LEADING veterans Rob Hand and Sheila Allen showed their younger rivals the way home in the second Durham Pine North Eastern Harrier League, just two weeks before international cross country duty in Ireland.

Hand, a 40-year-old Durham City doctor, finished 16th overall but clocked the fastest time in the six-mile handicap race, in which the back markers were given up to five minutes start.

And 46-year-old Allen made it three victories in consecutive weekends as she held off a late challenge from Chester-le-Street's Heather Robinson to win the 3-mile women's race.

Hand, the British Veterans' 10K road race and cross country champion, makes his international debut for England in Ballymena, while Allen will be chasing her third title in the annual fixture between the Home Countries and Ireland.

Hand had to work hard for his victory at Farringdon after a keen tussle over three laps with Morpeth Harrier Terry Wall and Gosforth's Jon Graham, getting home by just four seconds.

"That's the first time I've headed the fast pack runners and it sets me up nicely for the international," said Hand, who has blossomed since joining the ranks of the over-40s.

The three-pack race was won by 17-year-old Chris Lamb, silver-medallist in last year's Junior Great North Run.

The Chester-le-Street athlete took full advantage of a five- minute start with the slow pack and finished ten seconds clear of guest runner Tim Lawrence, a member of the Derby and County club, now studying at Newcastle University.

Shildon's Paul Best, who suffered the ignominy of being disqualified after winning from the wrong pack at the previous week's opening meeting at Chester-le-Street, made amends by finishing an excellent fourth from the medium pack, overtaking all but two of the slow packers given a 2-minute start.

Allen knew she had been in a hard race with Robinson, an over-40.

"I've been training really hard for the international in Ireland and I felt the benefit.

"This will give me a lot of confidence," said the Houghton and Peterlee Harrier.

Former Middlesbrough and Cleveland runner Samantha Hart had an outstanding victory guesting in the under-17 race. The 15-year-old Redcar schoolgirl, now competing for New Marke Harriers, beat Gateshead's Laura McKernan by nearly two minutes.