The Harry Aspinall Memorial Fell Race is usually a pretty low key affair supported mostly by visitors to the Stacksteads Country Fair, and runners from the organising club.

This year, though, Ross-endale Harriers pulled off something of a coup by staging a round of the English Junior Fell Championships at the Recreation Ground, and there was even more at stake than usual for the local contingent as the Lancashire Junior Championships were up for grabs too.

Sally Searson of Blackburn Harriers was impressive in the U12 race, inflicting the first defeat of the season on Megan Stuart from Helm Hill and reducing the latter's English Championship lead to a single point.

Sally also won the county title ahead of the Rossendale pair Rebecca Flanagan and Leah Williamson, a result that leaves Rebecca fourth in the English Champs.

Dale also picked up Lancashire silver and bronze in the boys race thanks to Callum Davidson and Marcus Preedy.

The club did even better in the U14 boys race. Daniel Walsh, Elliot Wylie and Pascal Dark gave them 1-2-3 for Lancashire although the first four places went to visiting athletes.

Pendle AC won the first of two gold medals in this age group with Emma Spencer, whose third outright also leaves her third nationally. Rebecca Swindells took Lancashire bronze for Dale.

The U16s, U18s and U23s all ran the 3.5 mile race with the seniors, and first of all to finish was James Kevan, the Horwich RMI Harrier from Chorley.

In light of his classy performance it must have been disappointing for Kevan that he was the only U23 entrant in the race.

The in-form Ashley Kay was fourth of 86 finishers and was second in the U16s to surprise winner Ryan Gould from East Cheshire.

Possibly even more significantly, he beat Tom Sessford by two seconds to join the Keighley man at the top of the Championship table.

With Gould taking the Lancashire title, Ashley earned a silver medal with Rossendale club-mate Jordan Beard third.

Jack Thompson of Pendle was half a minute behind the flying Kay but still won the U18 Lancs title from Phil Bolton and Grant Cunliffe, both Rossendale.

Arguably the performance of the day came from Beckie Taylor of Blackburn Harriers who finished ahead of England Internationals Emma Flanagan and Rachel Searson despite being in a younger age group.

Beckie was the fourth woman home and the second U16 behind Melanie Hyder of Helm Hill, the only athlete ahead of her in the English Championship. As Beckie won Lanc-ashire gold, Sarah Wilson from Pendle took the bronze.

In the U18s, Flanagan from Rossendale and Searson of Blackburn won county silver and bronze, but were beaten by their two main rivals for the English Championship, Lancastrian Hannah Bateson and Rosie Stuart.

A feature of this year's English Championship series is that children as young as six can run, although the U8 and U10 events do not count towards a final championship position.

Oliver Spencer of Pendle and Polly Pearse who represents Blackburn Harriers were the U10 winners at Stacksteads, while Rossendale's Eleanor Soloman and Shauna Williamson were second and third girls and Jack Crummett from Todmorden was third boy.

In the U8 girls' race, Blackburn's Esme Pearse and Tod's Anna Crowther were second and third.