CLAYTON athlete Craig Watson impressed as fell running returned to Britain for the first time in two months with the first of the Easter Bunny Run Races.

The meeting was sanctioned by the Fell Running Association, after being switched to the grounds of Cliffe Castle because of foot and mouth concerns, nearly 200 runners toed the line for the three mile race last Thursday.

Watson was the first of over two dozen East Lancashire finishers as he took ninth spot for Clayton.

Watson rejoined the club about a year ago after a period with Bingley Harriers, and it was his former team-mates John Taylor and Ian Holmes who dominated the race with Taylor being the victor.

Alan Life, who came home in 15th, was the second of the Clayton finishers and in 20th Lee Leishman, of Pendle, held off Burnley's Marc Hartley to take third in the under-16 class.

Sheryl Slater, from Kelbrook, was winner in the ladies under-16 class, but it was a measure of her performance that she was ahead of Kate Rogan, the junior international from Barnoldswick.

Running nearly two laps around the castle grounds before climbing up steps to finish in front of the castle, it is an intricate course with a good mix of tarmac, rough paths and steep grassy banks.

While not a truly a fell race, it was described by ladies winner Pauline Munro as "a kind of uphill cross country."

Many runners even commented that they preferred the race to the one it had replaced and one competitor who certainly appreciated the more even surface was Clayton veteran Dave Scott, running his first race since sustaining a broken ankle.

Local veterans among the prizes included Ross Jaques, of Clayton, who was second in the M60, and Jane Smith, of Todmorden, who finished second in the F40 in a competitive field of over 50.

Two men celebrating more than most were Bradford's Steve Oldfield, the winning veteran at a Bunny Run for the 13th time, and Jim Godwin, of Rossendale, who ran on his 50th birthday.

Men: 1 John Taylor (Bingley) 18:01, 2 Ian Holmes (Bingley) 18:14, 3 Siggy Gould (Bingley) 18:25, 6 (1st veteran) Steve Oldfield (Bradford) 19:30, 9 Craig Watson (C) 20:05, 15 Alan Life (C) 21:01, 20 (3rd under 16) Lee Leishman (P) 21:43, 23 (4th under 16) Marc Hartley (B) 21:59, 55 (under 16) Mark Bridge (P) 25:07, 64 (under 16) David Lowe (P) 25:20, 68 (2nd M60) Ross Jaques (C) 25:39, 71 (M40) Stuart Hartley (B) 25:58, 76 Adam Godwin (R) 26:15, 98 (M40) Kevin Rogan (Wharfedale) 27:17, 110 (M50) Dave Scott (C) 28:04, 121 (M50) John Edwards (B) 28:49, 126 (under-16) Daniel Ashworth (C) 29:14, 146 (M40) Jack Maguire (C) 31:39, 160 (M40) David Bailey (C) 34:31, 162 (M50) Jim Godwin (R) 35:21.

Women: 1 (21st overall) Pauline Munro (Bingley) 21:46, 10 (58th/1st under 16) Sheryl Slater (Skipton) 25:11, 12 (70th) Kate Rogan (Wharfedale) 25:55, 14 (87th/3rd under 16) Jade Hartley (P) 26:46, 15 (89th/2nd F40) Jane Smith (Todmorden) 26:48, 18 (97th) Melinda Wilkinson Walsh (C) 27:16, 23 (106th) Anna Kelly (C) 27:43, 30 (130th/under 16) Lauren Bridge (P) 29:38, 31 (131st/under 16) Nicola Leishman (P) 29:38, 39 (144th/F40) Maureen Ashton (C) 31:25.

Key: B-Burnley, C-Clayton, P-Pendle, R-Rossendale.

AMANDA Parkinson produced the performance of the day at the Women's Northern Six Stage Relay, while in the Men's 12 Stage event Clayton Harriers and Rossendale Harriers both qualified for the National Finals.

Running the second of six 3.5 mile stages for Sale Harriers in Leeds, Parkinson took the baton in 4th place, but pulled through to take the lead.

Kerry Smithson, like Parkinson a former Hyndburn AC star, increased their advantage as the club eventually finished over 10 minutes clear of Salford. Parkinson's time of 18:21 was half a minute faster than second fastest Lucy Wright, of Leeds, and over a minute quicker than the rest, while Smithson was sixth in 19:40.

