Blackburn runner veered toward the route of slower runners about 150 metres from the finish, hurdled the course tape twice to rejoin the race and still caught James Kingston, while Kate Axford held off Amelia Quirk in a thrilling women's finish.

Matthew Ramsden won the senior men's race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge on Sunday (Nov 8) despite running off course about 150 metres from the finish and having to hurdle the course tape twice to rejoin the route.

Ramsden and James Kingston of Tonbridge AC were always comfortably placed at the front of the 9.6km race and pulled away from the rest on the final lap. Kingston appeared to be heading for victory when Ramsden missed the entrance to the home straight. Instead, the Blackburn Harriers runner followed the route being taken by slower runners who still had a further lap to complete.

The error looked costly, but Ramsden produced a stunning burst of speed to chase down Kingston and win in 27:26. Kingston was two seconds behind and Kadar Omar of Birchfield Harriers, who had joined the leading pair earlier on the final lap, completed the podium in 27:39.

"It was brilliant, my first time at Cardiff Cross," said Ramsden. "I have heard it was good underfoot and dry, which it has been the previous years, which it was. It was good running out there, it is completely different to what cross country is about, but it is still a gutsy course, so I am happy with that."

With the meeting being a World Athletics silver label meeting this year instead of gold, it was missing some of the usual international contenders at the sharp end, which meant domestic runners dominated the battle for podium places.

A big pack took the men's race out, with Jacob Cann of Western Tempo leading early on. Cann finished fourth in 27:44, with Callum Elson of Cambridge & Coleridge AC and Jenson Connell of Leeds City AC each clocking 27:46 for fifth and sixth. Mahamed Mahamed of Southampton AC was also in the mix before finishing 11th.

The women's race, over 6.4km, was equally tense. Kate Axford of Belgrave Harriers was always part of the lead group, with Poppy Tank of City of City of Plymouth AC, Lizzie Wellsted of Colchester Harriers AC and Rebecca Flaherty of Bingley Harriers all taking turns at the front and Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir, in a rare cross-country appearance, also in the mix.

On the final lap Axford, Amelia Quirk of Bracknell AC and Flaherty pulled clear and all three surged to the front in the closing stages. Flaherty then lost touch as Axford and Quirk kicked for home and Axford held on to win, with the pair given the same time of 20:37. Flaherty was third, three seconds back, with Tank fourth in 20:49 and Muir fifth in 20:50.

Quirk was seventh in Cardiff a year ago, when the senior races were won by the Kenyans Cynthia Chepkirui and Mathew Kipsang. This time British runners filled the podium in the two senior races.

For Axford, the win followed a spell of setbacks and injuries. "The last time I raced this race was two years ago; since that time, I have had all sorts of different setbacks and injuries," she said. "I like cross, but I didn't know how I would fare. It was nice to use some of that 1500m speed in the last 30 seconds to take the win. It was a great race; I was tested all the way."

Earlier in the day Maisey Bellwood of Keighley & Craven AC dominated the under-20 women's race, run alongside the under-18s over 4.45km. She won in 14:45, 21 seconds clear of Lizzy Sheridan of Reading AC, with Eleanor Foster of North Devon AC third in 15:08.

READ MORE: Mud, money and medals – a look at cross-country's future

Rory Barclay-Watt of Exeter Harriers was similarly dominant in the under-20 men's race, which also included under-18s over 5.56km. He front-ran to a 10-second victory in 16:01 over Jack Sanderson of Settle Harriers, with Onjoro Sumba of Aldershot, Farnham & District given the same time as Sanderson in third.

The first of three races in the Sportsshoes British Athletics Cross Challenge Series, Cardiff now hands over to Liverpool. The Liverpool Cross Challenge at Sefton Park on November 28 doubles as the official trial for selection to the GB team for the European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade.

