CLAYTON Ladies fell squad is the team of the moment. Just a week after winning the English Championship silver medal, their eight strong team won the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay in a new record time. It was a different story for the men though, as for the second time this year their much fancied team made a crucial navigational error.

The race is a four stage relay run in pairs. The 25-mile event is centred around the Kirkstone Pass with the start and finish at Sykeside, near Brotherswater. The drama for Clayton's men occurred in the first leg which climbs over the mountains before dropping into Patterdale in the next valley. The route off St Sunday Crag was changed five years ago so that instead of a steep descent and a ford of the river, there is now a more gradual decline along the ridge.

Simon Thompson and Shaun Livesey mistakenly followed the old route, but as a consequence missed a checkpoint. Gamely they returned up the ridge to punch their card, but that dropped the team to 53rd out of 60 teams. Subsequent pairings raised their final position to 22nd, but Rossendale A with a consistent run, took 13th and with it the honour of finishing highest East Lancastrians.

There were no mistakes from the ladies though as they beat a Pudsey and Bramley team featuring former England and British champion Sarah Rowell. Maureen Laney and Bev McWade ran the long first leg, handing to Juliet Horrocks and Judith Hindle for the short stage to Hartsop. Alison Martin and Lancashire champion Kath Wallis tackled the hard stage over High Street to the Kirkstone pub with Wendy Dodds and skipper Katy Thompson taking over for the scramble up Red Screes and the fast downhill finish.

There was a sporting gesture by Blackburn Harriers who shared their entry with Blackburn Road Runners after their entry was returned because the race was oversubscribed.

Result: 1 Borrowdale 3:28.32 (new record), 2 Bingley 3:37.02, 3 Pudsey and Bramley 3:37.20.

13 Rossendale A 4:16.56 (Gary Sumner/Phil Taylor, Dave Schofield/Tony Higginson, Nick Hatchard/Mark Aspinall, Andy Hewitt/Richard Stott).

22 Clayton A 4:28.32 (Simon Thompson/Shaun Livesey, Mark Brown/Willy Sullivan, Mike Wallis/Andy Black, Gary Wilkinson/Ian Greenwood).

41 Clayton Z (veterans) 5:04.19 (Tony Peacock/Andrew Walmsley, Keith Makinson/George Thompson, Phil Taylor/Graham Eccles, Pete Hindle/Geoff Fletcher).

43 (1st ladies) Clayton 5:07.01 (Maureen Laney/Bev McWade, Juliet Horrocks/Judith Hindle, Alison Martin/Kath Wallis, Wendy Dodds/Katy Thompson)

59 Blackburn (mixed) 6:20.36 (Tim Ryan/Ray Moulding, Gail Wrennal/Alison Hulme, Stuart Furness/Stuart Robinson, Lynda Mason/Eileen Peat).

60 Rossendale Ladies 7:27.13 (Dianne Fielding/Sheila Fell, Julie Feeney/Linda Hannah, Judith Wood/Karen Taylor, Colette Tibke/Sue German).

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