SIX Nestle Rowntree Athletics Club runners achieved county selection with fine performances at the Nike-sponsored Yorkshire Cross-Country Championships, held at Nunroyd Park, Guiseley.

They will represent Yorkshire at the Inter-Counties Championships at Wollaton Park, Nottingham, on February 8.

A covering of snow, combined with overnight frost, helped make conditions better than might have been expected after the significant rainfall of recent weeks.

The day started well for the Nestle Rowntree club, with Victoria Needham in the Under-13 girls' race looking comfortable from start to finish to win the bronze medal and selection to the county team.

Sophie Hunter finished 17th and her sister Katie 48th enabling the team to finish in a respectable fifth place.

The race was won by Abbie Johnson of Scarborough AC, with team-mate Alex Wheatman second.

The Under-13 boys' team finished eighth with James Palmer and Iain Lynne finishing in 25th and 27th place respectively. Nick Leach, Peter Wise and Richard Wilcock also ran solid races. The race was won by Jo Townsend, of Leeds City, who also picked up the team gold medal.

In the Under-15 girls' race, Emma Macalister-Hall, having been in sixth place for much of the race, worked her way through the field and with the aid of her usual fast finish, won the battle for second behind Jessie Roberts, of Richmond and Zetland Harriers.

Charlotte Maxted ran very well, finishing ninth and so being named as reserve for the county.

Anna Dew also ran well and her 20th place ensured that the club won team silver behind Hallamshire Harriers. Nicola Lampard finished 24th and Nina Batt 28th.

Philip Graves ran extremely strongly in the Under-15 boys' category two and was placed third for much of the race. Despite being overtaken in the last 400m, he comfortably finished in fifth, thus making the county team.

Tom Bean finished in 39th place.

The conditions gradually deteriorated with the course starting to cut up, but success continued in the Under-17 women's race where Lara Gibbs won the silver medal and county selection, finishing behind Abbey Westley, of Hallamshir, after a three-way tussle for much of the race with Suzanne Boyes, of Scarborough, who finished third. Alice Bean finished 25th.

The Under-20 women's race was won by Aine Hoban, of Wakefield, but the Nestl Rowntree girls achieved a double success, with Aimee Collet sixth and Nina Griffith eighth, both running strongly to achieve county selection.

Claire Duck and Angela Peace were also named as reserves, finishing ninth and tenth respectively, with Jenna Danes 14th.

The seniors were led home by Helen Garnham, who finished 17th, with Dawn Gibbs in 22nd place (4th veteran overall) and Susanna Dale 46th.

The overall combined women's team of Under-20, senior and veteran finished a creditable fifth place, the team medals going to the Wakefield, Bingley and Holmfirth clubs.

Two other York schools athletes also achieved selection. Ex-Nestl athlete David MacQuarrie, now with Leeds City AC, finished fifth in the Under-17 men's race and Joel Riley, of Skyrac AC, finished third in the junior (Under-20) men's race.

Updated: 11:36 Thursday, January 09, 2003