THERE was success at the double teenage Tom Cornthwaite.

The 16-year-old was the winning junior in the Hyndburn 10K Multi Terrain race, taking sixth place overall in 35:44, and, with Shane Fitzpatrick in ninth and Andrew McFarlane 13th, Hyndburn AC men took the team title in the Accrington Road Runners promotion.

And that completed a double for the Clitheroe Royal Grammar School pupil, who had already won the under-17s men's race in the final Mid-Lancs Cross Country League at Lancaster University - his first ever win in the series - the previous day.

"This is my first year of proper training and racing," said Cornthwaite.

"I was quite good at school and my games teacher Frances Griffiths suggested I joined Hyndburn."

That was only a year ago and Tom describes his running as "a learning experience."

He prefers the longer distances, 800m and above, and especially enjoys running on the road.

This was is second victory over the distance as he was also the first junior in the Ribble Valley 10K over the Christmas period.

Part of that learning experience was an unfortunate incident in the recent Lancashire Schools Cross Country Championships at Witton Park when he missed the start of the race.

By the time he had emerged from the changing rooms the pack were 600m away and, although he ran his socks off to finish 10th, it cost him a place at the English Schools Championship this coming weekend.

However, he can look forward to this summer's Commonwealth Games after successfully applying as a volunteer helper.

He has been chosen as a timing and scoring assistant and already he has been interviewed on North West Tonight.

Lee Passco was another who successfully doubled up at the weekend.

At Hyndburn he was the leading local taking third spot in 34:59 behind Liverpool Pembroke's Jas Nathan.

The weekend marked the culmination of a gradual improvement over the past 12 months for Lee as he was also the first Clayton Harrier at Lancaster. Finishing tenth he was well supported by Gary Wilkinson, Mark Aspinall and Ian Greenwood, as the senior men powered to another Mid-Lancs win.

Rossendale's newly crowned fell champion, Thornton Taylor, switched disciplines to lift the veteran's trophy at Hyndburn, taking fourth outright with John Wieczorek in fifth - the first finisher for the host club.

Damien Rawcliffe put the tin lid on a fine day for Hyndburn by winning the 1.9 mile long fun run, while many of the local juniors were vying for honours in the cross country.

Danielle Walker, of Burnley, and Hyndburn's Callum Fitzpatrick picked up their usual wins in the under-13 races, although Walkers' victory was far from assured as she was still feeling the effects of recent illness.

Meanwhile, Vicky Snape of Chorley AC returned one of the performances of the day when she beat the formidable Katie Ingram, of Chorley Harriers, by a minute in the under-17 girls race.

RESULTS

Hyndburn 10K - Men: 1 Jas Nathan (Liverpool Pembroke) 33:44; Lee Hurst (Belgrave) 34:18; 3 Lee Passco (CleM) 34:59; 4 (1st M45) Thornton Taylor (Ross) 35:34; 5 John Wieczorek (Acc) 35:39; 6 (1st under 20) Tom Cornthwaite (Hynd) 35:44; 9 Shane Fitzpatrick (Hynd) 36:40; 11 Paul Targett (CleM) 36:53; 13 Andrew McFarlane (Hynd) 37:40; 14 Brent Hoggan (Acc) 38:44; 15 Derek Ashcroft (Darwen) 39:04; 16 Bernie Johnson (Bburn RR) 39:36.

Women: 1 (17th overall/1st F35) Tricia Sloan (Salford) 39:59; 2 (33rd/1st F40) Joanne Lees (Wigan Phoenix) 44:34; 3 (45th) Rachel Crowe (Lytham) 46:50; 5 (54th) Catherine Kelly (Burnley) 49:02; 6 (62nd/1st F45) Carole Kay (Bburn Harr) 50:19; 7 (65th/3rd F35) Carole Morris (Acc) 51:02

Good for Age - Accrington RR: 43 (M50) Paul Jackson 46:18; 70 (2nd M55) Malcolm Bradley 51:29; 91 (2nd F45) Kathleen Snape 58:54 Blackburn Harriers: 35 (M45) Philip Lake 45:07 Blackburn Road Runners: 30 (1st M50) Dave Hammer 44:13; 79 (F35) Sarah Clarke 53:05 Burnley: 26 (3rd M45) Andrew Kelly 42:27 Clayton Harriers; 38 (2nd M50) Alan Exton 45:30; 41 (3rd M50) Robert Hirst 45:55; 56 (2nd M55) Tom Targett 49:12 Red Rose RR: 85 (2nd M65) Tom Dodd 55:06 Rossendale Harriers: 19 (2nd M45) Peter Irwin 40:22; 46 (1st M55) Gerard Navan 47:09; 80 (1st F55) Christine Navan 53:36 Todmorden Harriers: 48 (M50) John Ashton 47:31Unattached: 84 (3rd M60) Laurence Loft 54:28

Mid-Lancs Cross Country (Lancaster) - Men and Boys: Under 13: 1 Callum Fitzpatrick (Hynd) 13:12; 3 Curtis Pearce (Bburn Harr) 13:22 Under 15: 1 Richard Newton (Preston) 17:59; 2 Ben Rusius (Pen) 18:26 Under 17: 1 Tom Cornthwaite (Hynd) 19:48 Senior: 1 Phil Leybourne (N Fylde) 43:27; 3 Richard Burney (Chorley Harr) 44:47; 4 Neil Tattersall (Pen) 45:14; 10 Lee Passco (CleM) 47:25; 12 Gary Wilkinson (CleM) 47:40; 15 (3rd M40) Mark Aspinall (CleM) 47:57; 16 (M40) Ian Greenwood (CleM) 48:11; 20 Andy Stubbs (CleM) 48:49; 23 (M40) Peter Butterworth (CleM) 49:05 Team: 1 Clayton Harriers (Under 20s completing senior race - Ben Fish (Bburn Harr) 45:44; Michael Hammer (Bburn Harr) 48:57)

Women and Girls: Under 11: 1 Rhea Ellis (Southport) 6:54; 3 Emma Thompson (Pen) 7:28; 5 Rebecca Thompson (Pen) 7:54 Under 13: 1 Danielle Walker (Burn) 9:45; 2 Samantha Murray (Hynd) 9:52; 4 Carly Thompson (Bburn Harr) 10:18; 5 Kelly Ditchfield (Chorley AC) 10:27 Under 15: 1 Amanda Pyrah (Lancaster) 14:50; 3 Laura Livesey (Chorley AC) 15:10; 6 Louise Highton (Hynd) 15:42 Under 17: 1 Vicky Snape (Chorley AC) 20:57; 3 Katie Ingram (Chorley Harr) 21:56; 5 Rachel Holt (Bburn Harr) 22:53 Senior: 1 Caroline Betmead (N Fylde) 21:07; 5 (2nd F35) Anna Kelly (CleM) 22:48