BLACKBURN HARRIERS' young guns Ben Fish, Michael Hammer and Scott Monk swept to team victory in Sunday's Ribble Valley 10K Road Race to give the host club a double boost after the Harriers had attracted a record field of over 500 to the Edisford Bridge venue.

There was a win too for a clearly thrilled Chorley Harriers women's team who won by having their final counter home ahead of Blackpool's after the two squads had tied on points.

There hasn't been a local men's winner since Blackburn Harrier Michael Green three years ago - and he was based in America.

That sequence continued this year despite the best efforts of Neil Tattersall.

The pattern of the race was set early with Pendle's Tattersall and Anthony Ford from Blackpool bursting clear from the gun.

By the time they crossed the Ribble half a mile into the run they had established a lead of 100 metres over a large chasing pack.

Ford was the aggressor and a couple of miles in he pulled clear to establish a lead of about 150 metres which he held for the remainder of the race.

Meanwhile, the pack had been whittled down to three at the half way mark with the experienced Paul Muller and Steve Littler being matched stride for stride by 20-year-old Fish.

The younger man showed his superior speed on the short descent to the final crossing of the river and held on during the equally brief climb towards the finish setting a PB of 32:12 ahead of Littler in fourth and leading veteran Muller in fifth.

With Muller now an Over 45, Tony Chew of Clayton Harriers in tenth place took the Over 40 title.

If the improver of the year is not Fish, it must be Hyndburn's Tom Cornthwaite who was 33rd 12 months ago.

Having just graduated from the Under 18s to the Under 20s he took eighth and Junior honours in 33:10.

Fish didn't have long to wait before team mates Michael Hammer in 18th and Scott Monk in 22nd crossed the line to give the Blackburn squad a seven point advantage over last year's champions Clayton.

Ben is back home for Christmas after starting a Sport and Fitness Management course at Troy State University in Alabama.

At one stage he nearly didn't go because of eligibility problems, but when his qualifications were finally recognised it gave him a year of exemptions which means that he can graduate in three years.

He enjoyed a good season in cross country in America but suffered a dip in form at the end so enjoyed his sparkling run at Clitheroe all the more.

For the second year, Tricia Sloane was the runner up in the women's race, this time to Bolton's Liz Proctor who completed a Christmas double having already won at Leyland on Boxing Day.

Sloane runs for Salford Harriers but lives at Slaidburn and she was the only local in the first ten.

Among our local clubs Nicola Wood of Accrington Road Runners was best placed in 13th with Chorley Harriers Cheryl Pope and Janet Chaplin 14th and 16th respectively.

That crucial third counter for the winning Harriers team was Marie Alcroft.

CLUB KEY: Accrington Road Runners, BH=Blackburn Harriers, BRR=Blackburn Road Runners, C=Clayton Le Moors Harriers, CAC=Chorley Athletic Club, CH=Chorley Harriers, D=Darwen Dashers, H=Hyndburn Athletic Club, P=Pendle Athletic Club, R=Rossendale Harriers, RR=Red Rose Road Runners

RESULTS - MEN: 1 Anthony Ford (Blackpool) 30:40, 2 Neil Tattersall (P) 31:03, 3 Ben Fish (BH) 32:12, 8 (1st Junior) Tom Cornthwaite (H) 33:10, 10 (1st M40) Tony Chew (C) 33:14, 14 Gareth Williams (P) 33:21, 17 Andrew Stubbs (C) 33:29, 18 Michael Hammer (BH) 33:31, 22 Scott Monk (BH) 34:26, 24 Shane Fitzpatrick (C) 34:29, 26 Mark Theaker (C) 34:56, 28 Paul Guinan (BH) 34:58, 30 Andy Smith (D) 34:59, 31 (M45) Peter Butterworth (C) 35:04, 33 (2nd M50) Evan Cook (BH) 35:13, 44 (2nd Junior) Marc Hartley (P) 36:10, 45 John Wieczorek (A) 36:11, 46 (M45) Graham Cunliffe (C) 36:14 Team: 1 Blackburn Harriers 44 (Fish, Hammer, Monk), 2 Clayton 51

WOMEN: 1 (58th Overall) Liz Proctor (Bolton) 36:51, 2 (61st/1st F35) Tricia Sloane (Salford) 37:00, 3 Helen Parkinson (Bideford) 37:38, 13 (213th) Nicola Wood (A) 43:58, 14 (220th/F40) Cheryl Pope (CH) 44:20, 16 (230th/F40) Janet Chaplin (CH) 44:42, 19 (241st/3rd F50) Jennifer Adams (Northern Vets) 45:03, 21 (249th/3rd F45) Janet Metcalf (RR) 45:23, 24 (263rd/3rd F35) Jacqueline Shaw (D) 46:09, 26 (267th/F35) Marie Alcroft (CH) 46:17, 28 (275th/F35) Lorraine Bray (BRR) 46:30, 30 (284th/35) Sandra Snape (BRR) 46:41, 31 (285th/F35) Carol Life (C) 46:44 Teams: 1 Chorley Harriers 55 (Pope, Chaplin, Alcroft) 2 Blackpool 55, 3 Accrington RR 96

GOOD FOR AGE - Accrington RR: 109 (M55) Terry Robinson 39:45, 316 (M65) Brian Scully 47:49, 349 (F40) Simone Der Weduwen 49:07, 411 (F45) Karen Jackson 53:01 Blackburn Harriers: 163 (Junior) Andrew Lake 41:47, 186 (M55) Chris Fay 42:39 Blackburn RR: 313 (F40) Sarah Clarke 47:46, 388 (F55) Norma Smith 51:30 Chorley AC: 142 (M50) Stephen Fletcher 40:52 Chorley Harriers: 171 (2nd M60) Eddie Pugh 42:06, 200 (3rd M60) John McDonald 43:22 Clayton Harriers: 56 (M40) David Lord 36:48, 98 (M45) Stephen White 39:18, 99 (M45) John Singleton 39:21, 144 (M55) Dave Scott 40:54, 346 (F50) Christine Leathley 49:00, 406 (F50) Karin Goss 52:23, 425 (1st F60) Val Lawson 54:22, 451 (1st F65) Kitty Garnett 56:26 Darwen Dashers: 103 (M45) Tony Hurn 39:28, 305 (F45) Sue Taylor 47:25 Hyndburn AC: (Junior) Toby Banfield 38:33 Pendle AC: 69 (3rd Junior) James Rusius 37:37 Red Rose RR: 192 (M55) David Aspin 42:55, 211 (Junior) Luke Earnshaw 43:52 Rossendale Harriers: 72 (M50) Chris Domoney 37:48, 224 (M60) Gerard Navan 44:29, 430 (F55) Christine Navan 54:40 Other Locals: 225 (1st M65) Peter Dibb (Longwood) 44:33, 401 (F50) Kath Medd (Darwen Masters) 52:05