The world’s leading two triathletes, Bingley Harriers duo Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, destroyed the 221-strong field to take gold and silver at the Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships.

Older brother Alistair made up for a narrow defeat in the Northern England 10K Road Championship over Christmas to add to his ever-growing list of achievements.

It was the eighth time the 23-year-old Olympic gold medal favourite has taken the county cross-country title at various age groups back to under-13 level.

A windswept Thornes Park in Wakefield was the venue for an exciting men’s race as the second and third-placed runners came within five seconds of Brownlee’s time of 34min 51sec – Jonny Brownlee pipping Keighley & Craven’s Jorge Thomas.

Despite packing their remaining counters between 24th and 32nd place in the shape of Ian Holmes, Andy Peace, Andy Brown and Stephen Broadbent, the Bingley challenge was blunted by a formidable Leeds City squad.

Led by Alan Buckley (fifth), Leeds were able to place six runners in the top 20 to take the team title ahead of Hallamshire, with Bingley third.

John Heneghan (P&B) was sixth while Ilkley Harriers, led by Tom Adams in 22nd, were ninth out of 20 teams, just four points ahead of Keighley & Craven.

Spenborough junior Jennifer Walsh, who was an English Schools 800m gold medallist in 2011, defied her more experienced rivals to win the ladies race.

First-year Durham University student Walsh – who turns 19 next month and is still classed as a junior – came home 18 seconds ahead of Bingley’s Emma Clayton, with Victoria Wilkinson, also from the Beckfoot School-based Harriers, a further eight seconds back in third.

It is the latest triumph for the Spenborough teenager, who last year won the English Schools Cross-Country Championship before going on to represent Great Britain over 1500m at the European Junior Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, where she finished tenth despite falling in the early stages of the race.

At a wind-lashed Wakefield, Walsh began to pull away on the second of the three-lap course for her first senior title.

Bingley took the Yorkshire title thanks to Clayton (second), Wilkinson (third), Jo Buckley (ninth) and Ali Raw (23rd).

Leeds City were the next West Yorkshire outfit in third, ahead of Holmfirth (fifth), Ilkley (seventh), Skipton (13th) and Keighley (15th).

Sally Morley was the lead runner for Ilkley in 15th while Clare Pearson (Skipton) managed 25th.

James Hall (Wharfedale) was third in the under-17 race for Wharfedale Harriers.

In the under-15 category, Seth Waterman (Holmfirth) and Emile Cairess (Bingley) were second and sixth respectively, while Waterman and James Lund (Keighley) were fifth and tenth in the under-13s.

Skyrac’s under-17 ladies were second team thanks to Hannah Brown (fourth), Helen Wood (ninth) and Jaye Riley (25th). Ilkley’s Georgia Malir was an excellent third.

Holmfirth took the under-13s title, with Olivia Sykes leading the way in third, two places ahead of Sarah Pickering, from Ilkley Harriers.