A trio of Highgate Harriers runners finished inside the top six to secure two trophies in a single race at Kingsbury.

Highgate won both the Liddiard Cup and the North of Thames Cross-Country Championship (six to score), run simultaneously over the Fryent Park course on Saturday.

Sean Renfer was the first Harriers athlete to cross the line, taking third place in 25 minutes nine seconds, followed by Fergal Smithwick (25:39) and Jon Laybourn (25:48) in fifth and sixth respectively.

It was the club’s second cross-country victory in successive weeks – and puts them in good shape for their next assignment, the national four-stage event in Mansfield this Saturday.

As well as their first three finishers, the Harriers had several others well-placed in a field of 137, with Chris Beecham (27:33) the first over-45 runner home in 15th place.

Dave Gilbert (28:12) was Highgate’s next finisher in 25th place, followed by Alex Davidson (28:32) in 27th, Jack Matthewman (29:18) in 38th and Joseph Lowe (30:41) making up the scoring, coming eight in 57th.

John O’Shea (68th, 31:38), Chris Wilson (69th, 31:52), Lumineau Emmanuel (74th, 32:06), Steve Scrutton (93rd, 34:08) and Nick Stockman (99th, 34:48) also completed the course for the Harriers.

Highgate finished on 169 points in the Liddiard Cup, 27 clear of second-placed Serpentine RC (196). In the North of Thames Championship, they scored 106, just three ahead of Serpentine with London Heathside a distant third in both events.

Two Highgate runners finished the women’s race – Sarah Bailey, who took 15th place in 19:35, and 28th-placed Natasha Cendrowicz (21:18).

Highgate’s senior men’s team will go into their next Metropolitan League fixture in second place after a recount of results in the first match awarded victory to Woodford Green & Essex Ladies.

The women’s team top their section, while Highgate are also the top combined club in the race for the Howard Williams Trophy ahead of their league fixture at Stevenage a week on Saturday.