Ilkley Harriers hosted a five mile road race, the second counter in the Harrogate and District Summer Road Race League. The evening was a great success, with a record 62 Harriers racing amidst a record field of 292.

After racing over the Middleton hills, the runners enjoyed Harriers' hospitality back at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club.

Ilkley are now holding second place in the league; the Ilkley Ladies and Lady Vets have a good lead now in their team competitions; and the male Vets team is holding second place.

On Saturday, Andrea Priestley was first lady at the Ben Lomond Fell Race, breaking the record in the process in 79:14 for nine miles with 3200ft of climb.

Then on Sunday, in the Buttermere Sailbeck Horseshoe Fell Race over 9.4 miles with 4250ft of climb, Jim Ryder was 43rd in 1h53:11; Ashley Hardwell 61st in 1h59:33; and Alison Weston 65th and 4th lady in 2h02:15

Harriers were well represented at the Leeds Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday. Neil Chapman was the first of the Harriers in the Marathon, 24th and first Vet 45 in 3h07:23; ahead of Dominic O'Hooley 42nd in 3h17:06 and Mandy Parnaby 258th in 4h48:46.

In the Half Marathon Ilkley had 47th Mark Iley in 1h23:28; 227, Andy Wiggans 1h34:27; 34,3 Anthony Swanepoel 1h38:05; 447, Keith Wood 1h41:20; 758, Vince Gibbons 1h48:41; 759, Eva Makowski 1h48:42; 771, Linda Wright 1h48:58; 1009, Andrew Wright 1h54:13; 1121, Rob Wills 1h56:42; 1131, Bernie Gibbons 1h56:58.

Ilkley Harriers is a friendly club, training from Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club every Tuesday at 7pm. See www.ilkleyharriers.co.uk for more information.

Chevin Fell Race

Some fell races are parsimonious with prizes (even on Boxing Day) others are munificent and thanks to continued sponsorship by Clearview Windows of Otley the Chevin Fell Race continues to be a shining example of the latter.

Neil Clayton, who with Skyrac has organised the race for most of its 24 years, ensures that for his event everyone goes away with something even if it is only a can of beer.

Around 30 runners go away with a couple of prizes and local star Jason Hemsley has been known to stagger away with an armful.

Since the race is only three miles long and half of that is running downhill the whole thing can be over in just over 17 minutes: which is less time than the prize giving takes in The Red Lion which sponsors a prize for the first pub (or non-athletic club) team.

Other sponsors associated with the event include Morrisons, KFC, Harry Ramsden's and Classic Cars.

The race starts near the Jubilee Clock in Otley Market Square at 7.30pm on Wednesday, June 4, and entries (£2.50) will be taken on the night or via Neil Clayton 43, Coal Hill

Lane, LS28 5NA (0113 229 0924). Entry forms can be found on www.skyrac.org.uk

Skyrac Fell Runners

Three races, three winners and three different leaders of the Skyrac Fell Championship is the current picture as runners contemplate the fourth race of the year which is next Sunday's nine miles Fairfield Horseshoe with its 3,000 feet of climb.

With Bob Pritchard, Neil Clayton and Graham Grinstead respectively taking maximum points from the first three races the story is already refreshingly different from 2002 when either Graham Breeze or Derek Emsley won every race in the ten event series. Whilst 2003 may produce a new name on the shield it is always performance in the long races that determine the outcome of the championship and the first of these is not until July with the 21 miles and 5,500 feet Dockray Helvellyn Race.

Last week the lighter evenings saw the return of mid-week evening races with five fell races listed for Wednesday. The nearest local event was the Hare and Hounds race from Lothersdale which attracted five Skyrac runners in the field of 71 for the senior race.

Winner was Willy Smith (Keighley and Craven) in 22.49 followed for Skyrac by 18th Duncan Asquith (27.02), 19th Graham Grinstead (27.14), 32nd Graham Breeze (29.28), 34th Steve Batley (29.38) and Malcolm Coles, completing his fourth race in five days, was 44th in 30.58.

Skyrac organise their Wednesday evening race on 4th June over Otley Chevin and can be contacted on 0113 229 0924 or www.skyrac.org.uk.

West Yorkshire League

Leeds City AC athlete Andrew Staniland set a new long jump record at the second round of The Complete Runner West Yorkshire Track and Field League at Cleckheaton's Princess Mary Stadium.

Here the 16 year-old Horsforth athlete leaped to 6.56m to win the U-17 men's long jump, beating the previous league record, which was held by Skyrac AC's Matthew Clay, by just one centimetre. Earlier in the evening he had also won the U-17 men's 100m.

Other local highlights from the meeting came in the U-17 women's discus where Bethany Staniland, of Horsforth, came second with 31.88m and sixth in the 100m in 13.6s.

Athletes who came in top 6 and thus gained points: U-11B - A Ettenfield (Leeds) = 6th Shot - 4.48m. U-13B - J Blac (Skyrac) = 3rd 800m - 2.38.2; J Murray (Sky) = 6th 800m - 2.41.4 and 2nd HJ - 1.35m. Senior men - C Miller (Sky) = 2nd 1500m - 4.28.0; R Owens (Sky) = 4th 1500m - 5.14.5; D Thomas (Sky) = 3rd Shot - 10.26m; Under-13 girls - D Carr (Leeds) = 3rd 80m - 11.9s. Under-15 girls - G Ablett (Sky) = 2nd 200m -28.5s and 3rd Shot - 8.51m. Under-17 women - F Thomas (Sky) = 2nd 100m - 13.2s and 3rd LJ - 4.42m; D White (Sky) = 4th 100m - 13.6s and 2nd LJ - 4.81m.

Jack Bloor Fell Race

THE Jack Bloor Fell Race on Ilkley Moor was won by Yeadon's Greg Hull (Leeds City) in 40.22. Runner-up was Ilkley-raised Pudsey and Bramley Harrier Gary Devine in 40.44 and third was Ebor's Mark Speake in 41.02.

First lady home was Calder's Sarah Noot in 51.02 which placed her 42nd overall. Second lady was her clubmate Ann Johnson in 51.59 for 48th overall and third lady was Harogate's Sue Doran in 53.26 for 58th overall.

The first male over-40 was Calder's Andy Clarke in 44.57 for seventh overall and first male over-50 was Ilkley's Nick Pearce in 47.14 for 16th overall.

The first team prize went to Todmorden with Pudsey and Bramley second and Ilkley Harriers third. Ilkley also won the relay prize.

Young Athletes League

IN the first match of the Northern Premier Division of UK Athletics National Young Athletes League at Liverpool's Wavertree Stadium Menston boys, Richard Ettenfield and Fraser Davies, provided maximum points in the pole vault. Richard won the A event with 3.20m and Fraser took the B string with 3.00m. Fraser also won the B long jump with a personal best leap of 6.18m and came second in the B 100m. Richard also came second in the B javelin with a throw of 29.88m.