Kevin Holland has joined an elite band of Sussex runners to have won the South Of Thames Senior seven-mile cross country title.

On a great day for the county at Coulsdon, seven of the top ten finishers had Sussex connections and Crawley were second in the team event.

Holland, a bronze medal winner at the National Junior Cross Country Championships, has not fulfilled the promise he showed in his youth.

But in January he led Crawley to their first ever Sussex senior team title and this latest effort suggests he is returning to the form he showed five years ago.

Holland (42min.58sec) pulled well clear of Matt Normington (Herne Hill), who 12 months ago sported Sussex colours.

He is the first Sussex individual winner since Paul Rowland (Horsham Blue Star) in 1983 and only the seventh Sussex athlete to win the individual title in the last 58 years.

British Junior cross country runner Ed Prickett was first to cross the finishing line as a non-scoring guest runner.

Surrey cross country champion Paul Rodgers took third place for Crawley, one place ahead of Dave Robinson (Lewes), who runs for Herne Hill. Keith Newton, who wears the Brighton and Hove vest in county championships, was sixth for Herne Hill.

Veteran Bob Creed and Ivan Luck filled ninth and tenth places and with Andy McDerrmott 11th and Dave Rayner 16th, the Crawley team totalled 50 points to take the silver medal behind Herne Hill.

This has only ever been bettered by Brighton and Hove in the 104-year history of the race.

Jamie Baker (Chichester) regained the Sussex Cross Country League title after his runaway victory at Lancing ten days ago.

Samantha Alvarez (Hailsham), a comparative newcomer to the Sussex scene, won the women's title.

Brighton and Hove retained the men's team title again (234 points) ahead of Crawley (405).

Crawley won the women's team event (89 points), ahead of Brighton and Hove (120).