ASTLEY Park, Chorley, turned out to be a great new venue for the Mid-Lancs Cross Country League.

A testing yet fast course featured woodland tracks, parkland, a stream crossing and a steep-banked but shallow river crossing as well.

Former Kendal runner Lee Siemaszko, who now competes for Liverpool Harriers, was not sure how his race would go.

Only recently back to full training after injury, he need not have worried as his first race for a considerable time gave him an impressive third behind winner Mark Croasdale and Michael Colthard.

Meanwhile, Kendal's senior men, nudged into action by Ken Dacre, once again proved their worth.

Although Craig Roberts has not been seen on the cross-country scene recently, he still has the style and speed required for this quality race and finished 13th and 4th V40.

Richard Witt, the team's top V50 counter, cruised to second V50 and 59th overall.

Steve Varney has been unable to match his previous year's solid record in the V50 standings due to a season of misfortune, but returned with a vengeance when 67th and seventh V50.

Mick Walsh ran his usual sound race to be 82nd and 9th V50 while Hugh Symonds' race finished with a 400-metre sprint for the line: the tell-tale age category betrayed by the athlete's vest giving rise to great competition. He was 89th and 12th V50.

Ken Dacre also ran a strong race to be 11th and 18th V50 with Pete Acland 152nd and Andy Stafford 178th.

The Kendal V50 team scored 18 points, well ahead of their closest rivals Wesham on 40 as Kendal clinched second V40 team.

After the latest BUSA race in which Rebecca Robinson came 23rd against tough opposition, she sensibly decided to rest in preparation for the Nationals.

Without doubt the most improved performance in the Kendal ranks was that of 17-year-old Amy Symonds, sixth U20.

Fast away at the start, Symonds was not going to be caught by her senior team-mates and finished 34 seconds ahead of Dianne Priestley, who felt she had a good run to be third V45 and 27th overall.

She edged ahead of another up-and-coming youngster, Lynn Hammel (by 11 seconds), who was 8th U20.

Marion Smith pulled out all the stops and battled to finish just ahead of another V45 rival to gain valuable team points as fifth V45 and 36th.

Determined to return to the racing scene, Christine Handforth came 40th; a gutsy run by Heather Goodman brought her eighth V45 and 50th as Kendal once again led the super-vets.

Carolyn Kevan is becoming more competitive with each outing and was 55th.

U17 Border athlete Nick Bradley, who lives locally and is training for the National Schools, came through strongly in the final stages to be 10th.

One of the best results of the day came from Kendal's U15 runner Daniel Edmondson.

The 13-year-old's strength and maturity was evident as he came fourth, only 13 seconds behind the winner.

The two youngest team members, Lauren Butler and Ellie Witt relished the testing course, having no problem with the river, and were 28th and 34th.