SARAH Willimott is the only East Lancashire athlete to have won each of the first two rounds of the Mid-Lancs Cross Country League.

In the second fixture at Lancaster University, the 18-year-old Blackburn Harrier romped away from a strong under 20 field to win by nearly half a minute. Cross country is her favourite surface, and Sarah is back to her best form after a 1998 season decimated by injury.

At Blackburn she has a new training partner to keep her motivated in Karen Brookes, the Lancashire under-17 800-metre champion, and she recently took part in a training weekend in Bridgend with the British Miler's Club where she was voted the athlete of the weekend.

Sarah has been a County Standard athlete on track and country since she was 13, and last season was the highest placed Lancastrian in the Inter Counties, but she feels that to progress further she must look for a higher standard of opposition. "I would love to take part in events like the Reebok Cross Challenge Series, but the cost of travel is too much for an A-level student" she told me.

"My boyfriend is a football referee and I've noticed that all the teams are sponsored. Maybe somebody would like to sponsor a local athlete instead." Offers of help can be made via Blackburn Harriers senior coach Arthur Almond on 01254 209554.

Sarah's main rival in the Mid Lancs is defending Champion Victoria Rusius. Seventeen-year-old Victoria won three races last season and started this season with second place at Barrow. At Lancaster she was seventh which Pendle coach Mark Ashworth attributes to her hard training regime. She excels on all surfaces, and while the track is her favourite, Mark believes she is at her best in the country. She is the reigning Lancashire under 17 champion, the Yorkshire Schools intermediate Girls champion (she attends Skipton Grammar School) and was fifth in the Northern Cross Country championship. On the track she is the Lancashire under-17 3,000m champion, and to underline her versatility, she won an England vest on the fells as an under -15. The Mid Lancs continues at Preston on December 4.

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

Under 11 Girls: 1 Danielle Walker (B), 3 Faye Greenwood (H), 4 Alex Chew (P).

Under 11 Boys: 4 Callum Fitzpatrick (H), 5 Nathan Riding (H), 8 Liam Regan (H).

Under 13 Girls: 1 Anna Brooks (BH), 3 Sarah Blackburn (BH), 9 Justine Anderton (P), 16 Emma Graham (B), 19 Stephanie Snape (CH), 22 Nicola Barnes (H), 24 Nikala Smith (P), 26 Samantha Bullen (H), 27 Charlotte Bickerstaffe (PHS), 32 Nicola Ingram (CH0. Under 13 Boys: 1 Richard Newton (Preston H), 4 Mark Hartley (B), 5 Andy Charlesworth (H), 9 Robert Greenwood (H), 12 Darren Cotton (BH), 13 Chris Monks (P), 18 Robert Entwistle (BH), 26 Andrew Thompson (CH), 27 Matthew Wood (BH), 28 Anthony Morgan (BH). (Team 3rd Blackburn Harriers).

Under 15 Girls: 1 Katie Ingram (CH), 3 Anne Smith (PHS), 6 Carol Glover (B), 9 Victoria Snape (CH), 14 Rachel Holt (H).

Under 15 Boys: 1 Guy Thompson (Border), 7 Jamie Rusius (P), 8 David Riley (P), 10 David Lowe (P), 11 Tony Roscoe (P). (Team 2nd Pendle).

Under 17 Men: 1 R Edgar (Lancs & Morecambe), 4 Liam Barton (BH), 5 Michael Hammer (BH-non counter), 7 Rob Barton (BH), 17 John Riley (P), 18 Jonathan Holt (BH). (Team 2nd Blackburn Harriers).

Under 20 Ladies: 1 Sarah Willimott (BH), 4 Lisa Richardson (CAC), 7 Victoria Rusius (P), 17 Karen Brookes (BH), 18 Katie Trickett (P). (Team 3rd Pendle). Senior Ladies - Clayton (Division One): 1 Vanessa Peacock, 12 Alison Martin, 18 Tiny Lewis. Chorley Harriers (Division One): 7 S Scarrett, 16 Claire Goulden, 25 Lisa Unsworth. Chorley AC (Division Two): 19 Janet Pound. Darwen Dashers (Division Two): 65 Jo Sirkett, 70 Sally Wade, 82 Tracey Taylor. Blackburn RR (Division Three): 50 Elaine Kemp, 68 Alison Arnfield, 80 Anne Harwood. Pendle AC: 34 Kirsti Wilkinson. Burnley AC: 53 Diane Kershaw. Team: 1st Clayton, 3rd Chorley Harriers, veterans 1st Clayton (Peacock, Martin, Lewis).

Senior Men - Clayton A (Division One): 7 Dave Walker, 12 Garry Wilkinson, 19 Phil Hall, 20 Andy Stubbs, 23 Ian Greenwood, 24 Tony Chew. Clayton B (Division One): 29 Peter Butterworth, 31 Andy Taylor, 32 Andy Payne, 33 Graham Cunliffe, 34 Jason Harbour, 50 Brian Horrocks. Chorley Harriers (DivisionTwo): 18 Keith Johnston, 40 Alan Alty, 65 Malcolm Christie, 113 Dominic Raby, 116 Dave Lee, 127 Chris Lane. Chorley AC (Division Two): 67 Paul Corlett, 81 Dave Herne, 101 David Williams, 120 John McGinty, 137 Dave Biddulph, 138 Steve Fletcher. Darwen Dashers (Division Three): 9 Richard Thomas, 16 Russell Owen, 60 Gary Taylor, 87 Pete O'Callaghan, 99 Vinney Brookes, 124 Nigel Dewhurst. Blackburn RR (Division Four): 183 Dave Hammer, 199 John Mitchell, 216 John Schofield, 234 Ronnie Smith, 238 Mick Chimejczuk, 243 Adrian Batson. Blackburn Harriers: 13 (2nd U20) Ben Fish, 111 Tim Ryan. Burnley AC: 41 Mick Lister, 140 Jack Walsh, 191 Lee Jones. Hyndburn AC: 95 Neil Tattersall, 233 Andrew Biddle. Pendle AC: 122 John Rusius, 139 John Ramsbottom. Team: 1st Clayton A, 1st Clayton (Butterworth, Taylor, Cunliffe, Horrocks), over 50s 2nd Clayton (85 Dave Scott, 106 John Nuttall, 121 Geoff Newsam).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.