HORWICH'S Richard Howarth has been selected for England in the Home Nations match over the Chester marathon course in October.

His selection for the V40 team is a reward for some great marathon results and is yet more international recognition for Harriers.

Last weekend James Kevan was running for Ireland in the European Mountain Running Championships in Macedonia where the strong Italian team had the first three places in the mens’ race to win the team competition ahead of Great Britain in second.

Kevan finished 55th and Ireland were 10th out of 18 countries.

Meanwhile, the Harriers’ junior fell squad entered the final round of the English Fell championships with a top-10 position.

Some fine results at Up the Nab meant they consolidated that position – a great outcome in a competition of 46 clubs.

Toby Middleton won the under-15 boys' race and is third overall in the series, while Robert Seddon, at u17s' level, has also achieved a top-10 series result.

Charlotte Wilkinson and Imogen Andreassen were seventh and eighth in the u13 girls' race for top-10 places in the series.

Dave Milliken took third place in the seniors' race, while Tony Hesketh was first V70.

In Radcliffe, the ever-popular Joan Rhodes and Eileen Royle Memorial 5k race also featured the Northern Masters 5k championships and so it was no surprise to find Rob Jackson targeting this race with the aim of winning the Masters gold medal, which he duly did for the V50 category, finishing seventh overall.

His dad, Robert, presented the prize for the first V65 woman – Janice Needham, of Rochdale.

In the fourth race of the City of Manchester 5k series James Jordan was third and finished as the top athlete of the inaugural series.

Robert Jackson senior had finished fourth in the first ever Skiddaw fell race in 1966 and on Sunday, at the age of 60, David Barnes ran the race for the first time and was pleased to finish a little way from last.

Julie Williamson ran the iconic three peaks and much more in the GB Ultras’ 50-mile Pennine Barrier race, with more than 8,000 feet of ascent, and finished 24th out of 58 women.

On the track, it was the fourth round of the Youth Development League at Ashton-under-Lyne where the top Horwich result was the u17 boys' team (Nathan Hargreaves, Sam Oldfield, Isaac Parker and Niall Maloney) triumph in the 4x100m relay in 48.1secs.

Isaac also achieved an AAA grade-one time in finishing second in the 400m, while Niall won the long jump competition too.

Earlier in the week at Trafford AC’s grand prix fixture, Robert Seddon achieved a new personal best in winning the open-age 1500m.

In the u15 girls' 800m, Georgia Heath also got a PB in second place with Ella Pendlebury in third.

In parkrun, Nick Leigh, previous winner of the Skiddaw fell race, had a 79-per-cent second place at Prudhoe but was still one minute behind the first finisher.

Georgia Heath, fresh from the grand prix, achieved a 78-per-cent result as first female finisher at the big Stretford parkrun.

There were second places for women by Lindsey Brindle (Worlsey Woods), Erica Booth (Cuerden Valley), Michelle Mortimer (Sale Water) and Linda Webb (Vandeleur).

Also at Cuerden Valley, fellow England internationals Gareth Booth and Richard Howarth took first and second places.

Andy Ford had a busy week with second at Watergrove, fourth at Saltaire Stampede and a fell race too.

Mary Arnot-Smith was second at Queens Park junior parkrun.

Horwich RMI Harriers results: City of Manchester 5k road race – 3rd James Jordan 17:20;

Cragg Vale fell race – 12th Andy Ford 32:12;

Saltaire Stampede – 4th Andy Ford 1:05:52;

Up the Nab fell race (Charlesworth) – 3rd Dave Milliken 30:18, 24th Tony Hesketh 39:22;

Joan Rhodes and Eileen Royle Memorial 5k race (Radcliffe) – 7th Rob Jackson 18:46, 92nd Lawrence Pinnell 24:35, 171st Heather Pinnell 41:20;

Southport half marathon – 335th Geoff Leech 1:49:15;

Skiddaw fell race – 79th David Barnes 1:59:11;

European Mountain Running Championships (Skopje) – 55th James Kevan 58:19.