SUNDERLAND Harriers have set up a grandstand finish to the defence of their senior men's team title in this season's Durham Pine North-East Harrier League.

The Wearsiders go into the final fixture at Prudhoe next month trailing current leaders Blaydon by one point - and the winners will lift the coveted Sisterton Trophy, which has left Sunderland's possession only once in nearly 20 years.

Sunderland were given a great start at Farringdon by slow pack runner Steven Potts, who took full advantage of his five minutes start in the six-mile handicap race to win by 95 seconds.

The 26-year-old factory worker went off hard from the start and revelled in the muddy conditions to finish more than 300 yards clear of second-placed Steve Clark, of North Shields Polytechnic.

Sunderland packed their six finishers in the first 17 to claim top spot, a decisive 28 points ahead of Blaydon, whose men all crossed the line in the top 23.

Sunderland now need to beat Blaydon by one place in the final fixture to retain the title on count-back, and while both clubs have each won two fixtures, the Wearsiders have a better points tally over the five meetings.

Chester-le-Street's Stewy Bell clinched the senior men's title with his fourth victory of the series.

The Great Britain international, who joined a select band of athletes to win the handicap race last time out, despite giving away five minutes start, had to be satisfied with sixth place overall, beating the second-placed fast-pack runner, Durham City's Rob Hand, by seven seconds.

The women's race was won by Jarrow and Hebburn's Claire Smallwood, who beat Houghton and Peterlee's British Veterans cross country champion Sheila Allen by a comfortable 17 seconds.

* Durham County won five of the six team events to carry off the overall trophy in the annual Inter-County Schools cross country championships at the King James Community College, Bishop Auckland.

Durham's Chris Lamb returned to action after injury to lead home team-mates Norman Younger and Richard Kemp in the senior boys' race, while Northumberland's Charlotte Wickham avenged her Northern Championships defeat by beating Durham's Rosie Smith in the senior girls' event.

The most comfortable win of the day was recorded by Cleveland's Scott Dixon, who won the junior boys' race by 24 seconds