By Steve Houghton

BOLTON United Harrier Tom Carson edged out club-mate Karl Darcy to take fourth place in the penultimate round of the Central Grand Prix races last weekend.

Swinton RC's 10-mile race was the setting for the ninth round and with a field of 210 and only 111 CLGP counters in play, scores were always going to be skewed in favour of the teams with big turnouts.

Unfortunately for Bolton, the endurance squad was decimated by illness and only had 16 participants.

Darcy was under the weather but competed with fellow title contender Carson before finishing just three seconds behind after a sprint up the final hill.

Carson finished behind Leigh’s Neil Pendlebury and Dave Smith, and Burnder Roadrunners' Phil Eccleston.

Simon Dally and Chris Povey formed the race team that took silver behind Leigh and were joined in the A team (comprising the first 10 counters) by category winners Ken Fowler (M60) and Eric Ranicar (M65).

Over unfavoured extra mileage, Pete Walker led the B team from the much-improved Andrew Gallacher, which also featured Bolton’s entire female team led by Julie Lomax (18th).

Only Astley and Tyldesley and Burnden could muster full strength in all categories, so Bolton go into the final fixture at the Gin Pit 5M in a fortnight with reduced, but decent, leading buffers in the A (880), B (524) and Vets (350) team standings, and with a solid bronze in the female table.

The individual open and category titles’ destinations are sure to go to the wire.

BUH&AC times: Karl Darcy 56:56; Simon Dally 57:40; Chris Povey 60:55; Mark Swannell 61:48; Chris Pickford 67:16; Ken Fowler 67:53; Tony Warham 68:33; Chris Topping 69:23; Eric Ranicar 71:17; Stuart Parsonson 72:54; Peter Walker 73:28; Andrew Gallagher 76:49; Julie Lomax 83:46; Hannah Edwards 86:45; Sara Green 86:46; Gail Harrison 92:50.

Elsewhere, Phil Marsden netted bronze in the tough Thieveley Pike fell race – a discipline fast becoming his forte. Organised by Clayton Le Moors, more than 1,000ft of climbing was packed into just over four miles.

Despite the approaching autumn, outdoor track and field continued in summer conditions for juniors at the Open Medal Meeting hosted by the Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde Athletic Club.

Coach Gwylim Jones travelled to Stanley Park and was thrilled with his charges latest efforts.

Results: U9s: Harvey Kenny – 80m 13.9s (fifth), 600m 2:10.9 (gold), long jump 2.60m (sixth);

U11s: Julia Winogrodzka – 80m 12.1s (gold), 600m 1:55.5 (gold), long jump 4.30m (PB, gold);

U13s: Clemencia Longthorne – 100m 15.1s (13th), 200m 31.4s (PB, tenth), 800m 2:59.3s (PB, fifth), Maisie Taylor – 100m 15.0s (PB, 12th), long jump 4.32m (PB, gold);

U17s: Elle Taylor –100m 14.8s (fifth).