HORWICH RMI Harriers produced their best ever performance at the Northern 12-Stage Road Relays to finish a fantastic fifth.

They beat their previous best of eighth in the event which saw the 12 legs split between four two-lap legs of 4.8 miles and eight legs of the single 2.4-mile course.

Chris Farrell achieved an excellent seventh place on the first leg and 15th fastest of all long legs during the day in 23:57.

Richard Howarth clocked 13:00 for leg two to put the A team in 12th place before fell international James Kevan pulled back two positions with a solid 24:26 on leg three.

The oldest team member, V45 Dave Jackson, ran a well-judged race in 13:22 to hold on to 10th spot before Tom Carson powered round with a fantastic 23:51 – the third fastest run on the leg and 16th fastest overall – which moved the team up to seventh.

Nick Leigh posting the second fastest time on leg six (12:01) and 15th fastest of all short leg runners to move the team up to fifth place, Joe Mercer maintained the position on leg seven with 25:05, Gareth Booth ran a solid 12:46 but lost a place to Sale Harriers who had placed their fastest runner on the leg.

Ian Conroy sped round leg nine in 12:23 to maintain sixth position with Alastair Murray doing the same in 12:56.

Lukas Siska kept sixth place with 12:42 and Michael Cayton crossed the finish line in sixth with a reasonable lead over nearest rivals, Hallamshire and Gateshead and clawing back 42 seconds on Sale Harriers to finish only 17 seconds behind them.

It was only at the finish that the team realised they had actually come fifth as the race leader – who was from Liverpool Harriers – had got lost.

The B team saw Jonathan Bruton finish 56th in 27:58 on the first leg, 55-year-old Nigel Clementson clock 14:31 on the second and Chris Essex-Crosby 29:07 to leave the B team at 55th but with no further runners.

On the fells, four Harriers competed in the Lads Leap Fell Race over 9.5k with 1,700 feet of ascent from Crowden-in-Longdendale.

Dan Gilbert just pipped Steve Jackson, who took the first V60 prize and Suzanne Budgett was first FV50.

Results: 23 Dan Gilbert 62:53, 24 Steve Jackson (V60) 63:01, 64 Suzanne Budgett (FV50) 73:14, 88 Michael Crook (V65) 81:30.