Beckie Taylor has won an individual bronze medal at the British and Irish junior fell running championships at a wet Glendalough in County Wicklow.

The Blackburn Harrier also helped England’s U18 women to team gold while the U16 boys struck gold too with Blackburn’s Dominic Mahoney their third counter on his international debut.

Scotland won the other two classes and pipped England for the overall trophy with Ireland third, ahead of Wales and Northern Ireland.

The results were mixed for the strong East Lancashire contingent as neither Emma Spencer nor Alan McKeown managed to finish.

Spencer, the ex-Pendle athlete, turned an ankle in the U16 women’s race and McKeown, running in his Blackburn colours as a reserve for the U18s, suffered a hamstring injury.

The U16 women could only manage fourth but there was silver for the U18 men where Rossendale Harrier Joe Johnston was 13th and the non-counter in the English quartet.

Mahoney was awarded his first England vest after his first fell race under FRA rules at the Darwen Gala.

He proved it was no flash in the pan with sixth spot in the U16s race to score for his country alongside winner Felix McGrath and runner up Kristian Edwards.

Rossendale’s Anthony Dalton was 14th, competing as an England reserve after winning the English Uphill Championships.

Taylor had been carrying a mild cold in the preceding week, but the English U18 champion still attempted to win, trading first and second places in the early stages.

After turning back, she conceded second to team-mate Laura Riches on the descent but was still a comfortable third as Scout Adkin won for the Scots.

Rachel Jefferson’s seventh place gave the England team six points in hand over the Scots.