SUNDERLAND Harriers produced a grandstand finish to retain their Durham Pine North-East Harrier League senior men's team title in the final fixture at Prudhoe.

The Wearsiders went into the last race one point behind leaders Blaydon Harriers, but produced their best performance of the season to romp home to victory.

The two clubs finished level on points, but with three victories to Blaydon's two, Sunderland were awarded the Sisterton Cup for the 17th time since first winning in 1980.

Sunderland could not have asked for a better finale from their athletes, filling the first four places in the Division One event and having all their six counters in the first ten for a superb score of 29 points. The first four home were Chris Stoker, Mark Hood, Tim Field and Fred Judson, while Richard Kemp and Gavin Massingham were not far behind in the victorious team.

Blaydon had their six finishers in the top 31, but fell well short of Sunderland's score with 92 points.

The individual championship went to Chester-le-Street AC's Great Britain international Stewy Bell who, with a maximum 40 points from four races, did not have to compete in the final fixture, heading Sunderland's Tim Field by six points, with Durham City veteran Rob Hand a further point away in third place.

Jarrow and Hebburn's Claire Smallwood finished a fine cross country season by winning her first senior women's title, beating double World Veterans Championship's gold medallist and reigning British Veterans champion Sheila Allen by one point.

The 25-year-old Tyneside leisure centre worker, trained by Jimmy Hedley, has bounced back to top form after spending a week in hospital six months ago with a viral infection, winning two top road races, the Loftus Poultry Run and the South Shields 10K.

At Prudhoe, Smallwood finished nearly two minutes ahead of Louise Trainor, who had the consolation of leading home the victorious Durham City team.

Durham City Harrier Rob Hand won the British Veterans' Over-40 Cross Country Championship at Mansfield.

The family doctor, who joined the veteran ranks in January, added the title to the North-East Half Marathon Championship he won at Redcar a week earlier.

Defending over-40 women's champion Sheila Allen, of Houghton and Peterlee, was out of the medals.

Ireland produced a brilliant performance to win the IAAF World Cross Country short course team bronze medals in Dublin.

Gallantly led by Sonia O'Sullivan, Ireland produced a brilliant performance.