ATHLETES from the Grimsby area battled against some of the best cross country runners in the region at the Humberside County Championships.

Competitors descended on Scunthorpe's Quibell Park to take on their rivals – and the tough grass and woodland course.

At stake were not only trophies and medals for individual and team prizes – but also automatic selection for the coveted Inter Counties Cross Country Championships for the top performers in each race.

Conditions were favourable, with the recent gales subsiding to nothing more than gentle gusts.

The senior men faced a 12km route, (seven-and-a-half miles approx) of four laps, each featuring a killer hill to ensure only the strongest remained in contention at the business end of the race.

Ultimately it was a veteran who won the combined senior/veteran men's race.

Stuart Carmichael, of City of Hull, ultimately triumphed by almost 50 seconds, beating Bridlington Road Runners' Phil Taylor into second spot.

North bank runners occupied most of the top positions, with Gregan Clarkson (Kingston upon Hull) – a familiar face in Grimsby area road races and the winner of the 2011 New Year's Day 10K, was third, ahead of club-mate and middle distance track specialist Rob Hodges, another former winner of Clee AC's showpiece race.

Further down the field was former Humberside Cross Country champion Jon Frost, who was making a return after a long lay-off.

Andrew Ely (26th) led home a good contingent of Clee AC runners which also included (in order of finish) Paul Evison, Nick Gregory, Trevor Green, Tony Hooper, Ash Milson, Andrew Yorston, Malcolm Simons and Jimmy Dutch.

Ian Martinson and Bill Ward battled hard for the Wolds Veteran Runners Club.

Scunthorpe AC demonstrated their strength in depth by taking the team prize by the narrowest of margins. Their first six counters (Gary Crompton, Alberto Legido-Cruzado, Gavin Mann, David Vickers, Gavin Marshall, Mick Hemmings) did the business to beat City of Hull AC by a single point.

The combined senior/veteran ladies' race was won in fine style by former Scunthorpe AC runner Rachel Robinson.

She is now a member of the high calibre Aldershot Farnham and District team coached by Mick Woods – a squad that also contains British international stars like Steph Twell, Charlotte Purdue and Emelia Gorecka.

Wolds Vet Tracey Gibson achieved a creditable ninth place, leading home a good contingent of black and golds comprising Jane Morley, Cheryl Baker, Barbara Brown and Anne Mortimer.

There was a good turnout from Clee AC in this race, with Lisa Foster the top performer in 10th, closely followed by the consistent Pirjo Kivelainen in 11th. Sharon Myers, Carolyn Riley and Kay Yorston, (27th, 28th, and 29th) also fared well over the testing 8,000m course.

In the Under 15-girls' race, there was an excellent second place for Beth Barley (Clee AC), who beat off the challenge of Beverley's Kelly Dawson to seal silver behind winner Phoebe Law (Hull Achilles).

Clee AC also won the bronze team medal in this race, with Chelsey Ammari and Rebecca Jex backing up Barley's fine display.

Grimsby Harrier Lauren Bell – a regular on the cross country circuit this winter – also had a strong run for eighth spot.

Katie Oliver (Clee AC) clinched a strong third place in the Under-17 women's race, a tough contest over 5,000m.

Kingston upon Hull duo Jessica Lonsdale and Katie Michaels took the top two spots.

There was a strong display from Grimsby schoolboy Finley Thompson in the Under-15 boys' race.

The Oasis Academy Wintringham pupil just held off Kingston Upon Hull's Joshua Taylor Brown by two seconds to win the 5,000m contest.

Thompson lives in Cleethorpes and is a member of Lincoln Wellington AC.

Clee AC took bronze team medals in this race thanks to the efforts of Jon Dollery (7th), Harry Stewart (16th), Oliver Myers (18th) and Thomas Morley (22nd).

Clee's Under-13 boys claimed both the silver and bronze team medals in a race won by Kingston Upon Hull's Jack Brothwell.

Thomas Pullan, Bradley Mortlock, and Callum Ely, in positions five, seven, and 13 respectively, won silver, while Matthew Church, William Portlock and Cameron Gibbs took the bronze.

For Grimsby Harriers, Billy Brookes (Under-15 boys'), Aidan Skelton (Under-13 boys'), Lewis Baldwin (Under-11 boys') and Deanna Howes and Isabella Stylianou (Under-11 girls') all ran well.

Former Whitgift School and Cleethorpes AC athlete Phil Hinch won the Warwickshire County Cross Country Champsionships. Hinch, aged 34, who lives in Birmingham and competes for Tipton Harriers, won the senior men's race by 20 seconds.

Report and pictures from the Lincolnshire County Cross Country Championships later this week.