AN IMPROVED standard of athlete competing at the famous National 4 Stage event at Sutton Park, Birmingham, was matched by Kendal Ladies, who knocked four minutes off their time last year to finish 21st.

They were also two minutes quicker than 2002 when finishing 22nd.

At 23, Gemma Phillips was the squad's oldest member and accustomed to the elite first-leg line-up of 92 athletes. After not feeling 100 per cent following the Northerns, she was back on form and shaved seconds off her previous-best time in 14-50.

This gained Gemma ninth place as she hung on to a bunch with an 11-second gap behind her.

Second-leg runner Rebecca Robinson pushed hard on the tough climb in the first mile, all the time tussling with girls around her to finish sixth in 15-27, 15 seconds better than her time 12 month ago.

Rebecca Cronshaw looked apprehensive ahead of her first National 4 Stage appearance, knowing it was not an easy task to follow her two team-mates.

Consistent hard training over the summer paid off, however, and her gutsy performance brought her home 18th in 16-37.

As the field spread out, Abi Sheals had to pace herself around the 4.3km course. A busy summer had left little time for speedwork, but nevertheless she lived up to expectations, taking Kendal to 21st overall in 17-04 and looking forward to soon racing under the 17-minute mark.

It was a tremendous result for such a young Kendal team, offering high hopes for future events and a crack at the National 6 Stage in April.

Overall winners on the day Bristol and West AC had the fastest runner of the day in K. Reed, who clocked 13-59 on the final leg - just four seconds slower than Paula Ratcliffe's record. Windsor Slough Eaton were second and Wakefield District H & AC third.