ALISTAIR Brownlee had to concede first place to Stockport’s Andrew Davies in Saturday’s NORTHERN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Pontefract Racecourse.

The gap was six seconds as Brownlee finished in 37min 50sec on a day when a stiff wind and cloying mud made getting into your stride difficult.

Rob Hope, from Pudsey & Bramley, managed 36th, just ahead of Tom Adams (Ilkley).

Ben Marriott was the second Bingley Harrier, after Brownlee, in 73rd, while Craig Shearer (Keighley & Craven, 109th), Jack Wood (Ilkley, 112th) and Kevin Ogden (Spenborough, 130th) were all well to the fore.

Leeds City (third), Holmfirth (sixth), Valley Striders (13th), Ilkley (19th), Rothwell (42nd), Spenborough (43rd), Ackworth (48th) and Kirkstall (49th) were the only teams in the county to have six counters out of the 697 finishers in the senior men’s race.

Sadly, clubs like Saltaire Striders, who placed well ahead of Rothwell in the Peco League, do not field teams.

Many other strong outfits, like Wharfedale, Otley and Stainland, were also not represented. So, despite the overall numbers, the standings are far from representative of the region’s strength.

Emma Clayton, formerly of Bingley Harriers, was a close second to Elle Vernon of Stockport in the senior women’s championships. Her former clubmate, Jo Buckley, was a fine 33rd.

Anna Anderson (70th) and Claire Green (74th) were the top two from Pudsey & Bramley, while Lucy Needham (76th, Wharfedale) and Sally Malir (94th, Ilkley) all made the top 100 of the 342 ladies.

Wharfedale placed sixth in the team event, behind winners Rotherham. Bingley were 16th and Ilkley 36th.

Among the junior races, Emile Cairess (Bingley Harriers) finished an excellent second in the under-17s and Skyrac’s Alex Padgin was 11th in the same race.

Padgin’s clubmate Eleanor Jones was sixth in the girls’ under-15s, with Bingley’s Victoria Merrick in 16th.

In the women’s under-20s, Hannah Brown (Skyrac) was fifth, with Keighley’s Zara Knappy 17th.

Keighley & Craven were also prominent in the under-13s, with Lilli Carr ninth and Katie Atkinson 13th.