AN individual win for Pendle's Lee McCash plus three team victories were the East Lancashire highlights of the Lancashire Schools Athletic Association's annual championship, held at a muddy and icy Witton Park, Blackburn.

The weekend also proved to be a wonderful day for 15 young East Lancashire runners who qualified to represent their county in the English Schools' Championships. A further four also earned provisional places in the team.

But the race of the day was undoubtedly the Senior Boys event, and after having won the intermediate title for the previous two years, McCash stepped up an age group.

On the first lap, he led a group of seven runners, but by the second, only Jon O'Dea was left to challenge. It was a brave effort by the Blackburn athlete, particularly in view of a recent injury, and he faded in the closing stages allowing McCash the luxury of being able to wave to the crowd on the run-in.

O'Dea just held off Lee Siemaszko of Lancaster who beat him to win the Mid Lancs race last week. O'Dea told me afterwards that he had just been pleased to be selected for the team, and his respect for his colleagues was illustrated as they emerged top team. Needing a top six place to secure a place in the English Schools' Championship, Nick Samuels ran a conservative race to secure his place. Matt Neild (eighth) just beat Ben Fish, Mark Emmett and Matt Huxley to win a provisional invitation. Blackburn was also the winning team in the Junior Girls race thanks to Helen Leigh (sixth), Sarah Blackburn (ninth), Rachel Holt (12th) and Candy Hamilton (19th). This was a keenly contested race, with 105 runners making it the day's biggest field. First local was Lancashire AA champion Anne Smith who was third running for Pendle. Burnley's Carole Glover (fifth) will join Smith and Leigh in the Nationals.

Pendle won the Senior Girls' race. Victoria and Kate Rogan who qualified for the Lancashire team finished in fifth and sixth places, Lisa Franks (11th) and Victoria Cranshaw (13th) were the other counters. The race was dominated by the impressive Emma Deakin from Preston, champion in her age group for the sixth successive year.

All runners will identify with Liam Barton's sentiments after the Intermediate Boys' race: ''I wanted to go with him, but I couldn't, he was just too fast'', he said of winner Anthony Ford of Blackpool. Liam pipped twin Robert for second, and with Jonathon Holt 10th, Blackburn finished as runners-up.

Another set of twins will be wondering whether they will join the Bartons in the Nationals. Jane and Rachel Parker of Burnley finished seventh and eighth in the Intermediate Girls' race. The first six qualify by right, and there are two discretionary places which are provisionally awarded to the next two home. Four East Lancashire runners will definitely run for the county, Lisa Richardson, still getting stronger after injury and 'flu, was second for Blackburn, Hayley Bullen (fourth) and Katie Trickett (fifth) helped Hyndburn to second team, and 800m specialist Jennifer Tunstall (Pendle) grabbed sixth place by a second. Hyndburn must be cursing the fact that they could not raise a full team in the Junior Boys' race after David Riley (second) and Tony Roscoe (eighth) had produced fine performances. David will now run in the English Schools' which will take place at Luton on Saturday, March 6. Tony must wait to learn whether he too can go.

Results - Senior Girls (Overall): 1 Emma Deakin (Preston) 22.21, 2 Sarah Wilmott (S Ribble) 23.30.

Local: 5 Victoria Rogan (P) 24.24, 6 Kate Rogan (P) 24.26, 9 C Nicholson (B), 11 Lisa Franks (P) 27.03, 13 Victoria Cranshaw (P) 28.15, 15 Emma Shultz (H) 28.49.

Team: 1 Pendle.

Senior Boys (overall): 1 Lee McCash (P) 25.41, 2 Jon O'Dea (B) 25.57.

Local: 16 Nick Samuels (B) 26.46, 8 Matthew Neald (B) 27.07, 9 Ben Fish (B) 27.17, 10 Mark Emmett (B) 27.33, 11 Matt Huxley (28.24), 16 D Navin Jones (H) 29.55, 19 Stephen Chew (P) 31.11, 20 Adam Rushton (P) 31.13.

Team: 1 Blackburn, 4 Pendle, 5 Hyndburn.

Intermediate Girls (overall): 1 Laura Hughes (Chorley) 15.09, 2 Lisa Richardson (B) 15.50.

Local: 4 Hayley Bullen (H) 16.19, 5 Katie Trickett (H) 16.37, 6 Jennifer Tunstall (P) 16.47, 7 Jane Parker (Bu) 16.48, 8 Rachel Parker (Bu) 16.49, 13 Emma Ellis (P) 17.47, 14 Karen Brooks (B) 17.55, 18 Fiona McKay (B) 18.06.

Team: 1 Lancaster, 2 Hyndburn, 4 Pendle, 7 Burnley.

Intermediate Boys (overall): 1 Anthony Ford (Blackpool) 21.22, 2 Liam Barton (B) 21.42, 3 Robert Barton (B) 21.59.

Local: 10 Jonathon Holt (B) 23.58, 14 Steven Black (R) 24.26, 15 L Hill Parker (H) 24.34, 19 Thomas Jordan (P) 24.51, 20 Paul Troubridge (H) 24.56. Team: 1 S Ribble, 2 Blackburn, 4 Pendle.

Junior Girls (overall): 1 Susan Ormerod (S Ribble) 12.41, 2 Carly Rickwood (Wyre) 12.47, 3 Anne Smith (P) 12.53.

Local: 5 Carole Glover (Bu) 13.00, 6 Helen Leigh (B) 13.02, 9 Sarah Blackburn (B) 13.13, 10 Anne Brooks (B) 13.15, 12 Rachel Holt (B) 13.24, 14 Claire Mullen (H) 13.27, 18 Naomi Biddle (R) 13.46, 19 Candy Hamilton (B) 13.48, 20 Laura Finucane (Bu) 13.50, 23 Louise Dickinson (P) 13.57, 25 R Sheffield (P) 14.00, 28 Hayley Aldridge (H) 14.05.

Team: 1 Blackburn, 6 Pendle, 9 Hyndburn, 10 Rossendale, 12 Burnley.

Junior Boys (overall): 1 Chris Watson (W Lancs) 20.39, 2 David Riley (H) 20.49.

Local: 8 Tony Roscoe (H) 21.30, 13 S Madden (R) 21.57, 15 Ian McGee (P) 22.03, 18 Lewis Jordan (P) 22.15, 20 Jon Hunter (Bu) 22.17, 29 Paul Redmond (P) 22.45.

Team: 1 W Lancs, 4 Pendle, 9 Burnley, 10 Rossendale, 11 Blackburn.

KEY: P=Pendle, B=Blackburn, H=Hyndburn, Bu=Burnley, R=Rossendale.

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