ROSSENDALE Harriers past and present were the leading veterans in the Joe Salt Road Race at Littleborough.

Mark Aspinall, who has recently left Rossendale to rejoin Clayton, completed the 5K route in 16:34 to defeat Phil Taylor by 27 seconds. The pair finished fifth and sixth outright.

Ahead the leaders were chasing a £200 prize for a course record, but Keith Anderson's 14:20 was never threatened as Salford's Ken Chapman took the race in exactly sixteen minutes.

Karen Taylor matched husband Phil as she finished second over 40 lady, and another Rossendale couple Gerard and Christine Navan also raced -- with Christine finishing third L55. Father and son Nigel and Anthony Gotts both finished second in their class, Nigel as an over 45 and Anthony in the under 18's.

Brother and sister Lee and Nicola Leishman are now with Pendle but started with Rossendale.

Lee was second under 16, as Nicola won the under 14's. Youngest winner was Peach Murphy of Rossendale who was first under 12. Darwen's Richard Baxter in his first race was third under 18.

Todmorden Harriers were represented by four over 65's, but it was Longwood's Peter Dibb from Clitheroe who won the division from Brian Hargreaves and visually impaired athlete Eric Blamire.

Andy O'Sullivan organises over 30 races each year, and he started early in 2001 with this promotion on New Year's Day.

As usual it was charity that benefited with £450 raised for the Alf Kaufman School for the Disabled.