SALTAIRE Striders broke into the top 60 British road-running clubs on Saturday at Birmingham's Sutton Park.

Three Scottish clubs, plus Swansea and Cardiff and 53 English clubs, were ahead of them.

The football equivalent is being in the top half of League One. Only Leeds City (16th), Valley Striders (44th) and Holmfirth (52nd) bested Saltaire from West Yorkshire.

The TWELVE-STAGE RELAYS are the pinnacle for road-running.

After qualifying a fortnight previously at Sunderland in the Northerns, the national event has a different format with six long legs (over five miles) interspersed with six shorter legs (over three miles).

Saltaire captain Will Kerr rejigged his team, with two strong runners leading out.

In such elevated company, Graham Corbett ended 65th, while Pete Hopson climbed six places, clocking 17min 11sec.

Kerr himself ran the fastest long leg for his team on leg seven (30:54), while Martin Fillingham ran the final long leg to hand over to Joe Graham, who brought the club into 59th in 5hr 13min 39sec.

For a club that had not competed in the Northern Championships since the late 1990s, this represents a huge step forward, and they can probably set their sights on emulating Holmfirth.

Leeds City's A team were led off by Jamil Parapia, the Bingley Grammar School teacher (24th in 27:34).

Haworth-based Alan Buckley ran the penultimate leg (27:19) and took the club to a short-lived 11th.

Former Bingley youngster Emile Cairess ran a spectacular 15:31 on the second short leg for the seventh fastest time of the day.

Keighley & Craven could only field nine runners, but their opening leg by Craig Shearer had set them into 46th place before they dropped back to 59th.

The top three teams were Highgate Harriers (4:16:30), Aldershot, Farnham & District, and Bristol & West. Fourth-placed Liverpool Harriers were the best northern club.

In the ladies' equivalent over six legs, Leeds City finished behind Aldershot.

Emma Clayton led off (29min 36sec), with Susan Partridge (short leg) taking them into a short-held lead. Georgia Malir ran the anchor leg in 18min 19sec.

Holmfirth, in 14th, were the only other qualifying West Yorkshire club.