At the same venue, the men raced over 12 stages - four of 5.5 miles and eight of 3.5 miles.

The top thirty would qualify for the Nationals, and Clayton made it comfortably in 17th place. Captain Andy Stubbs, a spectator because of injury said: "It isn't a race we usually do, and even Roger Brewster the senior member of the team can't remember us qualifying for the National final before.

"We weren't at full strength, but they all ran well so we won't make many changes for the final."

Rossendale grabbed the very last qualifying spot to make it through to Birmingham for the second successive year.

"Although it was tight, we were confident of getting through with about three stages left" said team member Nigel Gotts.

Chorley Harriers were 53rd with Malc Christie and Russell Barron their top performers.

Men 5/8s 12 Stage: 1 Morpeth 4:12:13, 2 Salford 4:15:55 (leg 7 Andy Morgan-Lee 29:09) 17th Clayton Harriers 4:35:14 (1 Gorden Fay 29:14 (14), 2 Phil Hall 19:08 (20), 3 Tony Chew 18:18 (17), 4 Roger Brewster 29:52 (17), 5 Ian Greenwood 18:39 (18), 6 Jason Harbour 19:34 (18), 7 Dave Walker 30:57 (17), 8 Paul Thompson 19:43 (17), 9 John Roche 19:46 (18), 10 Garry Wilkinson 32:05 (19), 11 David Gregory 19:30 (19), 12 Simon Thompson 18:28 (17), 30th Rossendale Harriers: 1 Andy Payne 31:20 (38), 2 Phil Taylor 18:31 (32), 3 Andrew Fell 21:29 (36), 4 Dean Hebden 31:01 (32), 5 Dave Schofield 20:12 (32), 6 Chris White 18:51 (29), 7 Nick Hatchard 31:35 (30), 8 Martin Lee 19:09 (28), 9 Richard Sutcliffe 20:36 (29), 10 Gary Sumner 32:39 (32), 11 Nigel Gotts 20:52 (30), 12 Dave Holt 21:29 (30), 43rd Chorley Harriers 5:12:04

Women 5/8s 6 Stage: 1 Sale Harriers 1:56:54 (leg 2 Amanda Parkinson 18:21, leg 3 Kerry Smithson 19:40)

Cunliffe stars at Littleborough

GRAHAM Cunliffe was the winning M40 veteran at the Gorden Baker 5K at Littleborough.

Cunliffe, who returned a time of 17:09 for 14th overall, was one of several Clayton successes.

Val Lawson was first in the F55 class, abd in the men's Craig Watson was fifth in 16:30 and Paul Brannon tenth in 16:59.

Vanessa Hamlet, of Rossendale, finished fifth in the women's race behind Lisa Heyes, of Salford, while Clitheroe's Peter Dibb won the M65 honours and the men's race was won by Will Smith, of Keighley and Craven. NEIL Holding of West Pennine Runners was the leading East Lancashire athlete in the Wakefield 10K.

Holding was 46th in a field of nearly 800 runners in 35:56, while Kevin Bridge Senior from Accrington RR logged 38:01.

Ron Hill, competing in the M60 class, came home in 46:18. THE leading Chorley Harriers at the Chorley 5K Corporate Challenge were Jon Bell and Jeannette Coleman. Several Harriers included the event in the middle of a Sunday training run! PARK High School athletes Louise Dickinson and Charlotte Bickerstaffe were rewarded twice over for making the long trip to Carlisle on Sunday.

Firstly the weather was dry and beautiful, unlike conditions at home, and secondly they both returned from the Open Meeting with personal best times.

Bickerstaffe ran a spirited race in the 1500m to finish third and lower her personal best by 1.9 seconds and took fourth in the 300m.

Dickinson, also an under-15, set a new mark of 25.9 secs in the 200m and equalled her best in the 100m. THE conditions were windy at Oldham, but former Pendle sprinter Kieran Turner set a personal best in the under-15s 100m on his way to a sprint double.

Then he joined forces with Wigan team-mate Lee Worthington and Burnley athletes Chris Hart and Daniel Whittaker to win a 4x100m relay.

Under-17s Hart and Whittaker already had individual wins to their credit.

Whittaker was first home in the 3000m and Hart in the 100m and 200m.

Sisters Alexis and Danielle Walker were other Burnley winners, while Emma Murray and Amy Leeming took second places.