STEVE Naylor finished an impressive 13th in the McCain UK Cardiff Cross Challenge, which featured many of Britain’s leading runners.

The Bedford & County athlete, from Woodstock, completed the 10.1km course on the banks of the River Taff in 33mins 29secs.

Naylor, who won the Oxfordshire cross-country title the previous weekend, produced a measured race.

He said: “It was a very pleasing result. I finished knowing I had given it a good crack.

“With the top five finishers all GB runners including Frank Tickner, Jonny Hay, Adam Hickey and Neilson Hall, it was no surprise the pace was fast from the gun.

“I was in the top 20 during the first lap and just had to plug away at the five or six runners immediately in front of me.

“On the final lap, I had reached 12th, passing Tom Russell, who came second two years ago, but I tired more over the last kilometre.”

Oxford City’s Lauren Hawtin finished sixth in the under 17 girls’ race, clocking 18.39, while her sister Beth, was eighth in the under 15 girls’ event in 14.18.

Radley’s Christian Von Eitzen, who like the Hawtin sisters won their respective Oxfordshire age group titles the previous week, title finished eighth in the under 15 boys’ race, recording 12.24.

Oxford University student Jess Chen was third in the under 20 ladies’ race in 17.27.