JESSICA Judd and Sophie Riches continued their fine cross-country form by winning southern intercounties titles.

Rayleigh’s Riches, who runs for Chelmsford, won the under 15 girls race by eight seconds from Surrey’s Harriet Preedy and led her Essex team to gold in the process.

It was one of five team medals won by Essex, including three golds, at the event held in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

Judd, from Canvey and in her first year as an under 17 athlete, was in typically dominant form, winning her race by nearly a minute from Surrey’s Susan Shiel-Rankin and helping her county to a silver team medal.

Also running in the under 17 women’s race for Essex were Basildon duo Eleanor Johnson and Emily Ballard who came home in 30th and 44th place.

Benfleet’s George Elliott came second in the under 13 boys race, leading his team, which included Southend's Lawrence Willmore (fifth) and Basildon’s Max Jones (16th) and Daniel Ashley (19th), to gold in the team event.

Basildon’s Gemma Kersey picked up a team silver medal in the under 20 women’s race after leading Essex home in a fine fifth place, while the other county team to medal was the senior women who struck gold.

Basildon’s Charlotte Bishop was 29th and Southend's Emily Ballard 44th in the under 20 women's race and Karen Goode, from Basildon, 28th in the senior women’s event.

In the under 13 girls race, Rayleigh’s Millie Smith just missed out on a medal after finishing fourth, eight seconds behind the third-placed athlete, Hannah Knapton from Hampshire. Canvey’s Jodie Judd was 11th and Basildon’s Isobel Ives 20th, but the team finished just outside the medals in fourth.

In the under 15 boys race, Southend duo Rob Frith and Josh Mann finished 30th and 57th respectively.

Basildon’s Jack Fitsall was the first Essex runner home in the under 17 men’s race, finishing in 13th place, four places ahead of team-mate Andy Law. Southend High School for Boys’ Alex Short was 20th as the Essex team finished fifth.