THREE young athletes from the same Guisborough school won races at the recent Cleveland schools cross-country championships.

David Lamb, Scott Dixon and Steven Pogue, all from hosts Laurence Jackson school, were individual winners at the championships, which were entered by a total of 230 youngsters.

The trio, who all live in Guisborough, won the prelim boys (year seven), junior boys (years eight and nine) and inter boys (years ten and 11) races respectively.

It is thought to be the first time that the same school has provided the winners of three races in the 11 to 16 years age group.

The two older boys will now compete in the inter-county championships against Northumbria, Durham and Cumbria at Bishop Auckland tomorrow and the national schools championships in Essex in March.

PE teacher Les Thomson put the school's much-improved record in the sport down to the presence of colleague and experienced runner Rob Holladay, who finished 20th in last year's London Marathon in his first attempt at the distance.

He joined the staff at Laurence Jackson four years ago and Mr Thomson said: "We've had a lot of success in the last three or four years and Rob's influence as a role model for the kids has been a major factor."

Other individual winners. - Girls: Kayleigh Boyes, Thornaby CS; Zoe Verrill (Nunthorpe); Sam Hart (Ryehills); Johanna Jackson (Prior Pursglove). Boys: Chris Coates (Hartlepool).