EMBSAY'S Matthew Watson led Yorkshire to the team silver medal in the senior men's event at last Saturday's United Kingdom Inter-Counties Cross-country Championships (writes Roger Ingham).

The event brought together the best of 50 county and regional representative teams from across the home nations.

From a field of nearly 400, Watson finished in 16th position. It was only in the closing stages of the 12km race - when he aggravated a hip injury - that the plucky local was shunted out of the top ten.

Also figuring among Yorkshire's scoring six was fellow Bingley Harrier and international fell racing star Matthew Whitfield, from Clapham, who would have preferred some fiercer slopes on the course, but likewise ran well to finish 31st.

The individual winner was defending champion Glyn Tromans, of Warwickshire, who played a significant role in his county edging out Yorkshire for the coveted top spot.

Skipton Athletics Club - quite remarkably - had seven athletes across the age groups who had qualified for the prestigious event.

Most prominent for them was Yorkshire champion Sam Hutchinson, who made a typically bold bid to grab a medal in the under-13 boys. Like Watson, he had to settle for a somewhat inconspicuous 16th which hardly did him justice in light of how close he was to a medal. At the finish, only two fleeting seconds separated him from a single-figure position and precious little more from a medal in view of the closeness of the contest up front.

Also producing a fine effort was Silsden's England junior fell racing champion, Tom Sessford, of Keighley and Craven AC. He did well to finish on the predominantly flat fast course to finish in the top 70.

Hutchinson and Sessford also figured as first and third-placed runners home for Yorkshire, who finished in the top ten behind winners Surrey.