THE second of the WEST YORKSHIRE CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE series drew 700 runners to West Park in Leeds.

Emile Cairess was a non-counting guest for Bingley Harriers but managed a fine third place in the senior men's race. Clubmate Ben Marriott was officially third, just behind Cairess, with Ian Fisher of Otley in fifth.

Sunday's 8.4km race was won in 27min 15sec by Tom Bean (City of York), just edging out Ian Mitchell of Longwood, with Cairess ten seconds adrift of this pair. Spenborough youngster Joshua Woodcock-Shaw was a good seventh.

Matthew Grieve led a Pudsey & Bramley sextet to joint second in the team scoring, alongside Valley Striders, with Leeds City back in their usual first spot. Otley, Spenborough and Bingley were fourth to sixth, ahead of the usually strong Holmfirth.

Otley's second counter Frank Beresford, in tenth, was last week's half-marathon winner in Bradford, indicating the quality of these cross-country fields.

In the senior women's race over 5.7km, Emma Clayton was a good winner ahead of Holmfirth rival Katie Walshaw in 19:37. But as a recent transfer from Bingley, she was a non-scorer for Leeds City.

Skyrac's Emma Inglis was a powerful 19th behind the Wharfedale duo of Emma Hopkinson and Lucy Needham. Zara Knappy of Keighley & Craven (21st overall) was fourth under-20 behind Ilkley's Georgia Malir, who was fifth home.

Wetherby and Holmfirth ladies were to the fore in the over-40s and 45s, with Pauline Munro and Lisa Mawer of Wetherby third and seventh and Holmfirth duo Helen Berry and Helen Fines fourth and sixth.

Holmfirth dominated the women's team competition, with Pudsey & Bramley led into second by Gabriella Moriarty.

Podium positions in the junior races were gained by Matthew Merrick (Bingley, first U15); Victoria Merrick (Bingley, second U15); Katie Atkinson (Keighley & Craven, first U13) and Lucy Fryers (K&C, third U13); Harisah Ghafoor (K&C, third in the girls' U11 category) and Alex Flaherty (Bingley, first), Will Atkinson (K&C, second) and Sam Smith (Wharfedale, third) in the boys' under-11s.

Meanwhile, on the hills around Ripley in North Yorkshire, Scott Harrington (Otley) was first of 815 in the GUY FAWKES TEN-MILER.