AN enterprising venture by the organisers of the Mid Lancs Cross Country League ensured that the winter season got off to a cracking start on Saturday.

For the first time one of the league's fixtures was integrated into the nationally contested Reebok Cross Challenge giving our local club runners a chance to mix with the elite.

The athletes came together at Liverpool's Sefton Park in rainy conditions which made the playing field type course unusually heavy in places.

By the time the seniors ran, around a thousand pairs of feet had churned up the course still more, but England International Pauline Powell was able to take it all in her stride.

The Blackburn Harrier shocked the field by setting the early pace in the senior ladies race before National Champion Liz Yelling passed her and opened up a winning lead.

Eventually Pauline had to settle for £75 of Reebok's cash after finishing sixth. Pauline would have been the Mid Lancs winner had she been registered, but instead the focus was on students Victoria Rusius of Pendle and Sarah Willimott of Blackburn Harriers who both earned top ten league finishes.

Earlier in the day 12-year-old Danielle Walker of Burnley AC had also won an overall sixth place indicating her improvement from last year when she was 21st in the National.

She was the Mid Lancs under 13 victor while Blackburn Harrier Carly Thompson was second. Locals were also first and second Mid Lancs finishers at under 17 level where Rachel Holt of Blackburn Harriers took the notable scalp of England Fell International Katie Ingram from Chorley Harriers. Fourth place went to track star Laura Finucane of Pendle.

Another Pendle athlete Ben Rusius was third league finisher in the under 15 boys race, one place ahead of Burnley's Marc Hartley. Chris Hart from Burnley was third under 17.

Neil Tattersall got his Pendle career off to a great start finishing 29th in the elite field. Of the Mid Lancs men only Eddie Simpson of Lancaster and Morecambe was in front. Ben Fish, the fourth league finisher, was the winning under 20 while his Blackburn Harrier team mate Michael Hammer was third in the same class.

RESULTS

Boys/Men: Under 11: 7 Philip Woodham (P) 8:01 Under 13: 8 (1st Mid Lancs) Ben Johnson (L/pool Pembroke) 10:30, 17 (5th) James Cronken (B) 10:41, 29 (9th) Steven Dickinson (P) 11:21 Under 15: 13 (1st Mid Lancs) Richard Newton (Preston Harriers) 9:26, 18 (3rd) Ben Rusius (P) 9:35, 30 (4th) Marc Hartley (B) 9:56, 37 (8th) Daniel McLean (BH) 10:06 Under 17: 14 (1st Mid Lancs) Ben Jones (L/pool Pembroke) 17:46, 17 (3rd) Chris Hart (B) 17:51, 29 (6th) James Rusius (P) 18:26 Senior: 1 Dominic Bannister (Shaftsbury) 25:24, 18 (1st Mid Lancs) Eddie Simpson (Lancaster) 27:08, 29 (2nd) Neil Tattersall (P) 27:39, 48 (4th/1st Under 20) Ben Fish (BH) 28:46, 56 (6th) Chris Fishlock (P) 29:11, 60 (8th) Scott Monk (BH) 29:26, 62 (10th) Mark Aspinall (C) 29:36, 80 (15th/3rd Junior) Michael Hammer (BH) 30:16, 88 (20th) Tony Chew (C) 30:30, 89 (21st) Andy Smith (D) 30:30, 97 (25th) Steve Duxbury (R) 30:46, 103 (29th) Gary Taylor (D) 31:05, 113 Lee Passco (C) 31:29, 124 (37th) Nev Rickard (D) 31:51, 131 (41st) Paul Brannon (C) 31:59, 140 (44th) Stuart Hemmings (CAC) 32:12

Girls/Women: Under 11: 6 Sarah Capman (B) 8:43, 7 Emma Thompson (B) 8:54, 9 Rebecca Thompson (P) 9:20, 11 Marie Bruney (B) 9:28 Under 13: 6 (1st Mid Lancs) Danielle Walker (B) 10:46, 12 (2nd) Carly Thompson (BH) 11:13, 30 (5th) Alison Leonard (CH) 12:02, 32 (6th) Katy Jones (CH) 12:06, 33 (7th) Amy Leeming (B) 12:08 Under 15: 14 (1st Mid Lancs) Nicola Bearl (L/pool Pembroke) 10:50, 32 (5th) Emma Graham (B) 11:27, 42 (10th) Louise Highton (H) 11:48 Under 17: 14 (1st Mid Lancs) Rachel Holt (BH) 13:48, 19 (2nd) Katie Ingram (CH) 14:06, 29 (4th) Laura Finucane (P) 14:29 Senior: 1 Liz Yelling (Bedford) 17:50, 6 Pauline Powell (BH) 18:46, 23 (1st Mid Lancs) Caroline Betmead (N Fylde) 20:00, 51 (6th) Victoria Rusius (P) 21:31, 61 (10th) Sarah Willimott (BH) 22:01, 75 (19th) Anna Kelly (C) 22:59, 82 (24th) Claire Goulden (CH) 23:18, 83 (25th) Janet Pound (CAC) 23:20

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, R-Rossendale Harriers