THE tension was high in the grandstands yesterday as the competitors in the final race took to the start line.

Despite a number of false starts, a steward's inquiry into a suspect collision and the possibility of a doping scandal, the winner slipped past the finishing post in a time of seven minutes, 32 seconds.

His reward was a lettuce leaf and being returned to his favourite patch of garden.

The eight-strong field of garden snails were competing in the last snail derby of the day at Mount Grace Priory, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The snails were chosen by visitors to the ancient priory and placed in the centre circle of a specially created arena, made from a tablecloth and mini cardboard grandstands.

Once the race was under way, the first snail to get its neck over the finishing line - a larger, outer circle - was declared the winner.

Six races took place, with the overall winner coming in at a speedy four minutes and 42 seconds. Its backer received a six-month family pass for English Heritage sites in Yorkshire.

The snails were plucked from obscurity to become high-profile racers for the day as part of Herriot Happenings, an annual week-long celebration of Herriot Country that sees local attractions staging events throughout the half-term week.

English Heritage marketing executive for Yorkshire, Janet Burrows, said: "The snails are all Yorkshire grown and Yorkshire trained. I would love to say that they have been in training for months, are all on the right diet and have been offered incentives to win, but I'm afraid that's not the case.

"In one race we had one who was streaking away, then turned round and went in the opposite direction. It seems to be the ones who are steady away that do well.

"They generally do not like travelling in straight lines, they seem to double back on themselves."

Competing against the garden snails were two Roman snails, taken along by 13-year-old Tom Ganderton, from Oxfordshire, who is on holiday in the area with his parents.

However the rather larger breed were no match for the garden snails, who left their Roman relations trailing in their rather slimy wake.