Mellors won the event in 2009 and 2015, but having missed the first seven races of the season the 46-year-old was thought to be “underdone” for a race that saps the strength with a three kilometre uphill climb to the finish.

Mellors gave spirited chase to young tearaways, Tom Walker and Simon Gallagher who, under the handicap conditions, had to give Mellors over three minutes start.

Under that kind of burden Walker and Gallagher finished in the ruck as Mellors seized his advantage, to finish the race strongly with 0.46 minutes to spare from Keith Lofthouse, a  three-times runner up this season, and Nathan Bendelle, three times third, the next best.

The Lindsay Kent is really two races in one, with both the Stawell and Ararat Cross Country Club and the Stawell Amateur Athletic Club combining, and each club producing a different result.

Mellors represented the Ararat club, but Lofthouse who runs for both, earned consolation by winning the Amateur division of the race by over a minute and denying veteran Terry Jenkins an unprecedented hat-trick of wins.

Horsham runner Vicki Tyler fought resolutely to finish third for her first visit to the podium in over two years.

With Tom Walker stopping clocks with a scintillating fastest time, the Stawell Amateurs were finally able to wrestle the Telstra Shop Shield from the Ararat club, which had dominated the event for the past five years.

In the Sub-Juniors division of the race, Chloe Hunter held on to defeat Barney Baker in a tight finish, with Tom Urquhart in third place with fastest time.

The clubs split up this weekend for home runs in the five kilometre Stan and Karen Watson Handicap at Stawell on Saturday and the eight kilometre Simon and Tiffany Gallagher Handicap at Ararat on Sunday.