Athletics: The region's athletes will have to travel to find competition over the Bank Holiday weekend.

The third race in the English Fell Championships takes place at Callow in Shropshire. At only 31/2 miles in distance with 1,617ft of ascent it ranks as the first short race in the six race series, of two long, two medium and two short in total.

Borrowdale sheep farmer Gavin Bland has won the first two races (both medium) at Noon Stone, Todmorden in March and the Anniversary Waltz race in the Lake District two weeks ago when he out-sprinted Ian Holmes in a very close finish.

Bland will not be competing in Sunday's race, however, due to the lambing season and will wait until September to complete the championships with four races to count.

This leaves his rivals - notably Bingley's Holmes, Rob Jebb and Mark Kinch with the decision of whether to compete and open up a gap on the leader.

Holmes has a sixth and second while Jebb has a second and fifth placings. Kinch notched a fourth at Noon Stones but will be disappointed with his 15th in Cumbria.

Ilkley's Tracey Ambler, who moved to Wales recently, has started well in the women's section as she bids for a first English title.

And Keighley and Craven's Karen Slater was first veteran in the Lakes event.

Looking ahead into May, the track season gets under way and Bingley's women travel to Wavertree, Liverpool on Sunday to contest a North of England Division One fixture.

New team captain Leone Dickinson will be hoping her side, which enjoyed a fair share of success last season when they narrowly failed to gain promotion to the National League, get off to a positive start.

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