European bronze for Sherwin in Norfolk

It is the duo’s second European medal in as many months.

On a fast, flowing trail, they completed 5k in 15min 44sec to lie in the silver medal position after day one with a 25-second advantage over Spain’s Olga Avarez.

However, despite posting 16:06 for the same course on day two, Sherwin slipped to third behind Alvarez who improved on her previous day’s time by a minute.

Sherwin said: “I’m delighted with our performance.

“We have competed in four European Championships now and won a medal at every one which shows our consistency.

“Daphne is a superb dog who gives me 100 per cent effort every time we run together.

“She is substantially smaller than the majority of the top canicross dogs. However, what she lacks in size she makes up for in determination.”

Fellow Leamington C&AC athlete Susie Tawney also had an excellent championship with her two-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer Rivelin, finishing fourth following consistent runs of 16:21 and 16:23.

The gold medal was won by Great Britain’s Kim Mazzucca, who posted blistering times of 14:53 and 15:01.