CLAYTON Harrier Andy Stubbs won the Barrowford Fell Race to maintain a healthy lead in the Pendle and Burnley Grand Prix at the half way mark.

Team mate Anna Kelly looked set to emulate Stubbs as she won too, but with a double header this weekend she missed Sunday's Hendon Brook 13.5 mile Road Race to leave the women's series wide open.

Kelly's absence has highlighted the difficulties the Grand Prix has in attracting entries.

Cancelled last year because of the foot and mouth outbreak, the athletes have failed to return this season.

With five of the 12 races still to go, already only about half a dozen athletes have run in all the races, and some of the top prizes inevitably will go to athletes with incomplete records.

Both of last weekend's races attracted their lowest fields ever, 59 at Barrowford and 48 at Hendon Brook.

Race organiser Gerry McCabe said he was "devastated" by the Hendon Brook field, the race has raised around £18,000 in its 18 year history for Primrose Hill Special School for children with physical disabilities where Gerry is the headmaster.

This year it will be just £200, and he finds it hard to justify the input into the event.

Indeed several local charities will feel the squeeze as all the races raise money for good causes.

He admitted to "having a rethink" about the races he promotes adding that the size of fields "is something that the Committee (of the Grand Prix) will have to look at."

The Barrowford Fell Race has been run for over 20 years over the same route - from Pendle Heritage Centre.

It starts on the road before hitting the canal towpath then the fell before returning to the centre by road.

Stubbs took victory by completing the six miles in 30mins 41secs, 37 seconds ahead of Thornton Taylor from Rossendale Harriers.

Taylor set a new over 45s record, while Clayton's John Tomlinson in third took the M40 title.

The revelation of the race was Tom Cornthwaite of Hyndburn, fifth in 31:34 at the age of 17.

Clayton Harriers' Jean Rawlinson and Graham Murray set new course records in the F50 and M55 classes.

There was a second course record for Jean Rawlinson at Hendon Brook as the over 50 finished second lady in 1hr 43mins 26secs.

Only Jeannette Coleman could beat her, the Chorley Harrier who has recently moved into the F45 class clocked 1:40:36.

One man who is certainly committed to the Grand Prix is Mark Smith who travelled from his Gateshead home.

He won in 1:22:24 with Clayton's outstanding over 45 Roger Brewster second in a record 1:22:57.

The Grand Prix takes a break for six weeks until the Worsthorne Magnificent 7M on Sunday August 4 and the Pendle Hill Challenge 8M the following day.

Subsequent races include the Cliviger Lancs Sports Repairs 6M on August 11, the Trawden Road and Cross Country Race on August 14 and the Weets Fell Race at Barnoldswick on August 18.