ENGLAND International Pauline Powell is Lancashire's queen of cross country after winning the County Championship on her own patch.

The Blackburn Harrier won the two lap race through Witton Park with a confident display of front running which belied the treacherous conditions.

With the thaw not complete she admitted to being extra careful, but she forcefully demonstrated her return to fitness in her first race since a bout of flu.

The victory carried with it extra cachet because of the presence of defending champion Vicky Gill in the field.

The Chorley Harrier will now be back in sunny Florida, but on Saturday she braved the elements to win the silver medal.

With the cross country season in America completed by the end of November it was a culture shock for the Great Britain road international, and with suspect ankles she ran cautiously.

As the under 17 men were running simultaneously, Vicky couldn't see Pauline and thought she was winning until a team mate shouted to her at half distance.

"I tried to catch her but I don't think I made much impression" she said.

This weekend Pauline will be contesting the Reebok Challenge race at Cardiff and later in the season will be running at Nottingham in the World Championship qualifier.

Vicky's next target is the NCAA track and field championships in the States at the end of May, then both women will be trying for Commonwealth Games selection.

Vicky will be going for the 10,000m and Pauline for the 5,000m.

There was a second home win for the organising club Blackburn Harriers when Michael Hammer took the under 20 men's race.

Persistent Michael has never been a Lancashire Cross Country Champion before but was second way back in his under 13 days.

Chris Hart was impressive in winning the under 17's at the bottom of his age group after taking the under 15's last year.

As a large pack played cat and mouse in the early stages the Burnley teenager always looked relaxed and in control and in the latter stages he had the pace to sprint away from his last remaining rival Alan Stewart from Liverpool.

Another Champion Ben Rusius also stepped up a division this year and he took silver in the under 15's after being thwarted by the impressive Richard Newton from Preston. This was the only boy's title which left East Lancashire.

In the first race of the day, in-form Callum Fitzpatrick secured his win only after being given a real run for his money by Philip Hayton of Burnley. Their private battle pulled them 30 seconds clear of the rest.

Danielle Walker won two gold medals in the under 13 girls race as her dominant victory was backed by bronze medallist Amy Leeming.

With Leigh Whalley and Rebecca Hayton playing supporting roles, Burnley AC secured the team Championship.

Victoria Rusius of Pendle Athletic Club went one better than brother Ben as she won the under 20 ladies Championship while team mate Laura Finucane was second under 17.

Chorley AC secured a silver medal after a fighting runner's up spot for under 15 Laura Livesey and Joanna Gill, Vicky 's sister, won bronze for Chorley Harriers in the under 20's.

Boys and Men: Under 13 (3K): 1 Callum Fitzpatrick (H) 11:46, 2 Philip Hayton (B) 11:51, 4 Curtis Pearce (BH) 12:21, 13 Philip Berry (PHS) 13:22 Under 15 (3.7K): 1 Richard Newton (Preston Harriers) 12:15, 2 Ben Rusius (P) 12:33, 4 Matt Wood (BH) 12:42, 6 Marc Hartley (B) 13:14 Under 17 (6K): 1 Chris Hart (B) 20:20, 5 Thomas Cornthwaite (H) 21:03, 6 James Rusius (P) 21:05, 9 Nat Lawton (CAC) Team: 3 Chorley AC (Lawton, 13 Ben Stubbs 23:16, 16 Rob Mitchinson 23:54) Under 20 (8K): 1 Michael Hammer (BH) 28:26, 5 David Mulvee (CH) 31:00, 6 Chris Rusius (P) 31:24, 9 Peter Dickenson (CAC) 32:41 Senior (10K): 1 Tim Dickinson (Blackheath) 35:32, 5 Neil Tattersall (P) 37:05, 7 Ben Fish (BH) 37:50, 8 Scott Monk (BH) 37:57, 9 Garry Wilkinson (C ) 38:09, 11 Richard Thomas (D) 38:26, 20 Lee Passco (C) 39:35, 22 (4th M40) Tony Chew (C) 40:05, 26 Keith Johnson (CH) 40:45, 27 Shane Fitzpatrick (H) 40:51, 33 (7th M40) Mark Aspinall (C) 41:35, 38 Paul Duinan (BH) 42:28, 39 (9th M40) Mark Wightman (C) 42:29, 42 Neil Worswick (C) 42:39, 81 (3rd M55) Barry Mitchell (C) 47:53, 120 (2nd M60) Harry Manning (C) 60:32 Team: 2 Clayton Harriers (Wilkinson, Passco, Chew, Aspinall, Wightman, Worswick)

Girls and Women: Under 13 (3K): 1 Danielle Walker (B) 13:19, 3 Amy Leeming (B) 13:39, 5 Kelly Ditchfield (CAC) 13:49, 6 Carly Thompson (BH) 13:54, 7 Leigh Whalley (B) 13:56, 8 Melissa Dickinson (BH) 14:06, 10 Jade Hartley (P) 14:30, 12 Alison Leonard (CH) 14:37, 13 Rebecca Hayton (B) 14:47 Team: 1 Burnley (Walker, Leeming, Whalley, Hayton) Under 15 (3.7K): 1 Danielle McCann (Preston Harriers) 14:48, 2 Laura Livesey (CAC) 15:21, 6 Emma Graham (B) 15:58, 9 Louise Highton (H) 16:31, 10 Charlotte Bickerstaffe (PHS) 16:39, 11 Rachel Ingham (PHS) 16:42 Team: 3 Burnley (Graham, 14 Alexis Walker 17:03, 20 Catherine Dudbridge 17:35, 30 Emily Walters 20:18) Under 17 (5K): 1 Courtney Birch (Liverpool Pembroke) 20:43, 2 Laura Finucane (P) 22:43, 4 Rachel Holt (BH) 24:10, 6 Vicky Snape (CAC) 24:53 Under 20 (5K): 1 Victoria Rusius (P) 23:00, 3 Joanna Gill (CH) 24:00 Senior (6K): 1 Pauline Powell (BH) 21:40, 2 Vicky Gill (CH) 22:27, 4 Sarah Willimott (BH) 23:21, 15 (2nd F35) Anna Kelly (C) 25:37, 24 (3rd F35) Claire Goulden (CH) 27:06, 26 (1st F45) Katy Thompson (C) 27:37, 28 (4th F35) Carol Life (C) 27:57, 34 (3rd F45) Janet Pound (CAC) 29:04, 45 (1st F50) Christine Leathley (C) 31:22

Club Key: B-Burnley AC, BH-Blackburn Harriers, C-Clayton Harriers, CAC-Chorley AC, CH-Chorley Harriers, D-Darwen Dashers, H-Hyndburn AC, P-Pendle AC, PHS-Park High School AC.