Reigning Northern Champion Ben Fish has won the Inter Counties 10,000 metres title at Bedford.

The Blackburn Harrier set a personal best time of 30:45.25 to break the tape 13 seconds clear of Kent's Neil Renault.

Ben led for all but 200 metres of the race, losing the lead just briefly in the early stages when Bashir Hussain of Cheshire went to the front in an attempt to slow the field.

Fish had been hoping to get close to 30 minutes, but on a blustery day there was nobody to share the pace making and he stretched the field gradually over the duration.

Lancashire selector Brian Craig described Chris Hart's run in the mile as brilliant as the Blackburn Harrier took fourth of a class field in the mile.

The steeplechase specialist took the initiative to lead the chasing pack after the first two got away before finishing fourth in 4:14.36.

Lancashire's men were seventh in the medium sized county class. The counties were just split into two sizes for the women with Lancashire second in the smaller class.

Former Blackburn Harrier Becky White was third in the triple jump and the long jump with distances of 13.19m and 6.07m.

Blackburn's Sarah Henton competing as a guest was sixth in the discus with a throw of over 49 metres.

Catherine Riley had withdrawn from the team following her tremendous victory for England in the 1500m at the Loughborough International a week earlier.