Butler ignored blood pouring from a leg injury to lead Britain to bronze

Despite missing Paula Radcliffe and Jo Pavey, and battling windy and muddy conditions, the team packed into the top-30 finishers in the 8km long race.

Kathy Butler led the team home, running a time of 28 minutes 13 seconds to claim 11th place and marathon specialist Liz Yelling finished two places behind.

Louise Damen, Natalie Harvey and Yelling's sister Hayley were 22nd, 28th and 29th respectively.

Overjoyed Butler, who was badly spiked on the first lap, said: "I thought we had no chance of a medal.

"I still thought we had a pretty good hope for the top five, but third is amazing despite all the problems with people heading into Brussels."

Damen, the youngest member of the delighted squad, said: "It's awesome. It's made my year.

"I knew I had nothing to lose because everyone in the field had five to 10 years experience on me."

Johnson is the first Australian world cross country champion

And Harvey added: "It wasn't bad was it? It was great having the other British girls around me. This was a great start to my career. I don't like mud, but I can't complain when I get a result like this."

Led home by four-time silver-medallist Catherina McKiernan, Ireland finished 11th overall.

Benita Johnson became the first Australian to win a World Cross Country title when she stormed to victory in 27 mins 17 secs.

She finished well clear of Ethiopia's Ejagayou Dibaba while last year's champion Werknesh Kidane was third.

Johnson, a former top junior field hockey player, had stuck in with the leading group from the off and refused to be shrugged off as Kidane and Dibaba - sister of the world 5000m champion Tirunesh - turned up the pace from the halfway mark.

The increase in tempo proved too much for one of the favourites - Kenyan-born Dutch athlete Lornah Kiplagat - and she duly dropped away.

The leading group was down to four by the bell with Kenyan Alice Timbili just hanging on.

But once Johnson - whose coach Nick Bideau guided Sonia O'Sullivan to two world cross country titles - took the lead early on the final lap Timbili faded away.

In the closing stages Johnson broke free of the remaining Ethiopians and by the final straight they were a speck on the horizon as she broke the tape to give Australia an historic triumph.

Women's World Cross Country 8km long race results: