At Wilsons Playing Fields, Clayto-le-Moors

PENDLE'S Anne Smith typified the will to win when she recovered from an early fall to take victory and book a place in the national finals.

The Park High pupil fell right at the beginning of her heat and - despite being accidentally spiked by a fellow competitor - she bravely fought back to win the junior girls event.

After the event Smith, who had not trained all week because of an Achilles tendon problem, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken wrist sustained during her fall.

Smith's heroics were the highlight of the day for local runners as at least 11 East Lancashire athletes qualified to represent the county team in the national finals at London's Parliament Hill in March.

The top five runners in each of the six age groups are guaranteed a place in the Lancashire line-up with another three up for grabs in each section.

And while it was a successful day all round for local runners, it was in Smith's age group that East Lancashire schools dominated.

For Rachel Holt and Anna Brooks, both of Blackburn, also booked a place in the county team when they finished second and third respectively.

And Blackburn also took the team event as Candy Hamilton (14th) and year seven runners Anna Griffiths (28th) and Dominique Morton (30th) made sure their team had the first five highest placed runners home.

Victoria Snape of Chorley also qualified as she finished in fourth place.

There was an exciting finish to the girls intermediate race when only a second separated international fell runners Lisa Richardson and Katie Ingham. But in the end it was Richardson who won it for Blackburn with Chorley's Ingham having to settle for runners-up spot.

Only 13 competitors entered the senior girls section but that didn't worry Karen Brooks who made sure it was a family affair when she joined her sister in the finals.

Like Anna in the junior race, Karen finished in third place.

But Pendle's Kate Rogan was the pick of the local runners when she finished in second place.

In the boys events another four places in the county team were booked - and East Lancashire teams starred!

For Hyndburn won the junior boys and finished runners-up in the intermediate boys while Blackburn won the senior section.

In the junior boys, Mark Hartley of Burnley finished in third place with David Lowe of Hyndburn in fifth place.

But fine running by Lowe's team-mates made sure the won the team prize with Tony Roscoe (sixth), Andrew Charlesworth (13th), Lee Banford (14th) and James Linley (18th) completing the winning line-up.

A special mention must also go to Hyndburn's Michael Lang who was the first year seven pupil home in 22nd place - with the second year seven pupil finishing way down in 76th place. Amazingly Hyndburn only just missed out on winning the intermediate team award as well - despite West Lancashire having three runners in the top five.

But top 20 finishes from John Riley (ninth), Liam Hill (14th), David Riley (16th), Martin Payne (17th) and David Jaggs (20th) gave them runners-up spot behind West Lancs.

Blackburn showed their strength in depth in the senior race with six runners finishing in the top 11 places. Ben Fish and Liam Barton booked their places in the county team after finishing in fourth and fifth place respectively.

And they could be joined by Michael Hammer, who finished in sixth place, and Liam's twin brother Robert who finished seventh.

Mark Emmett completed the winning team line-up when he finished in ninth position just two places in front of Lee Cook.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.