FOUR-TIMES Junior Great North Run winner Lydia Turner ran the race of her young life to clinch a first national title for her club, Birtley, in the English Cross Country Relay Championships at Mansfield.

The 16-year-old North-East cross country champion took over in 13th place and a huge 46 seconds behind the leader on the third and final leg of the competition - and proceeded to speed her way past the 12 runners ahead of her with the fastest time in the race to win by ten seconds.

It was a superb run by Northern 3,000m champion Turner, who was partnered by Durham Schools 3,000m gold medallist Danielle Elliott, 27th on the opening leg, and Durham Schools cross country champion Sophie Burnett who moved up to 13th on the second circuit.

Birtley were the only medal winners at Berry Hill Park, though Gateshead came close, finishing fifth in the junior men's race, with Calum Johnson handing over in first place on the second leg.

Olympic Games 1500m semi-finalist Ross Murray returned to competitive cross country action, moving from 15th to eighth on the second leg of the senior men's race to help Gateshead finish 22nd, while Dan Garbutt finished second on the opening circuit before his club faded back to 57th. Morpeth Harriers were again the North-East's top finishers in 12th place, nearly three minutes behind the winners, Aldershot, Farnham and District, who also won the senior women's title.

Selected results - Senior Men: 1 Aldershot, Farnham & District 62 mins 54 secs; 2 Sale 63.21; 3 Bedford 63.55; 12 Morpeth 65.49; 22 Gateshead 67.38; 32 New Marske 69.17; 36 Morpeth B 69.22; 57 Durham City 72.18.

Senior Women: 1 Aldershot, Farnham & District A 30.01; 2 AFD B 31.26; 3 Stoke 31.35; 18 Jarrow & Hebburn 34.34; 36 Gateshead 36.26; 47 North Shields Poly 37.32.

Junior Men: 1 Tonbridge 27.05; 2 Liverpool 27.07; 3 Reading 27.13; 5 Gateshead 27.21 (D Johnson (19) 9.11, C Johnson (1) 8.51, B Maskell (5) 9.18.

Under-17 Women: 1 Birtley 27.27 (D Elliott (27) 9.42, S Burnett (13) 9.18, L Turner (1) 8.26); 2 Leicester Coritanian 27.37; 3 Millfield School 27.39. Fastest times: 1 L Turner 8.26; 2 H Knowles-Jones (Warrington) 8.38.

New Marske veteran James Bulman (55 mins 53 secs) finished third and first over 40 in yesterday's Derwentwater ten mile road race, won by Ellenborough's Ricky Lightfoot in a time of 53 mins 29 secs.