A RECORD 11 Leigh Harriers have been selected to represent Greater Manchester in the Inter-counties World Cross Country trials in Nottingham.

Led by senior international Peter Riley they include Karina Tehan (ladies), Thomas Boardman and Alex Urmston (junior men), Rebecca Howarth (ladies U17), Hannah Warburton, Dionne Allen and Lauren Howarth (U15 girls) Laura Riches and Amy Riley (U13 girls) and Isaac McCann (U13 boys).

The Harriers' all conquering U15 girls' squad rewrote the club record books after lifting silver in the National Cross Country Championships.

Running in Birmingham on Saturday the squad took on over 300 athletes making up 30 teams contesting the tough 4k course.

The girls rose to the challenge in outstanding style and were lead home by the British fell running champion, Dionne Allen, who ran a superb race to cross the line in 11th in 16min 24sec for her best ever placing in a national cross country.

Despite a heavy fall half way through the race Hannah Warburton picked herself up and ran well to finish in 33rd clocking 17min 5sec. She was followed home by Vicky Green in 47th in 17min 21sec, Lauren Howarth 52nd in 17min 25sec and Danielle Allen 64th in 17min 38sec.

Over 300 runners also contested the girls' U13 event over 3k. From the start Amy Riley ran a well-judged race to finish 17th in her first national recording 12min 51sec. Abigail Howarth scraped into the top 100 at 93rd in 13min 47sec.

In a tough junior men's 10k Thomas Boardman put in a creditable performance in his first year as a junior to come home 25th in 34min 15sec.

Rebecca Howarth found the going tough over the 5k course for U17 ladies and finished 65th in 22min 7sec.

The U13 boys' event over 3k saw Isaac McCann in 26th in 21min 6sec while Cameron Adamson, in his first experience of such a big field, crossed the line in 128th in 22min 17sec.