ANNE Wallace has narrowly missed out on a real-life needle match between Britain and the USA - by eight stitches.

For the 41-year-old, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was pipped to the title of Britain's Fastest Crocheter and the chance to repel a transatlantic challenge.

The mother-of-six entered the Woman's Weekly competition during a trip with her sister and mother to the Knitting and Stitching Show, at Alexander Palace, London, last October.

"Apparently, the Americans had thrown down the gauntlet saying they had the best knitters and Women's Weekly set out to prove them wrong," she said.

"We had walked around for a while and my mum has a bad hip and wanted to sit down, so she persuaded me and my younger sister to enter the competition."

Mrs Wallace, of Gudmunsen Avenue, proved both the swiftest knitter and crocheter that day, but heard nothing until she recently received a certificate in the post which said she was the runner-up in the crocheting competition.

She managed to do 288 stitches in three minutes but her record was beaten by Susan Briscoe, from Wales, who notched up 296. Mrs Briscoe will now travel to New York for the showdown with the Americans, this autumn.

Mrs Wallace said: "I wish her the best of luck and I hope she beats the US crocheters. All I can say is anything they can do we can do better.''