ADAM Hickey is pleased his preparations for next weekend’s European Cross-Country trials are on track after an encouraging run for England in Spain.

Hickey, 26, was part of a strong four-man England team to compete in the world-class Cross Internacional Atapuerca in Burgos.

The field was packed with some of the best Africans in the world including winner Imane Merga who has finished first and second in the last two World Cross-Country Championships.

Hickey, below, who runs for Southend AC, finished as one of the top European finishers in 22nd place.

He was the second English athlete home, just five seconds back on Jonathan Taylor and was nearly 30 seconds quicker than when he last ran the race two years ago.

Hickey said: “I was happy with that. To finish a lot quicker than the last time I ran the race and to run about 30 minutes through 10km on a cross-country with logs on each lap was good.

“I would have preferred to have been the top English athlete, but I can’t be too disappointed.”

Hickey’s training partner Gemma Kersey, of Basildon AC, was in action at the country’s top-rated 10km race, the Leeds Abbey Dash.

Kersey clocked 35m 04s, her second fastest 10km time ever, and finished 17th in a top-class women’s race that was won by Steph Twell in 32m 28s.