CHRIS Farrell once more showed he can compete with the best at a range of race disciplines by finishing 13th in the UK Inter Counties cross-country championships.

This put him first of the five Greater Manchester representatives in a field of 283 top UK cross-country athletes.

Lindsey Brindle, like Farrell a GB international mountain athlete, continued a great recovery from injury with 21st place at Roddlesworth as first woman home in a week when the Horwich vets were taking the top age-category spots.

Nick Leigh and Gareth Booth were first and second M40 at Dentdale as well as finishing second and third overall.

This is a 14.2-mile road race in Yorkshire and with 418 entrants, two podium places was an achievement for Horwich.

The winner was Ian Livesey of Barlick.

Danny Hope was another Lancashire raider but this time in the Lake District at Black Combe for the fell race where he was third overall and first M40, while Graham Schofield was first M60 at Helm Hill, putting himself in a strong position to take the series M60 prize in the competitive Kendal Winter fell league.

Rob Jackson was first M50 on the trails at Roddlesworth, a race he first ran 25 years ago, and Paul Muller was first M60 on the road at Bispham for the Sweatshop 10-mile race.

The Haworth Hobble is a classic Pennine fell race over 30 miles and 4,400 feet of ascent and Andy Ford, back from the sunny climes of the Sevilla marathon, finished 62nd while another M60 vet, Gordon Stone, preparing for the North York Moors 100-mile challenge in a few weeks, beat his eight-hour target time comfortably, albeit 20 years after previously completing the course in well under six hours.

Four Horwich juniors – Lewis Wilkes, Isabella Merritt, Matthew Mair and Toby Middleton – joined Farrell in representing Greater Manchester at the Inter Counties championships, enjoying the fantastic development opportunity to perform at the highest level in the country.

Closer to home in the Daffodil Doddle at Abbey Village, Isaac Simmonite took first place overall and Freya Whittle was first under-11 female, representing both their respective schools and Horwich.

A further representative achievement was gained by Ethan Isaacs, competing for Greater Manchester at the Sportshall Northwest meeting at Sportcity

In parkrun Richard Howarth and Lukas Siska continue to churn out the first places, at Cuerden Valley again for Howarth and at Worsley Woods for Siska.

Horwich RMI results: UK Inter Counties cross-country championships (Loughborough) – senior men – 13th Chris Farrell 39:30; u15 boys – 220th Lewis Wilkes 18:28; u13 girls – 166th Isabella Merritt 14:44; u13 boys – 217th Matthew Mair 13:42, 219th Toby Middleton 13:43;

Dentdale 14.2-mile road race – 2nd Nick Leigh 1:21:46, 3rd Gareth Booth 1:23:11;

Black Combe fell race – 3rd Danny Hope 1:15:22;

Helm Hill fell race – 21st Graham Schofield 40:07;

Sweatshop 10-mile road race (Bispham) – 12th Paul Muller 1:01:48, 165th Julie Williamson 1:30:05;

Roddlesworth Roller multi-terrain race (Abbey Village) – 7th Rob Jackson 35:27, 21st Lindsey Brindle 38:08, 24th Sean McMyler 38:36, 60th Marie McMyler 42:33, 75th Tony Hesketh 43:46, 93rd David Barnes 45:12;

Daffodil Doddle junior race (Abbey Village) – 1st Isaac Simmonite 7:24, 12th Freya Whittle 8:40, 70th Jacob Simmonite 10:25, 130th Suzanne Simmonite 12:47;

Haworth Hobble fell race – 62nd Andy Ford 5:09:10, 304th Gordon Stone 7:34:36.