Sam Webb (Crawley) won the women's race at the Holly Runs in the Priory Grounds at Reigate after club-mate Charlotte Best was disqualified.

Best rested herself from last week's Sussex Cross Country League match at Lancing Manor to concentrate on breaking the 5km-course record at an event she was favourite to win.

She opened up a big lead and looked set to achieve her aim.

But the English Schools' 800m silver medallist lost concentration and took a wrong turning.

Officials thought she had smashed the record until Best confessed what had happened and was disqualified.

But Webb, still an under-17s' runner, ensured Crawley won the event.

She cruised home in 19min.29sec with team-mate Julie Briggs runner up (19min. 56sec).

Another Crawley under-17 runner, Kirsty Fenn, was eighth in 21min. 45sec.

But Best's disqualification meant Crawley missed out on winning the team prize as they failed to complete a scoring four.

It was the second successive mix up involving Crawley runners in as many weeks.

Fiona Clarke (Crawley) and Julie Mitchell (Brighton and Hove) went off course to gift Julia Armstrong the women's race at Lancing Manor.

But Crawley won the team event in the men's race at Reigate over eight kilometres. They scored 24 points with Lingfield Runners second on 111.

Paul Rodgers, who had won the Sussex Cross Country League event in November, was the only Crawley runner to put up a fight against in-form Andrew Gardiner, from Stroud, who won his seventh straight race.

Rodgers, who is still in the under-20 age group, settled for keeping the pursuers at bay after the half way mark when the Gloucestershire runner broke clear.

Although slowing in the closing stages, Rodgers continued his fine recent form to hold off Jamie Baker to clock 32min.22sec, 21 seconds ahead of the Chichester athlete who had his best run of the season.

Dave Rayner (Crawley) was fifth in 34min. 33sec.

Veterans Wally Hill and Gary Thayre completed the scoring quartet in ninth and tenth places respectively, both being credited with 37min. 09sec.