HELM Hill's Tom Addison signalled his intention to perform well in this year's English championship by winning Saturday's Inov-8 High Cup Nick race from Dufton.

Ahead of the first championship race of the year at Long Mynd Valley on March 25, Addison headed home a record field of 286 athletes to go one better than the second place he achieved last year when he finished behind Ricky Lightfoot.

The race, sandwiched between storms Doris and Euan, was run in possibly the slippiest conditions ever in the 11-year history of the event although the wind and rain calmed down for the off.

Keswick's Steve Hebblethwaite set a blistering pace from the village green start as he tried to shake off the attentions of Addison and Bowland's Chris Arthur with the trio breaking away from the chasing pack.

On the way to the Nick the lead kept swapping between Hebblethwaite and Arthur with the Bowland athlete pulling away on the climb and threatening to put distance between him and his pursuers.

"I knew I had to go with Chris and so dug in deep," said Addison, 26, who works for Jack Simpson Joinery, Kendal. "I was just trying to hold the gap and he was slowly breaking us and at the top he must have had a 20 second lead and I lost him in the mist."

Addison put his throttle down on the descent and at times was running "out of control" as he "worked and worked" to catch Arthur and with about two miles to go eventually caught sight of his quarry.

"It gave me a good kick to see that I was closing and I caught him at the bottom of the rough track just before the cross country section. I got a couple of seconds on him over there and it stayed that way until the line."

Addison clocked 1-01-01 to win by four seconds with Hebblethwaite finishing third in 1-02-45. Helm Hill runners Adam Perry (1-04-28) and Josh Jardine (1-04-34) finished sixth and seventh respectively. Staveley's Rob Jebb (1-06-31) was first V40 in 10th while Helm Hill's Rick Stewart (1-15-12) was first V50 in 38th and team mate Billy Procter (1-19-56) first V60 in 71st.

Bingley's Victoria Wilkinson had an excellent run to win the ladies' race and finish 11th overall. She broke the record she set last year by a minute despite the conditions. Howgill's Heidi Dent (1-17-08) was second with Eden's Connie Hurton breaking into the senior ranks with a creditable third while winning the new U23 category.

Fifty-four children braved the weather to race expertly through the woods with Dufton's Campbell Donnelly holding off Howgill's Liam Barr to win the U11 race in 3-52. Eden's Esme Walkingshaw (4-23) beat her team mate Madison Barker in the U11 girls' race.

Bolton’s Jasmina Innerdale had a storming run in the girls’ U9 race winning in an impressive 4-45 ahead of Dallam’s Ella Stamp and Staveley’s Mille Jebb.

Eden's Charlie Harding set the fastest time of the day in the U15s, winning in 7-35, ahead of Bolton’s Harry Chambers in 7-48. Charlie Parry won the under 17s and Jake Higginbottom, of Dufton, won the U19s. Five seconds separated the top three U13 boys with Arragon Tri Club’s Alasdair Grant winning in 9-13, one second ahead of CFR’s Arran Hodgson and Howgill Harrier Alistair Barr in 9-18.