JANE McCarthy, Lydia Farley and Will Kerr starred in the opening PECO CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE race at Crossgates.

McCarthy, from Ilkley Harriers, is improving in leaps and bounds, having started the sport competitively only four years ago.

She raced away from a field of 278 ladies on Sunday morning, with Chloe Wood (Rothwell) second and Rachel Pilling of Pudsey & Bramley third.

Farley (Bradford-Airedale) ran her first senior cross-country race and was best junior in a hugely promising tenth place.

The Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College student coped admirably with the deep mud, undulating 4.9-mile course and the early water jump.

Farley was well supported by Jade Cawthorne, one of several University of Bradford students also running for Bradford-Airedale.

Jen Willingham (20th) and Steph Wilson (24th) led Saltaire Striders to sixth place in the Ladies' Premier League behind Valley Striders in the new three-division format.

Notwithstanding that, they will have to fight to retain their premiership status.

Meanwhile, Eccleshill Ladies will need to better support their lead runner Reena Mistry (55th) to avoid relegation from the First Division.

Airecentre Pacers from Guiseley, resplendent in their new navy kit with orange features and personal names, are consolidating in the Second Division after relegation.

The men's race attracted 420 runners, which meant it was set off ten minutes ahead of the women. A total of 700 runners now necessitate separate races on top of the two junior races an hour earlier.

Saltaire Striders captain Kerr maintained his excellent recent form with a third-place finish.

In fact, winner Joe Baxter (Pudsey & Bramley) had been misdirected down a sizeable short cut by a marshal and Kerr was then overtaken at the end by improving youngster Mark Smith, from Rothwell.

Wharfedale duo Nick Charlesworth and Christian Holmes finished fifth and ninth in an otherwise poor turn-out from the specialist fell-running club.

Airecentre's Will Morris performed excellently for a top-ten finish, just ahead of Colin Walker (Pudsey & Bramley).

New recruit Dave Teggart was top finisher for a far stronger Bradford-Airedale outfit in the men's Second Division.

Bradford Grammar School teacher Charlie Lines (Ackworth Road Runners) was the first over-50 in 33rd place.