VETERANS Ieuan Ellis and Sheila Allen took the honours with powerful performances in yesterday's Blackhill Bounders Fruitbowl 7 trail race at Derwentside.

Their younger rivals had no answer as Ellis, 43, and Allen, 46, used the same tactics, demonstrating their cross-country stamina by breaking away on the final climb in the picturesque event in the grounds of the Gibside Estate and maintaining their pressure to the finish.

Former Commonwealth Games marathon international Ellis who, like Allen, is preparing for the British Veterans' Home Cross Country International in Cardiff later this month, beat pre-race favourite Stewy Bell by a comfortable 22 seconds after a ding-dong battle for five of the seven miles.

It was Bell's second race in 24 hours, having finished a disappointing 68th in the Reebok Cross Challenge in Birmingham, where he fell twice.

The 36-year-old Great Britain international, however, refused to blame the previous day's race for his defeat saying: "I don't know if it made any difference - when Ieuan got away I just let him go."

Ellis said: "I was over the moon to win - I knew I was in good shape.

"Now I'm looking forward to wearing a Welsh vest in the Veterans' International - it means a lot to me."

Prolific racer Allen's fourth victory in the event was a much closer fought contest when she beat off a challenge from fell running enthusiast Karen Robertson, winning by 15 seconds.

"She was on my shoulder for the first half of the race but I managed to get away on a climb.

"I stayed in front but it was tough because I always knew she wasn't far behind," said Allen, who won the recent Norham 10K and Richmond Castle 10K road races.

Results - Men: 1 I Ellis (Elswick M40) 40 mins 21 secs; 2 S Bell (Chester-le-Street) 40.43; 3 S Potts (Sunderland) 40.57; 4 I Twaddle (North Shields Poly) 41.38; 5 N Armsworth (Morpeth) 42.07; 6 P Walker (Blaydon) 43.04; 7 P Addyman (Claremont) 43.38; 8 M Jones (South Shields M40) 43.40; 9 B McMillan (Clare) 43.44; 10 N Morris (Low Fell M40) 44.02. M50 A Jenkins (Morp) 44.54; M60 P Winter (Morp) 56.58; M70 E Appleby (Heaton) 58.51.

Women: 1 S Allen (Houghton & Peterlee W45) 47.57; 2 K Robertson (Tynedale) 48.12; 3 S Morley (Unatt W35) 49.27; 4 A Raw (Darlington W35) 49.36; 5 S Morton (Elswick W35) 50.01. W55 S Kirkup (ClS) 61.59.

* Reigning European junior cross country champion Charlotte Dale is battling defiantly with a calf problem as she prepares to defend her title in Edinburgh on December 14.

The 19-year-old was among the favourites to win the senior women's 6km race at the Reebok Birmingham Cross Challenge on Saturday.

Dale, running confidently in the opening stages of the race, was forced to pull out well before halfway with a recurrence of a tight calf that she first felt in training a couple of weeks ago.