WHETHER or not Jonny Wilkinson manages to deliver the goods for the Lions in Christchurch tomorrow, another Wilkinson - and possibly two - will be fighting Britain's cause in a major international event fell racing event (writes Roger Ingham).

Mary Wilkinson won last Sunday's trial race in Wales for places in the Great Britain and Ireland team to contest the forthcoming European Mountain Running Championship in Austria.

The Skipton Athletics Club runner produced a virtuoso performance to win the uphill-only event staged over a circular 11km course from Llanteris to the summit of Mount Snowdon.

First two past the post plus two discretionary choices is the selection criteria for the European event. And besides Wilkinson ensuring her place, her namesake Victoria (no relation) - Hebden's former World Junior Champion - thrust herself into contention by finishing fourth.

It was mightily close at the head of the field as Mary timed her lung-bursting surge to perfection to beat Scottish internationals Lynne Wilson and former UK cross-country champion Angela Mudge into second and third respectively.

Mary - from Long Preston - becomes the first Skipton AC member to win senior international honours.

She first joined Skipton as a 13-year-old and has shone over a wide range of athletics disciplines. A fine all-rounder, she has also achieved county honours in five different sports.

Her continued loyalty to Skipton AC has also extolled the name of the club and the town far and wide, not least when she recently won the UK Inter-Counties fell title in Shropshire.

The team for the European Championship, to be staged on July 10 up the slopes of Austria's highest mountain, Glosclochner, will not be finalised until this weekend.

Victoria Wilkinson has put together a good case for selection since returning to the sport after excelling on the top-level cyclo-cross and mountain-bike scene. She has won six high-quality fell races from six starts including the recent Penyghent event.