THE GIRLS' junior orienteering team from Ulverston competing in the World Orienteering Championships in Portugal returned home with a team bronze medal.

The five girls from Ulverston Victoria High School competed against ten teams in a classic and sprint race.

After the first race, the classic, the team finished in fourth place behind Latvia, Estonia and Austria.

Following the second race, the sprint, the team performed well and came in at second position.

It meant overall the team claimed third prize and were awarded a bronze medal.

One of the pupils who performed well in both races, Rosie Brocklebank, came second in the classic race and first in the sprint race.

She was presented with individual gold and silver medals.

Pupil Sarah Browne, who represented Britain in the senior girls select competition, returned with a team silver medal after the national team came in at second place.

Matthew Rooke, who represented England in the national junior select boys team, just missed getting a medal as his national team came fourth.

Head of the girls physical education at the school, Clare Evans, travelled with the team.

She said: "I am very proud of them as they did very well.

Many of them had older sisters who had got medals in the competition before, so as well as taking part in the race they also had that holding over them.

"We are going to have to start preparing for the next championships in two years time as we have got to make sure we get selected again for the competition which in 2004 is being held in Belgium Flanders."

n LAKELAND OC hosted a well-attended National Event on Sunday with technical courses through the tricky wooded slopes and open fell of the Bigland Estate.

Many local runners demonstrated their skills honed, in many cases by years of practice, on similar Lake District areas.

There were class wins for Lakeland OC runners Mark Saunders (M18A), Andrew Hobson (M18B), Kayleigh Bryant (W14B), Vicky Brocklebank (W20L), Carol McNeill (W55L), Angela Heppenstall (W60S) and Verena Johnston (W65L) and for Warrior OC runners Brendan Bolland (M21E) and David Binks (M55S).

Maurice Collett of South Ribble OC won M75L.

Other local runners well placed were: Will Spain (2nd, M16A), Martin Bagness (3rd, M40L), Jim Young (2nd, M70L), Heather O'Donnell (3rd, W21L) and Liz Campbell (2nd, W21E).