HOWGILL'S Heidi Dent and Kendal's Sarah Tunstall helped Great Britain's ladies' team to a silver in the European Mountain Running championships at Arco in Italy at the weekend.

Heidi finished seventh while Tunstall was 14th in the challenging race which saw athletes negotiate steep steps and run through the streets of the village near Lake Garda.

The race was won by GB's Emily Collinge, 28, who produced a stunning performance to complete the 8.54 kilometre course in 43-41, 27 seconds ahead of Italy's Alice Gaggi (44-08) and Sara Bottorelli (44-24).

Hutton Roof teenager Scarlet Dale from Queen Elizabeth School, Kirkby Lonsdale, finished fifth in the junior girls' race as the GB girls romped to team gold.

It followed an excellent run she had in the International Mountain Running Youth Cup held in Janske Lazne, in the Czech Republic, on June 25 when again she again finished fifth. She led the England U18 girls team to fifth place overall on a tough, steep, uphill only course.

There were 55 competitors from 16 different nations and the race was won by Czech athlete Barbora Havlickova, from Turkey's Fatma Bizek and Italy's Nadia Battlocletti.

A QUALITY field gathered for Sunday's Skiddaw Mountain Race at Keswick which this year incorporated the World Championship Trial (uphill).

Bingley's Victoria Wilkinson (47-52) and Ambleside's Louise Roberts (48-56) have virtually secured their selection for England after finishing first and second in the ladies' trial race. If chosen, they will compete in the uphill race at Skiddaw on July 31.

For Roberts, a teacher at Staveley Primary School, it will be the second time she has been selected to represent her country in the space of a week after being successful in the trials at Whinlatter to run in the home international race at Snowdon. The last time that she represented her country was 12 years ago.

The Skiddaw race was won by unattached runner Jonathan Albon (1-05-18), from Norway, who beat Ellenborough's Ricky Lightfoot (1-06-22) and Salford's Gary Priestley (1-08-23).

STAVELEY'S Robb Jebb was second in the mid-week Tebay Fell Race after being involved in a three-way battle with Keswick's Carl Bell and Helm Hill's Mark Addison. Carl went off quickly but was caught by check point one by Mark who led for a time with Rob hitting the front on the big climb up Blea Fell. But Rob was reeled in by Carl on the descent and the Keswick man went on to win 1-14-42. Rob settled for second in 1-15-02 with Mark third in 1-15-16. First lady was Eryri's Brenwen Jenkinson who finished 37th overall in 1-34-25.

EDEN'S Jack Eyre won Sunday's Bampton Sports Day race in 40-33 from Borrowdale's Morgan Donnelly (42-00) and his team mate Stuart Stoddart (43-04).