LEIGH on Sea Striders are South Essex Cross-Country League champions for the second year running.

The race for the title came down to the final event.

And it was the Striders who sealed the victory at Hadleigh Country Park.

On a bitterly cold Sunday morning, they took first place by beating nearest rivals Billericay.

The scores are calculated by the positions of the first four ladies and first seven men, so the lower the score the better.

Leigh Striders finished with 78 points to Billericay’s 161.

That score, combined with two other wins from this cross-country season, meant Leigh Striders will have their name engraved on the trophy once again.

The Striders first joined the South Essex league for the 2015/16 season in Division Two, which they won, and then came in second place in Division One every season after that until they won last year.

Victory was secured this season as Eleanor Johnson finished in first place in the ladies race once again, showing her dominance winning three and coming second once over the season.

The rest of the ladies scoring team was made up of Andrea Burkett (third), Sarah Griffith (fourth), and Hollie Boyd (fifth).

Rhys Gillard was first back despite having run at the nationals the previous day.

The rest of the men’s scoring team was David Raffaelli (third), Dean Ovel (eighth), Matibini Matibini (ninth), James Beasley (13th), Jim Dodsworth (15th), and Damien Harvey (16th).

A delighted men’s captain Dean Ovel said, “To have all of our scorers in the top 16 men and top five ladies is astonishing.

“Eighty six was the previous lowest score in the league since we have been in it, which we achieved at our home fixture last season.

“To smash that with a total score of 78 is incredible.

“This club continues to go from strength to strength, building each year on the last, taking the work and efforts of our members past and present and creating such a wonderful community.

“With such team-spirit, depth and talent within our club, from the scorers through to the last finishers and all those supporting on the side-lines, there’s not much we couldn’t have a go at. “ Division One 1st: Leigh-on-Sea Striders - 78 (men 65, ladies 13) 2nd: Billericay Striders - 161 3rd: Benfleet Running Club - 260 4th: Barking Road Runners - 704