SUNDERLAND Harriers became the youngest team to win the region's opening cross country fixture of the season at Farringdon on Saturday when the Wearsiders defied all the odds to claim the senior men's trophy for a 17th time in 20 years.

Sunderland, without injured star Brian Rushworth, threw three raw youngsters into the four-man squad - and they responded with a magnificent performance to win the relay event by almost a minute.

Team captain Tim Field - the "veteran" of the squad at 37 - took Sunderland into second place on the opening 1.8-mile leg, six seconds down on Durham City.

But 17-year-old Norman Younger not only overtook the leader, Elliot Makin, but charged on to hand over a 17 seconds lead to another junior, Patrick Martin - also 17 - who proceeded to increase Sunderland's advantage to 57 seconds.

And 21-year-old Mark Hood, a first year senior, kept the hard challenging Gosforth Harriers at bay on the anchor leg to get his team home by 52 seconds.

A delighted Field said: "This was one of the youngest teams we've ever turned out and the young lads did us proud."

The fastest run of the day came from recent Billingham 10K winner Terry Wall, who lifted Morpeth Harriers into third on the second leg, but the weakened Northumbrians faded to finish eighth.

Sunderland made it a double by also retaining their veterans' title, with Glenn Forster, Paul Collins, John Watson and Steve Coxon finishing a minute ahead of Wallsend.

The 1.8-mile women's race was won by reigning North-East cross country champion Morag McDonnell, who held off a determined challenge by North-East Harrier League winner Claire Smallwood to win by 22 seconds.

Elswick Harrier Samantha Crowe finished in seventh place overall to win the under-17 race.

A new race over one mile for under-11s attracted an entry of 40 and the winners were Jack Foggin, of Sunderland Harriers, and Sigourney Bell, St Joseph's School.

Senior Men's Relay (4 x 1.8m): 1 Sunderland (T Field 9.50, N Younger 10.16, P Martin 9.55, M Hood 9.45) 39.40; 2 Gosforth (M Nicholson 10.29, D Graham 10.24, P Hutton 9.59, J Graham 9.40) 40.32; 3 North Shields Poly 41.32; 4 Durham City 42.19; 5 Richmond and Zetland 42.44; 6 Elswick 42.50; 7 Chester-le-Street 42.56; 8 Morpeth 42.58; 9 Sunderland B 43.09; 10 Gateshead 44.37. Fastest times: 1 T Wall (Morp) 9.34; 2 J Graham (Gos) 9.40; 3 S Moralee (Dur C) 9.44.

Veterans (4 x 1.8m): 1 Sunderland (G Forster 10.55, P Collins 10.10, J Watson 10.49, S Coxon 10.33) 42.27; 2 Wallsend 43.29; 3 Richmond and Zetland 45.45; 4 Durham City 46.04; 5 Sunderland B 46.09. Fastest times: 1 R Hand (Dur C) 9.45; 2 P Merrison (Walls) 10.00; 3 P Collins (Sund) 10.10.

Under-17 Men (1.8m): 1 K Wilson (Morp) 9.53; 2 N Shrubb (Morp) 10.00; 3 R Stephenson (NSP) 10.14; 4 B Hannant (Blackhill) 10.18; 5 J Creegan (Blackhill) 10.19. Under-15 Boys (1.8m): 1 J Young (Morp) 10.39; 2 J Martin (Sund) 10.46; 3 S Brewis (Houghton & Peterlee) 10.51; 4 A Giodarno (Sund) 10.58; 5 J Cook (Gos) 10.59. Under-13 Boys (1.8m): 1 R Cunningham (Birtley) 11.22; 2 D Roberts (R&Z) 11.24; 3 M Foggin (Sund) 11.53; 4 M Cairns (Morp) 11.59; 5 M Travis (Morp) 12.06. Under-11 (1m): 1 J Foggin (Sund) 9.02; 2 T Hope (St John Boste) 9.05; 3 M Ross (H&P) 9.07. Team: Sunderland 15 pts.

Senior Women (1.8m): 1 M McDonnell (Chester-le-Street) 10.40; 2 C Smallwood (Jarrow and Hebburn) 11.02; 3 K Waugh (Chester-le-Street) 11.06; 4 C Wickham (Gates) 11.27; 5 R Smith (Dur C) 11.28.

Under-17: 1 S Crowe (Elswick) 11.53; 2 D Watts (Morp) 12.10; 3 S Davison Dur C) 12.26. Under-15 Girls (1.8m): 1 M Ferrier (Gates) 11.45; 2 D James (Morp) 11.54; 3 J Roberts (R&Z) 11.59; 4 L Wright (Gates) 12.08; 5 C Harrison (Sund) 12.21. Under-13 Girls (1.8m): 1 A Suffield (Shildon) 12.52; 2 E Spoor (Sund) 13.05; 3 L Dixon (Morp) 13.08; 4 G McMeiken (Blaydon) 13.10; 5 F Keenan (Mandal) 13.20. Under-11 Girls (1m): 1 S Bell (St Joseph's) 9.29; 2 A Forster (East Boldon) 10.10; 3 C Gumletswood (Sund) 10.18. Team: Sunderland 23 pts.