Danny Hope won the 25th Great Hameldon Hill Race on Sunday, but couldn't quite erase his brother Rob's course record set two years ago.

Although 13 seconds out, it was nonetheless a thumping victory, as he completed the six miles in 36:23, nearly three minutes clear of Bowland's Lee Passco with Ian Greenwood from Clayton-le-Moors Harriers taking third and with it the veteran prize.

The Hope brothers have monopolised the event in recent years with current English Champion Rob completing a hat-trick in 2005, but Danny is an athlete out of the top drawer too having represented his country in the World Trophy last summer.

The Pudsey and Bramley runner was on familiar territory having worked until recently in Hyndburn, and the leader board had a local feel with Passco and Greenwood both coming from Accrington.

Greenwood lives just around the corner from the start at Accrington Stanley's old Peel Park ground and was one of the organising team for this year's race.

He helped the Clayton club to an emphatic win in the team event with fourth placed Andy Payne and Dave Walker in ninth lending firm support. The club fielded no fewer than 30 runners, over a quarter of the total of 113, and their second string even managed to finish runners-up with Gary Shaw, Brian Horrocks and Michael O'Donnell.

Accrington Road Runners pipped Darwen Dashers for third with fifth-placed Brent Hoggan, John Wieczorek and Martin Bland heading the Dashers trio of Mark France, Julian Donnelly and Derek Ashcroft in what was a counter for the Dashers' club fell championship.

Rossendale brothers Thornton and Ken Taylor were age group winners in the M45 and M55 classes after sixth placed Thornton won a tussle with Darwen's Horwich Harrier Graham Schofield, who finished in eighth spot. Steve Davies took the over 65s for Accrington Road Runners. First woman home was Carole Waterhouse from Halifax in 48:16 while Jackie Shaw of Darwen Dashers was the first East Lancashire athlete with sixth in 52:34. Pendle's Jack and Emma Thompson were the victors in the junior race.

The course is, for the most part, over well defined paths and could easily be tackled by road runners, and it was also drier than usual this year.

It was a shame that the turnout was the lowest since the race's inception in 1979 after a switch from the traditional Spring Bank Holiday date was altered.

The event made a loss of £150.