LOCAL athletes struck gold in the Emerald Isle last Sunday as three of the district's youngsters helped their respective England teams to gold medal success in the British and Irish Junior Fell Racing International Championship (writes Roger Ingham).

Skipton Athletics Club's rising duo, Jonny Pawson and Claire Lilley, performed impressively in the under-16 boys and under-16 girls. And Ingleton's Samantha Morphet - a member of Cumberland Fell Runners - capitalised on an 11th hour call-up to help England's cause in the under-18 girls.

The Ireland-based event was staged at Carlingford, near Dundalk, and featured the steep slopes of Slieve Foy, which towers to a height of more than 1,500 feet above sea level.

Lilley and Pawson were not far off gaining individual medals in coming fifth and seventh in their respective events. Morphet - albeit farther adrift of the front runners - finished a creditable eighth in her race.

Unlike cross country internationals - where only selected athletes can compete - reserves in this instance were allowed to run. Thus Skipton AC's Harry Coates and Alice Lilley were also taking part.

Coates had a particular point to prove for having finished third in the English Championship at under-18 level, he was controversially omitted from the England team in favour of an athlete from the north-east region who had never beaten him all summer.

The Skipton athlete duly repeated the form - leaving egg on the selectors' faces - as he finished splendidly in seventh - four places and well clear of the athlete chosen ahead of him.

Also shining was Alice Lilley as she finished ninth in the under-16 girls to complete an impressive 'grand slam' of top-ten finishers from the Craven locality.