KENDAL AC runner Craig Roberts came a fine fourth in the World Mountain Masters Running Championships in the Italian alps at the weekend, but only after a race-eve hitch worthy of a film script.

It began when Craig, 41, and his wife Julia and son Oliver landed up at their four-star hotel in Sauze d'Oulx, parked up their Swiss hire care and booked inand it ended with the mayor of the town standing him a 400 euros (£271)bill.

Walking back to the hotel after watching the official race parade, Julia spotted the car was missing.

An inquiry at the hotel desk revealed that the Daewoo had been towed away because it had been illegally parked.

"There had been some little notices scrawled in Italian apparently saying 'Don't park here' because of the parade but we didn't realise at the time," said Craig.

The vehicle had been carted off to Turin, over an hour's drive away, and to get it back the local police wanted 33 euros to release it, plus there was a 400 euros payment to the towing firm to be made on retrieving the vehicle.

Craig said: "Fortunately we got an interpreter working for the race organisers involved, otherwise we would have been in trouble.

"We managed to grab the Mayor of the town who was passing and asked him if he could do anything.

"The tow-truck firm wouldn't accept our Visa card, so he assured the intrepeter that if they paid the 400 euros for us he would fix it to give it them back the following day."

Craig and family then hitched a lift with the interpreter to Susa and on to Turin to be reunited with their hire care only after the foreman left his meal to open up.

"We had bad luck, but then we had good luck," said Craig with by now a touch of the Marlon Brando.

"We had a bit of hassle but then Jackie Hargreaves stubbed her toe on the hotel bed and didn't even race, so I thought this wasn't too bad and I blanked it out.

"It was red-hot day for the race and a tough course with a very steep climb as a sting in the tail."

Craig ran with his brother Mark early on before pressing on to try to get into the medal places.

He finished fourth, 3 minutes 13sec off the Mexican winner Meija Ricardo, who has won some big senior mountain races this year. Last year's winner Austrian Helmut Schmuck was second and an Italian in third had finished in the top seven at Snowdon.

Further down the field, brother Mark was 10th, Ambleside's Steve Freeman was 38th and Borrowdale's Nick Spence, from Longsleddale, 40th.

n BORROWDALE'S Phil Davies set a new record in the four mile Dufton Fell Race beating the old mark set by Kendal's Craig Roberts last year by 54 seconds, writes Mike Addison.

Ambleside's Simon Stainer also got inside the old mark in finishing second ahead of Borrowdale's Andrew Davies.

Helm Hill's Paul Brittleton set the early pace through the fields to the base of Dufton Pike but faded on the climb with his brother Peter pulling through to third place at the summit turn. Peter was overtaken on the run in by Sedbergh runner Lee Siemaszko, who runs for Borrowdale, in the race for fourth place.

First lady was Borrowdale's Nicola Davies who finished 12th overall on 30-53.

The junior race was won by James Fargharn (12-07) of St Helens ahead of Helm Hill's Tom Addison (12-32). The first girl was Danielle Walker (14-07) who was fourth.

Senior results: 1 P Davies, Borrowdale, 24-11; 2 S Stainer, Ambleside, 24-32; 3 A Davies, Borrowdale, 25-15; 4 L Siemaszko, Borrowdale, 26-02; 5 Peter Brittleton, Helm Hill, 26-12; 6 Paul Brittleton, 26-42; 7 A Labram, Eden Runners, 28-12; 8 S Horsley, Howgill, 28-55; 9 D Soles, Dark Peak, 29-23; 10 M Addison, Helm Hill, 29-34; 11 P Tuson, unattached, 29-51; 16 J Slinn, 35-53; 18 R Walker, Eden, 37-09; 20 H Addison, 41-34; 21 R Barker, 42-52; 23 J Moore, 49-22; 24 K Barker, 51-01; 25 R Barker, 51-01.

n RECORD holder Gavin Bland won the three-mile Arnison Crag Horseshoe Fell Race which forms part of the Patterdale Dog Day event from the King George Playing Fields.

He was a minute and 27 seconds outside the record he set in 1997 crossing the finish line in 24-08 just seven seconds ahead of Calder Valley's Karl Gray.

The race runs through Glaramara Park and up to Trough Head and on to Arnison Crag and returns via tracks with a steep grassy descent back to the playing fields.

Howgill's Graham Moffat was first V40 in fourth place while Keswick's Duncan Overton, who used to run for Kendal, was first V50 in sixth.

The first lady was Ambleside's Jane Lowther who was 14th overall in 31-54.

Results: 1 G Bland, Borrowdale, 24-08; 2 K Gray, Calder Valley, 24-15; 3 P Singleton, Ambleside, 25-57; 4 G Moffat, Howgill, 26-10; 5 M Reidy, unattached, 26-12; 6 D Overton, Keswick, 26-22; 7 T Kelly, Bowland, 26-45; 8 N Armitage, Pudsey Pacers, 27-35; 9 P Orton, Southwell RC, 29-26; 10 K Dacre, Kendal, 30-03.