GEMMA Shepherd ended her racing year on a magnificent high as she finished second overall in the senior women’s race – and top U20 athlete - at the South West Cross Country Championships.

Representing Wiltshire, the Sheldon School student from Yatesbury, who only turned 18 a month ago, was competing in her first senior championships over a challenging 6.1k course.

But if Shepherd was in anyway hesitant or nervous about stepping up into a new level of competition against vastly more experienced rivals it didn’t show as she ran an excellent tactical race.

Shepherd didn’t panic when junior rival Poppy Tank of Plymouth raced into an early lead and instead paced her effort to perfection first catching Tank and then showing great strength and resolve to hold off Cornwall’s international marathon runner Emma Stepto, who won the Bath half marathon earlier this year.

“I am really pleased with that run,” said Shepherd.

“That is the furthest I have ever raced and I had nothing left at the end and gave it all up the final hill to hold off Emma.

“I would definitely say it is one of the best runs I have ever had.”

And a big contrast to her last visit to the course – which was back in January as the championships have now been brought forward to before Christmas in future - when she came seventh in the under 17 women’s age group.

“I had a really bad run that day so this was a lot, lot better,” added Shepherd.

“It was a good way to end the year and now I can look forward to the big races in the new year.”

Shepherd was not the only Wiltshire medallist at the event with youngsters Rory Howorth and Nynka Rucker also getting onto the podium.

Howorth showed tremendous determination to finish runner-up in the U5 boys’ race as going into the last mile the 13-year-old St Augustine’s College student from Hilperton had slipped to fourth place and was looking distinctly weary.

“I struggled on the hills but then came back strongly and I was really pleased with the way I finished the race,” said Howorth.

Rucker’s success came in the U11 girls’ race with the 10-year-old also showing real strength up the tough hill to the finish line to get the bronze medal.

“That was a nice surprise!” said Rucker, who lives in Chippennham.

For good measure twin sister Josie finished a creditable sixth.

In the U17 men’s race Ollie Weedon led the Team Bath challenge in 12th with twins John and Robert Howorth 22nd and 29th respectively while in the U15s Avon Valley Runners’ Sean Barry did well to make the top ten in ninth.

But there was disappointment for 16-year-old Melksham Oak School student Will Stockley from Semington as his return from injury ended disappointingly as he stepped off the course while Eleanor Webster of Alderton, near Malmesbury, suffered a nasty fall and turned her ankle when lying well-placed in the U13 girls’ race and had to pull out.

Lucy Fitzpatrick was the club’s top runner in the U15 girls’ race and India Ibbotson led the way in the U13s age group.

With the event coming just a week after the Wiltshire Championships it was no surprise that few of the leading local runners made the trip west so the first county runner in the senior men’s race was Chippenham Harriers’ Mark Hooper in 63rd. Also Phil Harding of Avon Valley Runners was second in the veterans’ over 60s age group.