Beckie Taylor and Emma Flanagan opened their Red Rose Cross Country League season a fortnight late after missing the opener at Witton Park because of their England commitment at fell running’s Junior Home International.

The second round was on Saturday at Chesham Playing Fields in Bury where Beckie took second for Blackburn Harriers in the U15 Girls’ race and Rossendale’s Emma placed third in the U17s.

Their results were notable for being among the very few changes in the standings: those who had starred at Blackburn mostly shone again.

That situation will suit Blackburn Harriers very well as U11 Elizabeth Greenwood, U13 Sally Searson, U15 Alan McKeown and U17 Karl Billington all won for the second time to consolidate their leading positions half way through the series.

Billington headed an absolutely identical top five in the U17s, although one change elsewhere was that Greenwood didn’t quite manage to beat all the boys in the mixed U11 race this time. Guest runner Bradley Yates relegated her to second.

Blackburn’s boys headed the team standings in the U15 and U17 age brackets with Robert Warner once again backing McKeown in the U15s, and Rossendale’s U20s topped both the men’s and women’s sections after second and third spots for Katie Ireland and Sarah Yeomans. Dale then made it three team victories with success for the veteran men.

Chorley-based Katie Ingram was another two time winner in the senior women’s race while Clayton fielded the two leading vets in Tracy Mitchell and Maureen Laney, and with Sue Burns in support, constituted the first veteran women’s team.