SEBASTIAN Coe may have been elected president of the IAAF (the International Association of Athletics Federations), defeating Sergei Bubka by 115 votes to 92, but the sport of athletics in Yorkshire has two distinct faces.

'Foot races', 'hares and hounds' and 'paper trails' go back centuries in Yorkshire – with lead runners, or hares, being chased cross-country by the hounds, or offering a paper trail for the followers.

It's even featured in the film The Railway Children but never has running in the countryside reached such mass numbers in Yorkshire.

By contrast, the 'stadium-based' Olympic sport of track and field is in dire straits.

Claims of endemic doping in Russia, Turkey, and, possibly, Kenya, are rife.

Track and field seems a poor cousin of running. In the 38-club BRITISH ATHLETICS LEAGUE, City of Sheffield alone carry Yorkshire colours. Fortunately, they were an excellent second in the Premier Division behind Birchfield Harriers.

Only five clubs in the north of England (Sale, Liverpool, Trafford and Gateshead being the others) compete nationally. No fewer than 20 are from the south-east, and half of those are from London.

League structures grossly favour sprinters, who can compete in seven individual events, whereas middle-distance runners can score in just one, maybe two.

The NORTHERN LEAGUE, which also finished its four-match season ten days ago, is identical.

Only nine West Yorkshire clubs compete out of 50.

Wakefield Harriers were victors in the First Division, with Kingston-upon-Hull second.

In the Second Division, Guiseley's Skyrac AC are now the next best club in the county.

They finished second, behind Gateshead B, just missing out on the play-offs for promotion.

Remarkably, two more individual points in the final match would have meant they were divisional champions, yet they only entered the league a few years ago.

Holmfirth and Leeds City retained their Division Two status but Bingley were relegated and will be replaced by Spenborough, who were second behind Trafford B in Division Three.

Huddersfield's Longwood AC and Halifax have both been relegated from Division Three and will probably meet Bradford-Airedale in Division Four next year.

The latter finished their season at Grimsby with their best points total for many a year.