NEW MARSKE Harriers C the youngest team in the race C came from behind to win the Durham Cathedral Relays yesterday.

Newly-crowned Cleveland Cross Country champion Russell Best, 17, finished in eighth place on the opening 3K leg, 20-yearold Lewis Gamble-Thompson hoisted the team into third and on the final circuit Great Britain junior international Ricky Stevenson C also 20 C turned a seven second deficit into a 26 seconds victory with the fastest run of the day.

New Marske, third in the event last year, clocked 25 mins 58 secs to beat defending champions Sunderland, whose opening runner, Gavin Massingham, took the lead with the second fastest leg, 8 mins 18 secs, just one second slower than Stevenson.

Third place went to Gateshead, a further 19 seconds in arrears.

Sunderland also lost their veterans title, finishing third to North Shields Poly, who completed the 9K relay in 28 mins 11 secs, 24 seconds ahead of Elswick.

Chester-le-Street also lost their senior womens title to Morpeth Harriers after a dramatic finish between newlycrowned Northumberland Schools cross country champion Laura Weightman and former British Universities 10,000 gold medallist Alyson Dixon.

Dixon tried to unship her 16- year-old rivals within sight of the finish, but Weightman refused to wilt and the reigning English Schools Inter-Girls 1500m champion produced a superb final sprint to win by four seconds in 30 mins 29 secs.

Weightman clocked the fastest time of 9 mins 56 secs, the only woman to break ten minutes.

North Shields Polytechnic were third in 34 minutes exactly.

ö Sunderland Harrier Brian Rushworth defied a heavy cold to win his sixth consecutive North-East Veterans Cross Country championship at Middlesbrough.

Moving up into the over-45 age group the Wearside college lecturer, who has won the regions senior mens title a record ten times, beat his younger rivals to win the race in 35 mins 36 secs, finishing 18 seconds clear of Durham Citys Ian Crampton, with over-35 Mick Thompson (Gateshead) third in 36.05. North York Moors Joe Blackett was first over-40 (38.14). The over-50 title went to Keith Mackey (South Shields), Elswick Harrier Harry Matthews won the over-60 championship and South Shields Frank Strand was first over-65.

ö English Schools 1500m silvermedallist Kate Avery C one of The Northern Echos London 2012 hopefuls C won the intermediate girls title in the Durham Schools Championships at Meadowfield, beating Gatesheads Sigourney Bell by 34 seconds over the 4.5K. The senior boys race was won by Gatesheads Philip Hurst, Jack Moore (South Tyneside) took the inter boys title, while Cameron Boyek (SWD) was first junior boy.