AFTER a week of rain the mud was thick at Witton Park but under a bright sky Blackburn & Darwen Schools athletes made easy work of it in their 2007 Cross Country Championships.

Hundreds of athletes turned out with the top finishers in each race gaining selection for the town team which will compete in the Lancashire Championships in February, also at Witton Park.

Although there were some excellent individual performances the team champions of each year were greeted with loud cheers from the huge numbers of spectators gathered around the winners podium. Overall this year the best school would probably be St Wilfrids on aggregate scoring. They are making impressive progress with their athletics and cross country programmes. Although they only won one team championship with the junior boys title, they followed that up with two runners up positions in the junior and inter-girls and backed that with three third positions. Narrowly behind was St Bedes Sports College who took the year 7 boys trophy and inter-boys title with ease as well as a second and third in the team positions. However, on the girls front Westholme were dominant and had a clean sweep of all four girls team titles including the Outdoor Action Cup for the sixth form girls. St Wilfrids girls chased them all the way in all four age groups with QEGS girls showing some improvement and the boys winning the sixth form team title.

Many of the individual races were tight and exciting but Katie Buckley of Westholme won well and in the clear in the first race of the day from Sophie Layfield of St Wilfrids and Abigail Beardmore, also of Westholme. Immediately following came the year 7 boys race, which was eventually dominated by Ashley Allen of Pleckgate School pulling away towards the end from St Bedes Jordan Duckworth and Joe Oldfield, both of them helping St Bedes to win the team trophy from Darwen Vale.

The junior girls race had always been predicted to be a cracker and that was how it turned out with all of the four top finishers members of the strong Blackburn Harriers squad competing at a high level nationally at present. In form Becky Taylor of Westholme timed her run to perfection, pulling away from the group on the steep and muddy Witton School hill. By the time the finishing straight came into view she was ahead of a chasing Charlotte Atkinson who just pipped ever improving year 8 Emily Fletcher from St Wilfrids.

QEGS produced a champion in the junior boys race in the form of Danny Walsh who beat Matt Fay of Darwen Vale to the line, ahead of Liam Ellicott of St Bedes grabbing the bronze.Fell runner Emma Flanagan of Westholme took the inter-girls title in convincing manner from Evie Jackson of QEGS and Holly Gornall of St Wilfrids.

The most impressive performance of the day was produced by Karl Billington of Our Lady & St John's in the inter-boys race. The Blackburn Harrier, who had made the top 10 in last weeks National UK Cross Challenge at Liverpool blew the field apart with a superb piece of front running beating James Eastham of Darwen Moorland and Chris Matthews of QEGS.

The sixth form college races completed the day with an excellent win from Rachel Wood of Westholme winning her second Blackburn & Darwen Schools title from Mel Taylor of Westholme and Rachel Searson of St Wilfrids with the sixth form boys race being taken by Duncan Burns of QEGS from Simmion Adioye of St Mary's and Alex Breeze.

Cross Country running is alive and kicking in Blackburn & Darwen thanks to some great performances from the school athletes in difficult conditions, enthusiastic crowds cheering them on and willing organisers and helpers in the form of the Blackburn & Darwen Schools Athletic Association in conjunction with Blackburn Harriers.

Bring on the County Championships!

Results - Year Seven Girls: 1 Katie Buckley (Westholme), 2 Sophie Layfield (St Wilfrids), 3 Abigail Beardmore (Westholme). Team: Westholme.

Year Seven Boys: 1 Ashley Allen (Pleckgate), 2 Jordan Duckworth (St Bedes), 3 Joe Oldfield (St Bedes). Team: St Bedes.

Junior Girls: 1 Rebecca Taylor (Westholme), 2 Charlotte Atkinson (Westholme), 3 Emily Fletcher (St Wilfrids) Team: Westholme.

Junior Boys: Danny Walsh (QEGS), 2 Matt Fay (Darwen Vale), Liam Ellicot (St Bedes). Team: St Wilfrids.

Inter Girls: 1 Emma Flanagan (Westholme), 2 Evie Jackson (QEGS), 3 Holly Gornall (St Wilfrids). Team: Westholme) Inter Boys: 1 Karl Billington (Our Lady and St John's), 2 James Eastham (Darwen Moorland), 3 Chris Matthews (QEGS). Team: St Bedes.

Senior Girls: 1 Rachel Wood (Westholme), 2 Mel Taylor (Westholme), 3 Rachel Searson (St Wilfrids).

Outdoor Action Team Shield: Westholme.

Senior Boys: 1 Duncan Burns (QEGS), 2 Simion Adioye (St Mary's), 3 Alex Brees (QEGS).

Outdoor Action Team Shield: QEGS