ON the last weekend of the cross country season, Karl Billington has ended his winter on a high note.

The Blackburn Harrier was the first counter for the England junior men’s team as they won the Home Countries International ahead of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It was all a bit tougher than he had anticipated, though, with a high calibre of opposition including strong sides from the North, South and Midlands as well as the Internationals, while the course at Berry Park in Mansfield was boggier than in his previous experience after the lake had overflowed.

Scotland’s Matthew Gillespie, who had raced for Britain in the European Championships, was first past the post to give his country a great shot at winning the team race.

But England packed the better with Karl fifth, Andrew Coombs sixth and Richard Peters seventh, giving them 18 points – the same as Scotland, whose other counters were eighth and ninth. England won it as the first complete team home.

Billington had been targeting a top three finish, but the 17-year old was rightly pleased with his performance and could reflect that the medallists were all 20 years old and the fourth-placed man was 19.