Victory in Wednesday's White Lion fell race was no leisurely cruise for Will Smith. The Oakbank leisure centre manager held off rival Ian Taylor to win by three seconds.

Smith watched last year's race after coming across it while cycling and subsequently took up the sport. He joined, Keighley and Craven Athletics Club, and regularly takes pupils from Oakbank to races.

"I've got you to blame," he joked with organisers after winning the Kildwick pub-based race which laps Farnhill Pinnacle.

He had little to spare in the continuing sparring with Taylor, who is also new to fell-running after temporarily ditching his cyclo-cross bike. In the head-to-heads between the two, there is usually only seconds in it, with each man recording wins.

To complete an Oakbank double Helen Glover - opting for the senior competition rather than the Under-17s - was first woman home in 21st place. She was more than half-a-minute up on Keighley & Craven's Kali Taylor.

Promoter Paul Morris, for K&C, was pleased with the number taking part, especially the junior runners, and he thanked new landlord of the White Lion, Alistair Maclennan, for his sponsorship.

The next race in the Keighley & Craven Summer Grand Prix is the race from Stirton, near Skipton, on Wednesday, July 5.

Leading results from the White Lion race: 1 Will Smith (Keighley and Craven) 25mins 12secs, 2 Ian Taylor (Keighley and Craven) 25.15, 3 John Wootton (Bradley) 27.45, 4 and 1st V45 Jonnie Butler (Keighley and Craven) 28.37, 5 Robert Dawson 28.43, 6 and 1st V40 Mike Baldwin (Ilkley) 28.49. Women - 21 Helen Glover (Oakbank) 33.14, 23 Kali Taylor (Keighley and Craven) 33.57.

Under-17s - 1 Sam Clegg 20.43, 2 James Fortune 21.11, 3 Chris White 22.00. Girls - 4 Laura Greenham 23.15, 6 Kayleigh Greenham 25.18, 7 Nicola Leng 25.51.

Under-14s - 1 Stewart Hunn 13,04, 2 Joe Mercer 13.19, 3 Mark Thwaites 14.01. Girls - 7 Emma Hollindrake 15.17, 8 Gemma Dean 15.33, 9 Nicola Mahomet 16.15.

Under-12s - 1 Caleb Wetherell 10.11, 2 Joshua Darling 10.25, 3 Matthew Parker 10.30.

Under-9s - 1 Daniel Hart 6.54, 2 Emma Thompson 6.55, 3 Rebecca Thompson 7.07.

n Children's cancer charity Candlelighters will be hundreds of pounds better off after fell races at Skipton last week which featured several Keighley runners.

A donation from the races, run in conjunction with a carnival-atmosphere at the 'Shortbank Road Olympics,' will also go towards a memorial fund for Cononley woman Katherine Ireland who died following a double lung transplant this February.

Keighley and Craven AC athletes Ian Taylor and Will Smith continued their personal duel in the senior race with Taylor taking it by five seconds in 17 mins 32 secs. Robin Bradbury (18.10) from Haworth was third and John Wootton (19.03) fourth. First veteran in sixth overall was K&C's Jeff Emmott (20.20), from Cowling.

Oakbank's Helen Glover (9.35) was first U17 girl.

Teenager Jonathan Brownhill, from Bradley, outgunned the rest to take the sprint race, about 200 metres, in 25 seconds.

Oakbank Sports Centre manager Will Smith won the eight-mile Austwick Amble, part of K&C's Summer grand prix, in 53.04, claiming a bottle of whisky for his efforts.

The Yorkshire veterans five mile championship is incorporated in next Thursday's Full Bronte race, promoted by Keighley and Craven AC at Haworth. The two-lap road circuit round Penistone Hill provides a test for runners. Entries to the race which starts (7.30pm) and finishes in Main Street are still being taken. The entry fee is £3 club runners, £4 unattached to Keith Waddingham, Berwyn, Hebden Road, Haworth.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.