Horwich RMI Harriers senior men's fell relay team finished the season off in emphatic style with victory in the Pennine Bridleway Relay.

The much-improved squad dominated Sunday's popular 47-mile race to record a clean sweep in all five legs - a feat which has never been achieved before.

The Harriers took the overall title, first won by Horwich at the inaugural event in 2004, in the event which has grown in size from 40 to 70 teams, with the competition having intensified since the bigger clubs have taken an interest.

Peter Haworth and Paul Green handed the team a flying start, recording the fastest leg time and a new leg record.

The duo handed over to Colin Rigby and Russell Maddams, who extended the team's advantage to six-and-a-half minutes, before James Logue and Darren Kay recorded the fastest time of the day by two and a half minutes to set a new third-leg record, beating Rigby and Paul Roby's previous best.

Alastair Murray and Paul Massey stretched the lead further before Brendan Bolland and captain Chris Heys completed the clean sweep for Harriers, who won the event by more than 11 minutes and 41 seconds - improving the course record by more than eight minutes.

The veteran men's team also performed well, finishing second to Clayton-Le-Moors and eighth overall. The ladies finished a creditable fifth, with leg two duo Katie Ingram and Karen Murray recording the fastest ladies' pairs time.

Pennine Bridleway Relay - Senior Men's Team: Leg One: P Haworth/P Green 55.56 0 (Loss/Gain) 1 (Overall Position); Leg Two: C Rigby/R Maddams 1.18.54 0 1; Leg Three: D Kay/J Logue 59.17 0 1; Leg Four: P Massey/A Murray 34.48 0 1; Leg Five: B Bolland/C Heys 59.20 0 1.

Men's Vets Team: Leg One: P Dewhurst/M Seddon 1.03.30 0 13; Leg Two: P Muller/S Duckworth 1.26.38 +6 7; Leg Three: S Jackson/G Schofield 1.09.38 0 7; Leg Four: S Kenyon/N Wrigley 38.51 0 7; Leg Five: R Haworth/S Nolan 1.07.01 -1 8.

Ladies' Team: Leg One: M White/J Abbott 1.18.09 0 41; Leg Two: K Murray/K Ingram 1.34.27 +16 25; Leg Three: M Huyton/J Haworth 1.32.09 -16 41; Leg Four: S Smallbone/N Kirkham 55.42 +1 40; Leg Five: S Hayes/S Norris 1.25.57 0 40.

Overall: 1 Horwich RMI Men's Team 4.48.15; 2 Borrowdale 5.00.40; 3 Bowland 5.08.16; 8 Horwich RMI Men's Vets Team 5.25.38; 40 Horwich RMI Ladies' Team 6.46.24; Finishers 66.