YORK Acorn Athletics Club's women's team won the Selby relay for the first time, breaking Knavesmire's nine-year dominance of the event.

North Yorkshire Schools 3,000 metres champion Lara Gibbs gave Acorn an excellent start with the team's fastest run of the day but found herself trailing Lisa Guscott-Trout (Knavesmire) by nearly a minute.

Claire Duck followed with a good leg but it wasn't until leg three that Acorn took the lead through Julie Simpson. Helen Southall built up a good lead on leg four and Dawn Gibbs brought the team home 40 seconds ahead of Knavesmire.

Acorn women's 'B' team came home fourth and first 'B' team.

A depleted Acorn men's team were misdirected on the second leg and eventually came fifth behind winners Knavesmire Harriers.

Their only consolation was that Andy Hilton ran the fastest leg of the day on the opening leg.

Updated: 12:14 Friday, June 20, 2003