THE excellent performances of Bury Athletic Club’s cross-country runners were rewarded when 17 athletes received individual and team awards at the Red Rose Cross Country League presentation evening.

Held at Horwich RMI, the evening saw a procession of Bury athletes winning individual and team awards, with the haul representing one of the best ever in the club’s history.

The highlights included Josh Cole winning the overall senior men’s individual title – the first Bury athlete to achieve the feat – and the under-15s girls securing an overall team victory and four of the six individual placings including Katie Buckley and Christie Cook in first and second places overall respectively.

In a rare event, there were also awards for father and son Andy and Nathan Milligan, with Andy finishing sixth overall in the veteran men’s competition, and Nathan fifth in the under-15s boys.

Roll of honour Senior men overall champion: Josh Cole.

Veteran men overall sixth place: Andy Milligan.

U15 boys overall third place: Jack Brown.

U15 boys overall fifth place: Nathan Milligan.

U11 boys overall fifth place: Sam Brooks.

Senior women overall sixth place: Alison Walsh.

U20 women overall third place: Alison Walsh.

U15 girls overall team champions: (Team: Katie Buckley, Christie Cook, Alana Grundy, Hannah Alderson, Caitlin Healy).

U15 girls overall champion: Katie Buckley.

U15 girls overall second place: Christie Cook.

U15 girls overall fifth place: Alana Grundy.

U15 girls overall sixth place: Hannahh Alderson.

U13 girls overall team champions: (Team: Antonia Kean, Eleanor Boyle, Jenny Smalley, Elizabeth Howard, Beth Rigby, Sophie Whittaker).

U13 girls overall second place: Antonia Kean.

U13 girls overall fifth place: Eleanor Boyle.

U13 girls overall sixth place: Jenny Smalley.

Bury AC’s Katrina Conroy finished an impressive third in the Manchester Catholic Schools Cross Country Championships senior race at Longford Park in Stretford. Club-mate Caitlin Healey finished a creditable seventh place in the same event.

Bury AC veteran John Conroy came 110th – 21st in the Vet 50 category – in the Mid-Lancs Cross Country League race at Blackpool, completing the 10km course in 42mins 23 secs.

Three Radcliffe Athletic Club members braved tough conditions on Sunday to take on the Winter Hill Fell Race.

Covering 11 miles and climbing 2,750 feet, 200 runners battled strong winds, rain and slippery conditions to finish one of the hardest early-season events in the fell racing calendar.

Rachael Stoney was 16th in the women’s race and 146th place overall, clocking a good time of 2hrs 28mins 20secs.

George Critchley (V50) was 180th overall in 2hrs 41m 29secs, and Yasmin Boodhun was 181st with a time of 2hrs 42mins 15secs.

The trio ran Winter Hill in preparation for a bigger challenge in April when they are planning to take part in the 23.3-mile Three Peaks fell race.

The prestigious North Yorkshire event climbs 5,280 feet over Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

Sunday's event from Rivington Upper Barn near Horwich was also the first in the Run The Moors series which features runners from Radcliffe, Rochdale, Rossendale, Middleton, Saddleworth and Astley and Tyldesley.

Radcliffe's Michael Shroot improved on his best by 2mins 44secs when he clocked 49mins 33secs in the Action Duchenne 10k run at Heaton Park which raised money for muscular dystrophy.