MONROSS Trailblazer Luke Gray stormed home second in the 300-strong Muddy Wood six-miler held at Capler Wood near Fownhope in wet conditions.

Not to be outdone, club mate Gavin Jones also raced home second in the five-mile Beechenhurst Night race in the Forest of Dean.

And he followed that up less than 24 hours later with third in the arduous 7.5- mile Hatterall Sledge Hammer race in the Black Mountains.

Luke came home in 41.41 in his race, just 42 seconds back on Hereford Couriers winner Matt James, while MonRoss over-50 runner James Fletcher was 106th in 59.53.

In the Beechenhust race near Coleford, Gavin just pipped South Walian Mike Erskine by seven seconds, covering the course in 30 minutes 11 seconds to take second.

Overall winner in the 142-strong race was former England steeplechaser Steve Millward of Gloucester AC, who came home in 29.10.

Rob Nicholls of Spirit of Monmouth was next best local in sixth (32.24), with Chepstow Harriers’ Doug Briggs taking the over-50 men’s crown in eighth overall in 32.37.

Fastest woman was Chepstow Harriers’ Georgie Parnell in 11th overall in an impressive 33.50, with club mate Niki Morgan second and best over-50 woman just 54 seconds back and Caerleon RC’s Alice Richards third in 38.38.

MonRoss over-40 runner Rob Potter came home 21st overall in 35.54.

In the Hatterall Sledge Hammer run starting and finishing in Pandy near Abergavenny, the 41-strong field had to climb and descend 1,900ft onto and off the Hatterall ridge.

Gavin came home in one hour one minute and 55 seconds to take third, 2.25 behind Swansea winner Owen Davies.

Back on home soil, he also came home fastest in last Saturday’s Ross-on-Wye Parkrun, which switched to its B Broome Farm course to avoid flooding, crossing a minute ahead of his nearest rival, while club mate Adam Gray came home ninth in 23.57.

Meanwhile, as well as team success in the recent Herefordshire Border League, Laura Lelievre was third overall senior woman and Vaness Ward 10th, Luke Gray was second over-35 man, Andrew Stephens sixth over-40 man, Lucia Demkova sixth veteran woman, Gavin Jones 12th overall senior man and Adam Gray 21st.