TEESSIDE’s Great Britain international Matty Hynes found himself upstaged by Tynesider Phil Hurst as he defended his title in the Leeds Abbey Dash.

Gateshead Harrier Hynes, 26, who won last year in a personal-best 29 mins 23 secs, could only finish fourth in 29 mins 29 secs, 11 seconds behind the winner, newly-crowned Scottish cross country champion Andrew Butchart, six seconds behind Scotland runner-up Callum Hawkins and four seconds behind third-placed British Universities 1500m bronze-medallist Hurst, who clocked 29 mins 25 secs to slash a huge 32 seconds off his previous best time.

Hurst, who graduated from Sunderland University before moving south, had only two other races this year, winning the previous weekend’s Ashford 10K in a modest 31 mins 40 secs and his pb dated back to 2011, when he was North-East and Northern junior cross country champion.

Scottish athletes also dominated the women’s race, with Commonwealth Games duo Steph Twell and Eilish McColgan linking up with new 4K cross country champion Rhona Auckland to take the first three medal positions. Sunderland Strollers’ Great Britain marathon international Alyson Dixon was eighth.

Results – Men: 1 A Butchart (Central) 29 mins 18 secs; 2 C Hawkins (Kilbarchan) 29.23; 3 P Hurst (Elswick) 29.25; 4 M Hynes (Gateshead) 29.29; 5 J McDonald (Luton) 29.31; 6 J Martin (Stockport) 29.31; 7 P Martin (Stockport) 29.39; 8 T Meangisteab (Shettleston) 29.42; 9 T Nicholas (Serpentine) 29.47; 10 A Clarke (Aldershot) 29.48 14 N Swinburn (Morpeth) 29.58; 16 D Garbutt (Durham City) 30.01; 20 I Hudspith (Morp M40) 30.05; 27 C Parr (Gates) 30.13; 40 R Morrell (Morp) 30.37; 41 D Jenkin (Dur C) 30.43; 45 R Best (New Marske) 30.45.

Women: 1 S Twell (Aldershot) 32.30; 2 E McColgan (Dundee) 33.04; 3 R Auckland (Aberdeen) 33.05; 7 A Dixon (Sunderland Strollers) 33.33; 9 R Smith (Dur C) 33.35.

Elswick Harriers’ Ethiopian athlete, Tadele Geremew won his third road race in a month when her stormed to a runaway victory in the 63rd Brampton-Carlisle ten miler.

Geremew, who won last month’s Richmond Castle 10K and the Heaton Harriers Memorial 10K the previous weekend, clocked 49 mins 48 secs to beat North Norfolk’s John Battrick by almost three minutes. New Marske Harrier James Bulman was first over-40 in third place, while his wife, Sharon, was also third and first over-40 in the women’s race.

Jarrow and Hebburn’s Alex Sneddon (formerly Snook), third last year, won the women’s race in a new personal-best 59 mins 42 secs, beating Alnwick over-35 veteran Jo Gascoigne-Owens by over two minutes.

Results – Men: 1 T Geremew (Elswick) 49 mins 48 secs; 2 J Battrick (North Norfolk) 52.46; 3 J Bulman (New Marske M40) 52.55; 4 J Hatcher (Border) 53.07; 5 S Wylie (Cambuslang M40) 53.12; 6 J Buis (Border) 53.14; 7 H Coates (Wallsend) 53.17; 8 C Isherwood (Sunderland) 53.55.

Women: 1 A Sneddon (Jarrow & Hebburn) 59.42; 3 J Gascoigne-Owens (Alnwick W35) 62.15; 3 S Bulman (New Marske W40) 63.15.

Birtley’s English National under-17 cross country champion Lydia Turner, 17, won the junior women’s race in yesterday’s IAAF Permit Meeting in Atapuerta, Spain, beating England team-mate and runner-up Harriet Knowles-Jones (Warrington) by 18 seconds.