NEWLY-crowned county champion Andy Morgan-Lee was Lancashire's first counter as the team finished fourth in the Inter Counties 10k at Bradford.

Morgan-Lee from Clayton took 12th in 30:27, with Salford team-mate Aidan Walpole 35th, Wesham veteran Alex Rowe 38th, and Steve Smith of Preston 44th. The North East, with all four of their counters in the first seven, took the championship.

In a revival of the first race Andy O'Sullivan ever organised, Paul Freary of Belgrave dipped on the line to deprive local favourite Dave Lewis of victory in the Peelers and Weavers race at Rochdale.

The pair were given identical times of 25:58 for the 5.5 miles. Improving Richard Thomas of Darwen Dashers was sixth just two seconds ahead of Rossendale's Phil Taylor, the leading veteran.

Another Rossendale athlete, Chris White, was leading junior in 11th position. Former team -mates Sheila Gudgeon (Darwen Dashers) and Bernice Greenhalgh (West Pennine) were second and third L40s, Ron Hill was third M60 for Clayton, and Ben Crook of Todmorden was second M70.

Eric Wilson of Blackburn Harriers was second M45, and 16th overall in the east Cheshire 10k. Highest local finisher was Clayton's Paul Brannon, 12th in 33:57.

Gary Taylor from Darwen Dashers was 22nd and there were sub-40 minute finishes for Tony Wood (41) and George Davies (64), both from Blackburn Harriers and Neil Holding of West Pennine in 42nd. Neil's wife Jan recorded 51:50.

Peter Demaine, also from West Pennine, logged 51:42 with prolific racers Brian Tull (Darwen Dashers) and Tony Martin (Blackburn RR) returning 44:54 and 44:14.

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