Athletics: The 1999 English Fell Racing Championships get under way on Sunday with the nine-mile Noon Stone race at Mankinholes, near Todmorden.

Bingley's Ian Holmes, twice winner of the championships in the past three years, will be keen to start the campaign with a win on 'home soil' in an attempt to retain his title.

The Harriers men were joint team winners with Borrowdale last year, bringing an end to the three-year dominance of the Cumbrians.

Rob Jebb played a prominent part in Bingley's success as he captured the individual bronze, and he demonstrated his fitness level recently by convincingly winning the Ilkley fell race.

Bradford Airedale's Steve Oldfield will be looking to make an impact in the veteran ranks. The 42-year-old had his best ever season in 1998 and will be hopeful of a medal in this best four from six-race series.

Top veteran in the female category last year was Jo-Anne Prowse (Keigh-ley & Craven) in only her second season of fell running. But the Ilkley-based mother-of-four has still to regain full fitness after a serious fall in last November's Rivock Edge race.

Team-mate Karen Slater was a silver medallist, but could opt out of this race if she decides to concentrate on attempting to win the Cleveland Series at the Ossi Oiks race.

Idle-based Ian Fisher (Otley AC) will be hoping for a continuation of the superb form he's shown of late as he represents Yorkshire for the second time in a fortnight. The 28-year-old ran for the county at Nottingham over the country last week, finishing 20th in a high-class field.

He travels to Stafford on Sunday to contest the Inter-Counties 20-mile road race, where he will team up with Sean Winstanley of Leeds, Michael Pearson (Longwood) and Dave Bond (Askern).

The women's team of four are all based in our region. Bingley veteran Sue Carriss imposed herself in the recent Liversedge Half Marathon to set a new course record, and the three-lap Stafford course should prove no problem to her.

Valley Striders' Kath Kaiser is a perennial selection for the county over this distance, and Bradford Airedale's Wibsey-based runner Andrea Dennison is putting in the miles in preparation for the London Marathon. Dewsbury's Treena Carney completes the team.

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