STAVELEY'S Rob Jebb took another huge stride towards winning the British championship title with a valuable second place in Saturday's third counter at Moel Eilio from Llanberis in Wales, writes Mike Addison.

Jebb, 28, who won Slieve Bearnagh (short) and was second at Stuch a Chroin (long), needed a good run in this medium-category race to put him in with a real chance of the championship.

He said: "I have shown my consistency in short, medium and long races. Everybody else around me has been good and then bad. But there is still a long way to go."

Jebb was among the leading six runners who summited Moel Eilio together and over the ridge he settled in behind eventual winner Tim Davies of Mercia.

"There was a bit of pressure at the end because there is a mile of track," said Jebb. "Nick Sharpe was not far behind and I was giving it some welly."

Ambleside's Nick Sharp also put himself in the reckoning for the title with his third place just three second behind Jebb.

Borrowdale's Mark Roberts was second V40 in 10th.

Keswick's Louise Sharp boosted her chance of winning the ladies' title by winning despite getting lost between checkpoints three and four.

Results: 1 T Davies, Mercia, 62-41; 2 R Jebb, Bingley, 62-55; 3 N Sharp, Ambleside, 62-58; 4 A Vaughan, Eryri, 63-36; 5 I Holmes, Bingley, 64-27; 6 R Bryson, Newcastle, 64-32; 7 S Bailey, Staffs Moorlands, 64-56; 8 R Hope, Pudsey & Bramley, 65-11; 9 P Davies, Borrowdale, 65-30; 10 M Roberts, Borrowdale, 66-00; 17 S Stainer, Ambleside, 68-40; 26 M Rigby, Ambleside, 69-45; 43 J Deegan, Ambleside, 73-04; 49 Peter Brittleton, Howgill, 73-58; 51 P Singleton, Ambleside, 74-15; 58 A Smith, Ambleside, 75-31; 63 N Ashcroft, Ambleside, 77-38; 68 M Walsh, Kendal, 78-24; 78 L Sharp, Keswick, 79-43; 103 S Taylor, Bingley 83-14; 115 P Tuson, Kendal, 84-21; 125 S Wood, Ambleside, 87-08; 161 C Kenny, Ambleside, 96-59.

n COMPETING in his first race of the season Kendal's Craig Roberts played a cat and mouse game to win Sunday's Fairfield Horseshoe Fell race from Rydal.

Roberts, 39, who has been nursing a calf injury, clung on to Borrowdale's Nick Spence for the whole of the nine-mile race before putting in a sprint kick on the long track to the finish to leave Spence and Salford's Phil Leybourne trailing in his wake.

"Nick knew the way better than me," said Roberts, who is now a three-times winner of the event. "I sussed out he was one of the favourites from the start and I was going to sit with him from the off.

"He was trying to get rid of me all the way round. It felt like a training session most of the way. It got down to a jog because he wanted me and the other lad to get away. He had some cuts up his sleeve that he did not want to share with any of us."

"As soon as we hit the half-mile track to the finish I put in an effort and opened up a 40 to 50-yard gap. About halfway along the track my legs had gone but I managed to hold on."

Spence, who lives at Longsleddale, held on to second place despite being challenged all the way to the line by Leybourne and had the consolation of winning the first V40 prize. Ambleside won first team and Kendal were third.

First woman was Jackie Lee who was 56th in 1-45-52.

Results: 1 C Roberts, Kendal, 84-32; 2 N Spence, Borrowdale, 84-42; 3 P Leybourne, Salford, 84-44; 4 K Gray, Calder Valley, 87-07; 5 D Birch, Keswick, 87-22; 6 Paul Brittleton, Helm Hill, 88-49; 7 C Reade, Bowland, 89-00; 8 S Shuttleworth, Ambleside, 89-04; 9 C Valentine, Keswick, 89-14; 10 J Archbold, CFR, 89-24; 14 D Golding, Ambleside, 89-33; 16 S Freeman, Ambleside, 90-41; 17 S Hicks, Borrowdale, 91-21; 18 C Speight, Ambleside, 93-23; 20 J Murfin, Settle, 93-35; 21 S Addison, Helm Hill, 93-51; 22 R Blyth, Kendal, 93-58; 28 G Thorpe, Ambleside, 96-03; 29 I Atkinson, Helm Hill, 96-12; 31 G Thomas, Kendal, 97-12; 32 M Addison, Helm Hill, 97-32; 38 S Ruane, Eden, 103-17; 39 R Cannon, Helm Hill, 103-27; 47 K Rutherford, Black Combe, 104-52; 48 J Allsopp, Settle, 105-03; 53 D Richardson, Helm Hill, 105-25; 54 J Osborne, Settle, 105-34; 79 B Slater, Settle, 111-08; 91 A Hinde, Settle, 114-43; 101 D Till, Helm Hill, 118-03; 103 I Shedden, Howgill, 118-23; 108 R Baker, Ambleside, 120-20; 112 T Metcalfe, Settle, 122-52; 115 P Simpson, Kendal, 124-59; 121 J Fletcher, Eden, 127-19; 122 N Strong, Eden, 127-19; 124 J Bowe, Helm Hill, 127-27; 129 D Ablitt, Ambleside, 128-51; 130 J Taylor, Ambleside, 129-02; 131 K Heywood, Kendal, 129-34; 134 H Catlow, CFR, 130-33. There were 170 starters.

n KENDAL'S Allan Miller joined forces with Bowland's Lee Warburton to win one of the toughest races on the fell running calendar for the second successive year.

They triumphed in the

37-mile Old County Tops event that incorporates 10,000ft of climb and ascents of Helvellyn, Scafell and Coniston Old Man.

"Last year we gained an advantage because a couple of teams got lost in the mist," said Miller, who lives at Sedgwick. "This year we led more or less from the start climbing out of Langdale "Coming off Coniston Old Man I was struggling because I'd had a virus last week and I could feel it in my legs."

They clocked 8-23-20 and were over 14 minutes clear of Dark Peak's Rick Ansell and Andy Dickinson at the finish.

n MARK Croasdale, of Bingley, made a welcome return to the Darren Jones Clougha Pike Fell Race defying the heavy rain, mist and wind to win in 53min 30 secs, well outside his own record.

Last year's winner Steve Sweeney, was second in 54:30 and his Bowland clubmates Chris Reade, third in 56:24, and Quentin Harding, fourth and first veteran over 40. Bowland's Sue Hardy was first woman over 40, finishing 35th overall in a disappointing field of 52 runners. Bowland took first and second team prizes.

There was a good entry in the under-12 cross-country, which was won by Andrew Abraham (Arkholme) in 9:01. Moorside Primary School were the first team with Broughton runners-up.

John Gorst, of Ripley School, won the under-18 cross-country in a new record time of 21:29.

May 22, 2003 16:00