BURNLEY'S Danielle Walker has been hailed as "a star of the future" by England Fell Coach Norman Matthews after a stunning international debut in the Home Countries Junior match at Moel Ellio near Llanberis.

The tiny 13-year-old won individual silver and team gold despite competing against girls up to three years older.

Chorley athletes Katie Ingram and Vicky Snape were both medal winners too, grabbing their share of the limelight as the England Team shone.

Matthews had given Walker the chance to become the youngest athlete to run in this fixture when he changed the format at the English Championship race at Little Langdale three weeks ago.

The race doubled as the Home International Trial and Matthews put the Under 14s and the Under 16s in the same race to give her a chance to qualify for the Under 16 Team - his hunch paid off as Walker came second.

"I knew she would do it," he said afterwards.

Not content just to become Burnley Athletic Club's first international for 20 years, Walker went all out to win in Wales.

On a hilly but fast course, described by Matthews as an oversize cross country, Walker was right on the shoulder of Runcorn's Karrie Hawitt until the top of the climb.

It was only on the descent that the older girl proved to be stronger in the legs and therefore more stable.

Hawitt ran out a winner by 18 seconds in 20:33, with Danielle second, Talia Jones third, and Chorley Athletic Club's Vicky Snape sixth in 22:33.

It was Snape's second England vest, having also been selected for the corresponding fixture last year.

Afterwards Matthews compared Walker's potential to that of 16-year-old Amy Spencer, the Wigan based sprinter who won the 2001 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award.

"She has exceptional talent, but she has got to be taken in hand a little more.

"I'll watch her when she comes to me internationally, but that is only twice a year.

"I had a good talk with Danielle but it's difficult to be pro-active as a coach. I don't go in unless the family request it but I would be happy to sit down with mum and dad and talk about the future."

One of Matthews' charges is Chorley harriers' Katie Ingram.

She is the newly crowned English Under 18 Champion, having previously won titles at Under 14 and Under 16 levels.

Ingram was representing England in the Under 18 race at Llanberis and took second place behind a new opponent, Sarah Blake of Scotland.

Lancaster's Rebecca Cronshaw was third for England, but with Scotland packing three in the top six and the third English counter only ninth, Scotland edged team gold by two points.

Meanwhile the strength of the Lancashire contingent was emphasised when Preston Harrier Richard Newton was first Under 16 Boy and a winner of a team gold medal.