GREAT Britain international Jonny Taylor led a charge of Morpeth Harriers to win the North-East Cross Country Championships senior men’s title on Newcastle’s Town Moor.

The 27-year-old Teessider, who had competed in the last two European Cross Country Championships but missed out on Sunday's event in Bulgaria, battled it out with clubmate and World Mountain Running international Nick Swinburn before coming home five seconds clear, with another Morpeth Harrier, former champion Lewis Timmins in third place a further 32 seconds behind.

Morpeth, with their six counters in the first 14, took the team title by a huge margin of 88 points from Durham City, whose 2013 North-East and Northern champion, Dan Garbutt, finished in fourth place.

The expected battle royal for the senior women’s crown did not materialise and, in the absence of fellow Great Britain internationals Laura Weightman (Morpeth) and Alyson Dixon (Sunderland Strollers), Durham City Harrier Rosie Smith had no trouble collecting her fourth title, beating Morpeth Harriers’ North-East Harrier League champion, Emma Holt, by an emphatic 72 seconds.

Results – Senior Men (12K): 1 J Taylor (Morpeth) 29 mins 23 secs; 2 N Swinburn (Morp) 30.35; 3 L Timmins (Morp) 38.40; 4 D Garbutt (Durham City) 38.44; 5 N Shrubb (Morp) 38.51; 6 D Jenkin (Dur C) 39.40; 7 G Jayasuriya (Middlesbrough & Cleveland) 40.09; 8 C Avery (Morp) 40.16; 9 R Floyd (Morp) 41.05; 10 C Franks (Gateshead) 41.27. Teams: 1 Morpeth 27; 2 Durham City 125; 3 Sunderland 125.

Under-20 Men (8K): 1 B Maskell (Gates) 27.28; 2 J Bell (Blackhill) 27.38; 3 E Kelly (Morp) 27.48. Teams: 1 Gateshead 18; 2 Morpeth 28; 3 Tynedale 38.

Under-17 Men (5.6K): 1 N Baker (Middlesbrough) 18.56; 2 S Beattie (Morp) 19.04; 3 M Lonsdale (Crook) 19.11. Teams: 1 Morpeth 16; 2 Gateshead 33; 3 Billingham Marsh House 53.

Under-15 Boys (4K): 1 M Pearson (Tynedale) 13.36; 2 J Cowperthwaite (Middlesbrough) 13.38; 3 R Curtis (New Marske) 13.58. Teams: 1 Tynedale 23; 2 Middlesbrough 26; 3 Morpeth 26.

Under-13 Boys (3K): 1 J Fiddaman (Blyth) 11.46; 2 D Dixon (Morp) 11.50; 3 E McGlen (Gates) 11.52. Teams: 1 Morpeth 26; 2 Gates 28; 3 Middlesbrough 47.

Senior Women (8K): 1 R Smith (Durham City) 29.23; 2 E Holt (Morp) 30.35; 3 A Sneddon (Jarrow & Hebburn) 31.09; 4 R Lundgren (Gosforth) 31.30; 5 A Dargie (Tyne Bridge) 31.53; 6 G Rutherford (North Shields Poly) 32.02; 7 J Gascoigne-Owens (Alnwick) 32.12; 8 S Dann (NSP) 32.23; 9 J Cram (Morp) 32.23; 10 M Czarnecka (J&H) 32.26. Teams: 1 Jarrow & Hebburn) 24; 2 Durham City 26; 3 Morpeth 31.

Under-17/20 women (5.6K): 1 L Sharpe (Dur C) 21.32; 2 S Barwise-Munro (Aln) 21.58; 3 S Burnett (Birtley) 32.00. Teams: 1 Birtley 14; 2 Morpeth 43; 3 Middlesbrough 48.

Under-15 girls (4K): 1 I Chaudhry (Gates) 16.15; 2 L Hedger (Midd) 16.19; 3 E Ricketts (Tynedale) 16.27. Teams: 1 Middlesbrough 18; 2 New Marske 28; 3 Gateshead 28.

Under-13 Girls (3K): 1 G Varley (Gates) 12.53; 2 H Peck (Morp) 12.58; 3 I Pentland (Darlington) 13.02. Teams: 1 Darlington 19; 2 Houghton 24; 3 Gateshead 30.