Chester-le-Street teenager Chris Lamb ran the race of his blossoming athletics career to win automatic selection for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships by finishing runner-up in the junior men's trial at the Inter Counties Championships in Nottingham.

The 18-year-old reigning North-East champion made sure of a trip to Brussels on March 20/21 when he followed Avon and Somerset's Gary Davenport home in the 8K race, beating Greater Manchester's Anthony Moran by one second in a sprint finish for the silver medal.

Lamb was the only athlete from the region to win automatic selection for the World Championships, but the North-East returned heads held high after winning the junior women's team race and taking the bronze medals in the senior men's, senior women's and junior men's events.

Lamb took the honours in a race in which another World Championships hopeful, Elswick's Ryan McLeod - son of Olympic Games 10,000m silver medallist Mike McLeod - finished 13th with Kirk Wilson (26th) and Patrick Martin (35th) also in the third-placed team.

Another Tyneside athlete, David Anderson, who used to compete for Elswick before moving south to join Belgrave Harriers, led the North-East home in the senior men's 12K, finishing seventh, 45 seconds behind Warwickshire's Glynn Tromans, who won the event for a record-equalling fourth time in 36 mins 25 secs.

Dominic Bannister, a World Championships mainstay for Great Britain in recent years, was ninth man home and second North-East Counter, followed by Andrew Caine (14th), David Wardle (20th), Mark Hood (58th) and Stewy Bell (61st) for 169 points behind Avon and Somerset (149) and Kent (161).

Former Great Britain cross country international Stephen Hepples, who has left Loftus to join BAL Division One club Newham and Essex Beagles, was tenth in the senior 4K, finishing only 19 seconds behind the winner, Andy Graffin.

Former North-East champion Morag McDonnell - sixth last year - found herself on the fringe of World Championships selection by finishing fifth (28.20) in the senior women's 8K, won by Scotland's Kath Butler (27.04). Another North-East representative, Sale's Sonia Thomas, was 17th as the team took the bronze medals, thanks to the added contributions of Meryl Dodd (55th), Donna James (75th), Susie Rutherford (76th) and Michelle Holt (110th).

Durham City's Rosie Smith also put herself in line for Great Britain selection by finishing fifth in the under-20 women's 6K, 47 seconds behind the winner, Cheshire's Karrie Hawitt, and leading the North-East to the team gold medals with Joanna Jackson (15th), Alisha Gibson (28th) and Sarah Evans (53rd).

*A powerful Morpeth team, which included reigning North-East cross country champion Neil Wilkinson and Great Britain internationals Mark and Ian Hudspith, were runway winner of the annual Gosforth Relays, beating second-placed Elswick Harriers by over four minutes. Sunderland Harriers set a new course record in the veterans race, beating Morpeth by a huge six minutes.

Chester-le-Street's Maxine Czarnecka, ruled out of the North-East Inter Counties team on a residential technicality, won the three mile women's race in 18 mins 24 secs, beating Durham City's Louise Traynor by 18 seconds.

l Morpeth Harrier Terry Wall and Blaydon's Leanne Brown clinched the senior individual titles at the fifth and final DP Furniture Express North Eastern Harrier League meeting at Blaydon yesterday.

Sunderland Harriers won the senior men's team championship for the 19th time in 25 years while Elvet Striders secured their first ever senior women's team title.

Inter Counties Cross Country Championships

Nottingham

Selected results - Senior Men (12K): 1 G Tromans (Warks) 36.25; 2 B Noad (Avon & Som) 36.41; 3 C Thompson (Hampshire) 36.52. North-East placings: 7 D Anderson 37.10; 9 D Bannister 37.15; 14 A Caine 37.50; 20 D Wardle 38.10; 58 M Hood 39.30; 61 S Bell 39.34; 79 C Sampson 40.05; 112 D Swinburne 40.55. Teams: 1 Avon & Somerset 149; 2 Kent 162; 3 North-East 169.

Under-20 Men (8K): 1 G Davenport (A&S) 25.25; 2 C Lamb (NE) 25.32. Other North-East placings: 13 R McLeod 26,24; 26 K Wilson 26.45; 35 P Martin 27.00; 39 R Stephenson 27.13; 78 M Elliott 28.28. Teams: 1 Yorkshire; 2 Hampshire; 3 North-East 76.

Senior Women (8K): 1 K Butler (East Scotland) 27.04; 5 M McDonnell (NE) 28.20. Other North-East placings: 17 S Thomas 29.06; 55 M Dodd 30.56; 75 D James 31.24; 76 S Rutherford 31.25; 110 M Holt 32.11; 123 C Smallwood 32.22; 171 J Nutt 33.11. Teams: 1 Middlesex 114; 2 Hampshire 320; 3 North-East 338.

Under-20 Women (6K): 1 K Hawitt (Cheshire) 22.42; 5 R Smith (NE) 23.29. Other North-East placings: 15 J Jackson 24.31; 28 A Gibson 25.09; 53 S Evans 26.27; 63 N Owens 26.58. Teams: 3 North-East 101.

Ernie Thompson Memorial Gosforth Relays

Senior Men (4x3m): 1 Morpeth (N Wilkinson 14.48, N Swinburne 16.34, M Hudspith 15.09, I Hudspith 14.10) 60 mins 41 secs; 2 Elswick 64.44; 3 North Shields Poly 65.02. Fastest: I Hudspith 14.10.

Veteran Men (4x3m): 1 Sunderland (T Doughty 15.37, B Rushworth 14.59, S Coxon 15.53, D Robertson 15.29) 61.58 (course record); 2 Morpeth 68.11; 3 Sunderland B 68.23. Fastest: B Rushworth 14.59.

Senior Women (3m): 1 M Czarnecka (Chester-le-Street) 18.24; 2 L Trainor (Durham City) 18.42; 3 L Ranger (Morpeth) 18.56. Teams: 1 Morpeth 22; 2 Gosforth 23; 3 Chester-le-Street 23.