Beth Carter achieved her best result to date in the McCain UK Cross Challenge Series when she took silver in the under-17 women’s race in Antrim, Northern Ireland, on Saturday.

The 16-year-old Invicta East Kent athlete and Kent College pupil was beaten in her age group only by Irish national under-17 champion Ciara Mageean (City of Lisburn).

Mageean completed the 4,000m course in 12minutes 41seconds, to finish eight seconds in front of Carter.

Joanne Mills (East Down AC) was the third placed under-17, more than half-a-minute behind Carter in 13.26.

The under-17s ran alongside the under-20s and Carter was third overall, with Louise Small (Aldershot, Farnham and District) breaking clear over the last kilometre to cross the line first in the combined standings, in 12.30 .

The meeting was the third in the four-race series and Carter, who lives at Westbere, was Invicta’s sole representative.

She had previously finished fourth under-17 at Liverpool in November where she was in the top 12 of the under-20s.

The final race of the series is at Wollaton Park, Nottingham on Saturday, March 7.

Carter’s next big engagement is on Saturday, January 17, when she runs for England’s under-20s in an internaitonal event in Seville, Spain. It means she will miss the Kent Schools’ Cross-Country Championships at Mote Park.