RESULTS

Senior women (6.4km)
1 Kate Axford (Belgrave Harriers) 20:37
2 Amelia Quirk (Bracknell AC) 20:37
3 Rebecca Flaherty (Bingley Harriers & AC) 20:40
4 Poppy Tank (City of Plymouth AC) 20:49
5 Laura Muir (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) 20:50
6 Almi Nerurkar (Brighton Phoenix) 20:57
7 Lizzie Wellsted (Colchester Harriers AC) 21:00
8 Mia Waldmann (Reading AC) 21:08
9 Sarah Bourne (Derby AC) 21:16
10 Amy Griffiths (Aldershot Farnham & District) 21:22

Senior men (9.6km)
1 Matthew Ramsden (Blackburn Harriers & AC) 27:26
2 James Kingston (Tonbridge AC) 27:28
3 Kadar Omar (Birchfield Harriers) 27:39
4 Jacob Cann (Western Tempo) 27:44
5 Callum Elson (Cambridge & Coleridge AC) 27:46
6 Jenson Connell (Leeds City AC) 27:46
7 Angus McMillan (City of York AC) 28:11
8 Peter Molloy (Western Tempo) 28:12
9 Mark Ruby (Poole AC) 28:14
10 Mick Wolvekamp (NED) 28:20

U20 women (4.45km)
1 Maisey Bellwood (Keighley & Craven AC) 14:45
2 Lizzy Sheridan (Reading AC) 15:06
3 Eleanor Foster (North Devon AC) 15:08
4 Holly Cross (Liverpool Harriers & AC) 15:12
5 Holly Humphreys (Swansea Harriers) 15:17
6 Bryony Boyce (Cardiff, U18) 15:17
7 Florence Goodwin (Brighton & Hove AC, U18) 15:19
8 Olivia Lee (Derby AC, U18) 15:20
9 Holly Reid (City of Plymouth AC) 15:21
10 Isabella Tutt (Halifax H&AC, U18) 15:32

U20 men (5.56km)
1 Rory Barclay-Watt (Exeter Harriers) 16:01
2 Jack Sanderson (Settle Harriers) 16:11
3 Onjoro Sumba (Aldershot Farnham & District) 16:11
4 James Alexander (Garscube Harriers) 16:16
5 Bradley Andrews-Callec (Jersey Spartan AC) 16:17
6 Nirajkrishna Manojkumar (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC, U18) 16:24
7 Finlay Goodman (HY Athletics Club) 16:27
8 Gabriel Wagstaff (Bromsgrove & Redditch AC) 16:29
9 Joseph Finch (North Somerset AC) 16:30
10 Thomas Vestey (Taunton AC) 16:33

U18 women (4.45km)
1 Bryony Boyce (Cardiff) 15:17
2 Florence Goodwin (Brighton & Hove AC) 15:19
3 Olivia Lee (Derby AC) 15:20
4 Isabella Tutt (Halifax H&AC) 15:32
5 Charley Whysall (Mansfield Harriers) 15:38

U18 men (5.56km)
1 Nirajkrishna Manojkumar (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC) 16:24
2 Elliott Langley-Aybar (Bracknell AC) 16:40
3 Byron Roberts (Eastbourne Rovers AC) 16:44
4 Nate Greig (Bridgend Athletics) 16:47
5 Fred Jones (Wolverhampton & Bilston) 17:00

U16 girls (3.2km)
1 Sophie Bickerstaff (Brentwood Beagles) 10:59
2 Roni Kohring (Warriors Pentathlon and Athletic Club) 11:00
3 Elizabeth Griffiths (Corby AC) 11:01
4 Amelie Wormald (Preston Harriers) 11:08
5 Eilidh Hunt (St Mary's Richmond AC) 11:10

U16 boys (3.2km)
1 Lewis Durston (Bridgend Athletics) 9:36
2 Thomas Hastings (Wakefield District H & AC) 9:37
3 Edward Salter (Taunton AC) 9:43
4 Jonah Tildesley (City of Portsmouth AC) 9:51
5 Jacob Dutton (Burton AC) 9:53

U14 girls (2.78km)
1 Sophia Davies (Brentwood Beagles) 9:17
2 Lianne Esterhuysen (Brentwood Beagles) 9:35
3 Ada Penfold (Gosforth H&AC) 9:38
4 Charlotte Mansfield (North Somerset AC) 9:59
5 Jessica Davidson (Brentwood Beagles) 10:07

U14 boys (2.78km)
1 Sebastian Buxton (City of Stoke AC) 8:37
2 Rowan Carson (Bridgend Athletics) 9:18
3 Noah Howells (Aberdare Valley AAC) 9:21
4 Gregor Wright (Lasswade AC) 9:33
5 Jack Whysall (Mansfield Harriers) 9:57