KENDAL AC senior men were almost at full-strength for the host Mid-Lancs League fixture at Crooklands on Saturday.

Conditions were perfect and despite the frosty start the well designed course was soft enough to take a spiked shoe.

There was a welcome cross- country debut for Paul Dugdale, who hung on for 10th place in a large field of 220 runners. Paul, a former cross-country international, has recently moved to Kendal from Horwich.

Phil Whiting ran well to finish 44th in his first outing over the country this season. Steve Varney 83rd, John Quine 98th, Dick Gorst making a welcome return to running after a long absence 101st and Phil Lee, making a rare excursion from road running to be 106th, closed the team.

In a contrived league structure this was good enough for Kendal to win first position in Division Three.

They were eighth team overall on the day - by far their best performance this season.

The remaining Kendal runners packed well.

Positions: Kendal senior men: 10 Paul Dugdale, 44 Phil Whiting, 83 Steve Varney, 98 John Quine, 101 Dick Gorst,106 Phil Lee, 116 Allan Miller,118 Peter Acland,123 John Jones,132 Mark Walker, 145 David Moffett, 154 Nigel Garnett, 164 David Whitehead, 200 Bill Ridings,203 Paul Percival-Smith, 209 Kevin O'Neil.

Helm Hill: Mike Addison 66; Lyndon Dixon 153; Russell Faulding 208.

n THERE were mixed emotions for Kendal's senior ladies as for the second successive Cumbria Championships in a row Rebecca Robinson was unable to race due to injury.

The rest of the ladies team were also struggling with Heather Goodman, Dianne Priestley, Paula Lernelius, Christine Handforth, Helen Parsons and Kath Finn all out of action.

But it was a great day for newcomer to the club Evelyn Dugdale, who not only finished 11th senior and 6th vet in the Mid Lancs but also 4th senior and veteran silver medal-winner in the county championships.

Laura Parsons continues to climb the results table, finishing 18th and a highly competitive sixth in the championships.

Sara Wright, roused into action for this local event, was to complete the team which gained third in Division One with a satisfying 35th.

Although Jane Quine did not feel as fit as she would have liked, she still managed 41st and 11th (CC). Marion Smith was Kendal's 1st vet 45 in 44th position with team-mate Carolyn Kevan 76th and 14th (CC) returning to running after exams.

Alasdair Russell's demanding winter training schedule proved worth it as he floated round the course to become 1st U20 in the ML and bronze medal-winner in the CC - just 24 secs behind Trafford athlete Chris Doyle, from Ulverston.

Guest runner Danny Parkinson also ran a fourth in the CC. Kathryn Porter, an U15 girl who trains with the Kendal group, putting in a fine performance on her cross-country debut.

Other local athletes competing were: U11 boys - Rory Addison 1st CC, Matthew McVey 3rd CC, James Knox 7th CC; U13 boys - Jos Addison 1st CC, Tom Doyle 5th CC, Jonathon Knox 6th CC, Rory Alderson 15th CC; U15 girls - Gemma Crowther 2nd CC; U15 boys - Tom Addison 3rd CC; U17 boys - Nick Bradley 2nd CC, Kieran Alderson 3rd CC; U20 ladies - Chloe Rodham 2nd CC.

Daniel Edmondson of Kendal AC was away at Skipton, running in the Yorkshire Schools Championships, where he came first in the intermediate age group.

All the Kendal juniors and some of the ladies and men will be competing at the Northern Cross Country Championships at Consett at the weekend.

Cumbria Championship Results: U11girls - 1 R. Harrison (Keswick AC), 2 G. Harris (Eden R), 3 C. Kenyon (Eden R); U11 boys - 1 R. Addison (Helm Hill R); 2 A. Weymouth (Eden R); 3 M. McVey (Helm Hill R); U13 boys - 1 J. Addison (Helm Hill R), 2 J. Bowness (Cumberland FR); 3 L. Robley (Eden R); U15 girls - 1 R. Stewart (Keswick), 2 G. Crowther; 3 S. Jones (Cumberland FR); U15boys - 1 W. Nicholson (Border H), 2 T. Lewis (Barrow), 3 T. Addison (Helm Hill R); U17 women - 1 E. Stuart (Keswick); 2 L. Knox (Keswick), 3 R. Thompson (Barrow); U17 men - 1 P. Savage (Barrow), 2 N. Bradley (Border H), 3 K. Alderson (Helm Hill); Junior women - 1 S. Tunstall (Nestle Rowntree), 2 Chloe Rodham (Lancs/Morc), 3 K.

Savage (Barrow); Junior men - 1 A.

Holliday (Trafford), 2 C. Doyle (Trafford), 3 A. Russell (Kendal); Senior women - 1 J. Hargreaves (Cumberland FR), 2 A. Brand-Barker (Keswick), 3 C. McKeown (Border; Senior men - 1 C. Winward (Barrow), 2 M. Denham-Smith (Keswick), 3 G. Bland (Borrowdale).