CHRIS Farrell is part of an 18-strong squad heading for the World Mountain Running Championships in Bulgarianext month after his pick for Team GB was confirmed.

Horwich RMI Harriers’ delight at this well-deserved recognition will be boosted further if club mates Ian Conroy and James Kevan achieve selection for Ireland in the same championships.

Conroy warmed up for the Irish trial race with a steady 13th place at Whittle Pike last Wednesday.

With both Danny Hope, in second, and Joe Mercer (fourth) taking a break from triathlons, Horwich took the team prize. Also at Whittle Pike, Gary Chadderton and Dan Gilbert consolidated their top-10 places in the Area Fell Grand Prix and helped give Horwich a virtually unassailable second place in the club competition, behind a very strong Rossendale outfit with only one race to go.

Keeping it in the family at Astley Park trail race the same night, Erica Booth secured the women’s series win and brother Gareth Booth took the men’s series top prize. Both were rewarded for consistently strong results this summer.

On the night, the Horwich men’s team of Lukas Siska, Booth and Luke Massey took second place, five points behind Leigh.

Astley Park also saw some of RMI’s young stars putting in a shift, most notably 14-year-old Lewis Wilkes who finished third, losing out on the series top spot by only one point to Klan Davies from Chorley.

But at Bolton parkrun on Saturday, Lewis achieved first place ahead of 307 other runners of all ages, including clubmate Cian Healy, aged 12, who continues to impress, in second – both very fine achievements for juniors.

Earlier in the week, Healy had raced in Ireland, finishing sixth overall at the Camolin Park 5k trail race in Wexford, getting a new personal best. It may have explained why he was only seventh at Astley Park in midweek.

Freya Whittle had a good sixth place for the girls’ series midweek in the junior race at Astley Park and then also finished fourth in the under-16s' fell race at Worsthorne Moor on Sunday.

At Queens Park parkrun on Sunday, Matthew Flatters was first home in a Horwich top three, followed closely by Healy and then Isaac Battye. RMI’s Fern O’Brien was first girl home.

Results: Whittle Pike fell race (Rossendale) – 2nd Danny Hope 41:32; 4th Joe Mercer 42:01; 13th Ian Conroy 47:35; 21st Gary Chadderton 49:16; 24th Dan Gilbert 49:36; 47th Doug Fleming 55:13; 61st Mark Swindell 57:03; 127th Patrick Conroy 01:18:19; Astley Park trail race (Chorley) – 4th Lukas Siska 24:16; 5th Gareth Booth 24:28; 7th Luke Massey 24:34; 40th Sean McMyler 28:37; 75th David Unsworth 30:51; 91st Erica Booth 31:34; 108th David Barnes 33:03; 130th Lawrence Pinnell 34:31; 145th Pete Bland 35:20; 146th David Jackson 35:22; 181st Bernie Unsworth 38:01; Cracken Edge fell race (Hayfield) – 12th Andy Ford 49:05; Borrowdale fell race – 47th Dave Milliken 3:30:15; 118th Simon Pymm 3:54:30; 228th Brian Walton 4:34:30; 324th Ian Hepburn 5:19:43; Worsthorne Moor fell race (nr Burnley) – 57th Tony Hesketh 54:52.