second half her 5:22 chip time equalled her world W60 best gun time from last year her actual gun time was only 5:24.

Other British bests at the mile were set by another multiple champion Mark Symes, who ran 4:42 (4:40 by chip) to improve his 4:46 from last year.

Doug Milsom equalled his M85 record with a gun time of 9:18 but his 9:15 chip time was better than his run last year.

It was a busy weekend for masters road bests as Sarah Gee and then Elspeth Turner set W60 half marathon bests at Ealing and Barns Green respectively.

At the Vitality London 10,000, Karima Harris was timed at a fast 35:51 but the masters associations refusal to accept chip times in large races mean it will only be ratified with her 36:09 effective gun time as it took her 18 seconds to cross the start line bettering Lucy Elliott's 36:11.

There was also a record on the track during the week as Sarah Roberts followed up a 5:59.45 world W75 1500m at her Dacorum club championships at Hemel Hempstead on September 21 with another.

Competing in the 5000m championships at the same venue on September 24 she ran a hand-timed 21:25.8 to take a remarkable minute off her own world record set in the British Championships at Nuneaton earlier in the month.

Roberts paced it far better than she had at Nuneaton as she narrowly bettered her best times at road 5km (21:28) and parkrun (21:38) this year and brought the track time into line.

Betley/Crewe results

8km

M35: 1 L Gratton 23:21; 2 M Sampson 25:02; 3 D Awde 25:19

M40: 1 K Darcy 24:38; 2 T Bailey 25:04; 3 J Hutchins 25:07

M45: 1 A Watson 23:50; 2 J Hart 25:32; 3 I Fisher 25:37

M50: 1 C Blackburn 26:00; 2 J Bailey 26:34; 3 G Raven 26:38

M55: 1 A O'Brien 26:42; 2 F Rafferty 27:21; 3 A Walker 29:33

M60: 1 M Cursons 28:25; 2 J Convery 29:00; 3 P Parry 29:12; 4 S Watson 29:30; 5 R Johnson 29:32

5km

W35: 1 K Latham 17:01; 2 J Berry 18:22; 3 R Miles 18:31

W40: 1 G Steel 17:03; 2 L Skinner 17:42; 3 N Curtis 17:52; 4 N Sutton 17:55; 5 A Hollingworth 18:25; 6 J Jagger 18:28

W45: 1 K Edwards 17:14; 2 K Longley 17:28; 3 E Renondeau 17:37; 4 Z Oldfield 17:57

W50: 1 K Rennie 17:38; 2 M James 18:00; 3 R Thackray 19:44

W55: 1 J Stanfield 18:54; 2 N Skilton 20:00; 3 S Walker 20:04

W60: 1 K Oddy 20:39; 2 C Wood 21:12; 3 R Baker 21:47

W65: 1 S Cordingley 21:06; 2 S Davies 22:07; 3 D Gibbs 22:19

W70: 1 S Haslam 22:30; 2 D Kesterton 23:30; 3 Y Gordon 23:40; 4 M Statham-Berry 23:44

M65: 1 M Eustace 18:05; 2 E Southam 18:14; 3 P Merrison 18:41; 4 P Reddaway 18:45; 5 D L'Anson 18:46

M70: 1 J Haynes 19:41; 2 P Hough 19:49; 3 T Hutchison 20:14

M75: 1 A Daley 21:52; 2 D Juggins 22:42; 3 M Weir 22:43

M80: 1 G Newton 24:57; 2 R Bloom 26:00; 3 M Johnson 26:06