GRIMSBY Harriers and Louth AC athletes were among the 180 who battled it out at the Lincolnshire Cross Country Championships.

The tough course at London Road, Louth, was the venue for the annual showdown.

Runners faced stiff competition from a host of clubs across the county, including the strong Lincoln Wellington team.

There were some exciting head-to-head tussles in the various age groups races and some fine individual performances.

In the senior men's race, Lincoln Wellington's Matt Bowser fought it out with his former club-mate, Aaron Scott, who now competes for Notts AC.

Scott has been developing as an athlete in the American university system, and his vast improvement was there to see as he broke Bowser – a sub 30-minute 10k runner and 3:43.41 1,500m man.

Ultimately, Scott beat his rival by a convincing 33-second margin.

Former Louth AC member Richard Brown – who won this year's Cleethorpes AC New Years Day 10K – took third spot.

First veteran home was Ronnie McWilliam, while fellow vets Nick Marsh (Louth AC) and John Clark (Grimsby Harriers) also acquitted themselves well. Marsh was fourth veteran across the line, while Clark was tenth.

Former Cleethorpes AC runner Natalie Farrow had an excellent race in the senior ladies' event.

The Louth-based athlete, who competes for Lincoln Wellington, was locked in a battle for top spot with Nene Valley Harriers' Phillipa Taylor in the early stages. Farrow gradually pulled away and had the strength and determination to hold on and win by eight seconds.

There was a good fourth place for Mablethorpe AC's Janine Stones, a regular on the Grimsby-area racing scene.

There were some encouraging displays by young Grimsby Harriers athletes in the junior races.

Jake O'Sullivan, aged 11, ran a solid race in the Under-13 boys' contest, just missing out on county selection by finishing eighth out of 19 runners. Lucy Gash, who has just turned 11 and has moved up to the Under-13 girls' age group, started towards the back of the field of 25 and worked through to finish tenth.

Louth AC had a good championships with four team medals – veteran women (first), Under-17 women (first), Under-15 girls (third) and Under-13 boys (second).