AIREDALE Athletics still wait for their first major team victory.

The LEEDS COUNTRY WAY on Sunday saw another ding-dong battle with Valley Striders.

Both teams were over ten minutes quicker than last year on the six-leg, 64-mile course but it was the north Leeds club who won for the third year in a row.

This year saw the two clubs head to head from the off, with Will Kerr and Carl Kernick a few yards adrift at the first changeover.

But already both clubs were three minutes ahead of Horsforth and Rothwell, who ended up third and fourth of the 47 teams competing.

Matt Nowell and Andy Bedford took Airedale into the lead on the leg from Stanley to Scotchman Lane but Valley took a decisive 12-minute lead on the next two legs.

Quentin Lewis and Michael Maylon reduced the gap on the leg from Golden Acre Park to Thorner but it was not enough.

The time of 7hr 6min 19sec for Airedale was a team record. They have now been second four times and third twice since 2010. Saltaire Striders were 22nd and Baildon 28th and 47th.

In the WETHERBY 10K, also on Sunday, Skipton's Julian Hood finished a good second in 34min 37sec behind Mike Burrett (Leeds City).

The IKLEY INCLINE one-miler took place in torrential Wednesday conditions.

Despite this, both course record-holders – Tom Adams and Emma Clayton – only missed their milestones by two seconds.

Adams got to the top in 7min 3sec, Clayton in 7:51 with Paul Whitaker third just behind. Young fell running stars Georgia Malir (8:51) and Zara Knappy (9:09) were in the top 15.

In more glorious conditions, Rob Jebb of Bingley was second in the BEN NEVIS FELL RACE on Saturday.

Lochaber's Finlay Wild won for the sixth consecutive time, clocking 91 minutes.

Unusually, the runners could see the peak from the base, even the residual snow.

The run involves unstable boulders, plenty of scree and the infamous Red Burn, which involves running very steeply on sodden grass.

Nick Pearce of Ilkley was first over-60 in 2:10:54, with Kate Pearce 14 minutes back, in the top half of the 486 finishers.