LOUISE Small of Farnham led Great Britain’s runners home in the senior women’s event at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on Sunday.

The Aldershot Farnham & District athlete moved through the field to finish 39th, the highest position achieved by a Briton at the meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

Small, who recorded 35mins 51secs for the 10 kilometres, and club-mate Emily Hosker-Thornhill, who failed to complete the difficult, undulating course in Kampala’s hot and muggy equatorial conditions, formed half of the national team.

With an unprecedented display of team dominance, Irene Chepet Cheptai led a formidable Kenyan senior women’s squad to the first ever top-six clean sweep at the championships.

Cheptai, who arrived in the Ugandan capital undefeated this cross country season, broke from team-mates Alice Aprot and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk in the final kilometre to reach the line in 31-57, four seconds clear of Aprot and 52 seconds before the first woman not wearing a Kenyan team kit.

Rengeruk, Hyvin Kyeng, Agnes Tirop and Faith Kipyegon then crossed the line it what was almost a victory parade for Kenya.

Five other AFD runners were on international duty at the weekend, competing in the Home Countries meeting hosted by Wales.

Ellis Cross won the junior men’s race from club colleague Gus Cockle and Enfield & Haringey’s Petros Surafel finished third to compile a perfect score for England.

For England’s senior women, Philippa Bowden completed the scoring trio in fourth place and Lauren Hall was 18th.

The nation’s junior women were all in the top five, including Niamh Brown who came third.

AFD’s women, missing some of their top runners, still managed to claim the bronze medals in the South of England senior road relays on Saturday. The team at Gravesend comprised Rebecca Howard, Jo Harvey, Daisy D’Santos, Amy Griffiths, Gabi Eglen and Katie Bingle.

The AFD men placed fourth in their 12-stage contest.