Western Park, Leicester on Saturday 23/02/1974 (Senior Ladies)

Western Park in Leicester hosted the forty-second Senior Women's Cross-Country Championships. The course was firm and mainly grassland and consisted of two small and two large laps.

Joyce Smith (Barnet & District AC), the winner in 1973, and Rita Ridley (Essex Ladies AC), the winner from 1969-1972, were preparing to do battle for the individual title again.

At the end of the first small lap Smith and Ridley led but by the end of the second small lap they were joined by Deidre Foreman (Guinness), Christine Tranter (Stretford AC), Carol Gould (Barnet & District AC), Penny Fowler and Penny Yule (both Brighton & Hove AC), Ann Yeoman (Feltham AC), Glynis Goodburn and Joan Allison (both Cambridge Harriers). At the end of the large lap Ridley and Smith had opened up a gap at the front with Ann Yeoman third and Carol Gould fourth. On the final lap Ridley broke Smith's resistance and Ann Yeoman was closing up on the champion. With 400m to go Ridley was 30 yards ahead of Yeoman who had passed Smith. Ridley, regained the title when she crossed the line in 20:03, this was just in front of the fast finishing Carol Gould with Joyce Smith third.

Barnet & District AC won the team event with a 42-point victory over holders Cambridge Harriers. Kay Barnett (14th) and Margaret Beacham (31st) supporting Barnet's two individual medallists. Stretford AC finished in third spot with 109 points edging Aldershot, Farnham & District AC by a single point.