A TOP-five finish narrowly eluded Black Combe Runners' ladies team at the British fell and hill relay race in North Wales.

The team of Lynn Murray, Anna Lupton, Hollie Orr, Alice Forster, Rebecca Rooke and Lizzie Browne completed the course in Llanberis in a combined time of five hours 36 minutes and eight seconds to take sixth in the ladies' category and 61st overall.

There were top-10 category places for BCR's male veterans 50 team, as they finished ninth with a total time of 6:49.51 thanks to the efforts of Peter Tayler, Julian Donnelly, Damian Jones, Chris Roberts, James Goffe and Nick Sebley.

A mixed Black Combe team also ran well and finished 10th overall in the category which allows any combination, clocking a time of 6:33.40. Lou Lyness, Mark Lehrle, Richard Watson, Rob Browne, Simon Austin and Hazel Tayler made up the team.

BCR's men finished 31st in their catgory and 42nd overall, with Harry Stainton, Mark Bonner, Jamie Baron, John Millen, Matt Rooke and Josh Hartley clocking 5:12.45.

Black Combe had their best result for a number of years in the Hodgson Brothers Mountain relay earlier in the month after the mixed team took first place and 20th overall on a course which was shortened due to bad weather.

The team of Rebecca Rooke, Christina Wiejak, Josh Hartley, Tim Ripper, Browne, Lupton, Harvey Lord and Stainton completed the four-leg course around Patterdale in 3:15.50, clinching the category and 20th place in the overall standings.

Male veterans' team William Ross, John Parminter, John Millen, Mark Bonner, Peter Tayler, Sebley, Phil Clayton and Julian Donnelly finished in 40th position with a time of 3:36.22.

Elsewhere, Lyness took the ladies' V65 category win in 52:38 in the Penrith Rotary Club 10k.

Lord scored fourth overall in the Orton fell race near Tebay, completing the testing 10km, 850ft ascent course in 45 minutes 53 seconds.

James Harris led Black Combe home in their latest club fell championship counter at the Langdale Horseshoe 14-mile, 4,000-ft-plus ascent taking in the likes of Thunacre Knott, Bowfell, Crinkle Crags and Pike O Blisco.

Harris finished in 2:56.58, with Sebley clocking 3:24.36 and new member John Evason 3:37.30.

Karl Fursey was BCR's only representative in the Cumbria Cross-Country League opening race at Cockermouth, finishing the 7km course in 49:38.

Black Combe's penultimate club road championship counter is the Allithwaite Eight on Saturday, November 4 at 11am, with entry in advance or on the day.

The club's final fell championship counter is on Saturday, November 25 at 11am in the BCR-organised Kirkby Moor race. Entry is only available on the day.