BRIDGET Dence, Grace Copeland and Andrew Smith were Dorset’s top-five finishers in the South-West Cross-Country Champion-ships at Bicton College, near Exmouth.

Wimborne AC under-13 Cope-land missed a medal by just eight seconds as she finished fourth for a second successive year.

Bournemouth AC’s Dence, under-13 champion a year ago, ran well to place fifth against older girls in the under-15 event.

Smith (Poole Runners) stepped up from under-15 silver in 2012, to fifth in the under-17s, leading a well-packed Dorset squad of Joseph Arundel, Joshua King and Ryan Walbridge to team silver, the county’s best showing of the day.

South West Cross-Country Championships –Local Results (Dorset and Wimborne AC unless stated), Under-17 Men: 5 Andrew Smith (PR) 20:02, 6 Joseph Arundel (BAC) 20:08, 7 Joshua King (BAC) 20:23, 13 Ryan Walbridge 20:37, 15 Fergus Johnson (DAC) 20:46, 17 Declan Toth (PR) 21:02, 19 Corrie Norton (BAC) 21:12, 23 Jordan Symington (PR) 21:41, 28 Liam Ackerman (DAC) 21:58, 30 Ranulph Cameron 22:09, 34 Peter Horne (DAC) 22:46. County: 2 Dorset 30.

Under-15 Boys: 6 Jason Sotheran 13:46, 10 Piers Copeland 13:57, 35 Michael Biss (WCH) 15:40, 50 Hugh Ireland (DAC) 17:11, 52 Jonathan Greenwood (WCH) 18:32, 54 Andrew Dumbrell (DAC) 18:56. County: 4 Dorset 74.

Under-13 Boys: 7 Thomas Bourne 11:14, 17 Glenn Balfour (BAC) 17:48, 40 Tom Stokes 12:37, 43 Matthew Yates 12:44, 44 Luke Baker (WCH) 12:47, 48 Elliott Symes 13:52, 60 Ethan Greenan (DAC) 13:59, 63 George Biss (WCH) 17:01. County: 5 Dorset 67. Club: 6 Wimborne AC 138.

Under-11 Boys: 5 Jacob Coombes (DAC) 6:11, 9 Jim Dence (BAC) 6:22.

Under-17 Women: 1 Isobel Glaisher (WCH, Somerset) 16:25, 11 Tara Chittenden (Dorchester AC, guest under-15) 19:04, 17 Rebecca Skeates 20:33, 24 Charlotte Bourne 21:36.

Under-15 Girls: 5 Bridget Dence (BAC) 15:27, 8 Charlotte Baker (WCH) 15:37, 14 Flora Johnson (DAC) 16:21, 19 Abbie Hine 16:47, 24 Maddie Williams 17:09, 29 Sophie Easterbrook (DAC) 17:23, 30 Abi Deeble 17:28, 32 Florence Sharp (WCH) 17:49, 35 Natasha Jones () 37 Ella Hearne 18:14, 41 Charlotte Bourne (WAC) 17:12, 40 Rebecca Skeats (WAC) 18:01. County: 2 Dorset 39. Club: 2 Wimborne AC 96.

Under-13 Girls: 4 Grace Copeland (WAC) 11:54, 19 Ella Sykes (BAC, Wilts) 13:52, 32 Shelby Cross (DAC) 13:52, 45 Niamh McLeish (Honiton) 15:11.

Under-11 Girls: 12 Bethany Kingswell-Farr 6:44, 14 Jessica Bourne 6:48, 29 Isabelle Kingswell-Farr 7:51.

Key to Club: BAC – Bournemouth AC, DAC – Dorchester AC, PR – Poole Runners, WCH – Wells City Harriers.