Athletics: Bingley Harriers will be defending their men's team title in the National Cross- Country Championships at Newark on Saturday.

Leading the assault over the nine-mile course will be Steve Green, Colin Moore and Mick Hawkins.

Green is in superb form of late, finishing 28th as a non- scorer in the high class Inter-Counties race at Nottingham last month, and following that by winning the Redcar Half Marathon in very windy conditions, leading the 1,000 runners home in 68min 19sec.

Bingley's squad will be bolstered by their top fell runners Ian Holmes, Rob Jebb and Mark Kinch, who were all in action in last week's gruelling Noon Stone race, plus Matthew Whitfield and Andy Peace, who saved themselves especially for Newark.

Andrew Pearson and Richard Nerurkar look like missing the event though.

Bingley's top woman Sue Carriss does make the trip in what will probably be her final race before the Flora London Marathon on Sunday, April 18.

Otley's Ian Fisher will be aiming to make an impression as he continues to impress. Fisher finished 20th in the Inter-Counties and also collected gold for Yorkshire on the road last Sunday in the Stafford 20.

For those who are not heading for Newark, there are two road races this weekend. The Dentdale Run is a 14.8 mile road race from Dent on Saturday (1pm). Entries on the day though are a hefty £7.

On Sunday at South Leeds Stadium there is a five-mile road race (11.15am). There is also a 5km fun run (10am).

The main race had 291 finishers last year and the course record belongs to Desiderio Damiani with 26-18 over a hilly two-lap course.

Skipton AC are providing ten members of the North York-shire team that will compete in the North East Sportshall finals.

It would have been 11, but Thomas Binns - nephew of former international Steve Binns - has been selected to represent Yorkshire's boxers against Lancashire this weekend.

Sarah Taylor, 13, is included, however, and she was recently an England 100 metres free-style swimming finalist.

Bradford Airedale's Christopher Grayson will be representing West Yorkshire and Bingley provide 16 members of that squad.

Ben Manchester has moved up to the under-15 team, where he recently won both 60 metres and 60m hurdles at the North of England Championships at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium.

Naomi Johnson will have her work cut out as she raced at Luton last week and travels to Newark to run cross-country on Saturday before her trip to Thornaby-on-Tees on Sunday.

Other teams competing there are Cleveland, Durham, Cumbria, Humberside, and guest team Stavanger from Norway.

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