MORPETH Harrier Rob Holladay was a runaway winner of the Loftus Poultry Run for the second time in three years yesterday. And Wearside veteran Sheila Allen finally claimed the women's title after eight years of trying.

Now both will be looking to test themselves against stiffer opposition in the Morpeth-Newcastle event on New Year's Day.

Holladay, who joined the Northumbrian club after moving from Rotherham to become a PE teacher at Guisborough, broke quickly from the start and was never challenged in the eight-mile multi-terrain race, finishing almost a minute clear of New Marske's Shaun O'Grady.

Allen, a 43-year-old World Veterans Championships double gold medallist, was too strong and fast for her younger rivals and had 43 seconds to spare on England international Kerry Matthew.

Holladay, who made a winning debut at Loftus in 1998 on a totally different course, didn't hang around.

He explained: "I went off hard from the start because I wanted to get away and not have to work too hard on the way back.

"I think it's a harder course than the old one and I'm delighted to have won again."

Holladay, a former AAA under-20 5000m track champion, had the pick of the North-East clubs when he moved from his native Yorkshire and he is glad he chose Morpeth, having helped the Northumbrians win the Northern 12-Stage and National Six-Stage road relay championships.

He said: "I had never won anything like that before and they are a great bunch of lads at Morpeth."

Now he could be lining up against some of his trophy-winning team mates on New Year's Day.

"I'm looking forward to running my first Morpeth and, depending on who's running, I'll be aiming for a place in the top four or five. It's a tough race but my training has gone well and I'm looking forward to having a go."

O'Grady, who won six of his club's seven road races this season, had to work hard to follow Holladay home.

He said: "I dropped back to seventh in the early part of the race but I managed to make up a lot of ground on the road. I could see Rob in the distance but there was never any chance of catching him."

Prolific racer Allen said: "It's been a case of always the bridesmaid and never the bride for me at Loftus and it's great to win after so many years of trying.

"I had my doubts at the start of the race but I felt really strong and I wasn't really challenged. I was in the lead all the way."

Results: 1 R Holladay (Morpeth) 41.55; 2 S O'Grady (New Marske) 42.50; 3 D Augustus (Scarborough) 42.54; 4 K Harker (Morp) 42.54; 5 T Livingston (New Marske V40) 43.34. Team: Scarborough 98.

Women: 1 S Allen (Houghton and Peterlee V40) 48.24; 2 K Matthew (Middlesbrough and Cleveland) 49.07; 3 A Raw (Darlington V35). Team: Houghton and Peterlee 622.

l Gateshead Harrier Ken Bell won yesterday's Saltwell 10K, though the runners ran a short course after accidentally omitting the traditional first lap around the Saltwell Park Lake.

Sunderland Harrier Dave Robertson looked favourite to win the event when he took the lead after the climb up the notorious Chowdene Bank.

But Bell put in a strong finishing sprint to hit the front with 200m remaining, winning his first event for three years by four seconds in 29 mins 14 secs on a course shortened by around 800m.

Jarrow and Hebburn's in-form Claire Smallwood, a recent North-East Harrier League winner, beat Aurora's Karen Reynolds by nearly a minute and a half to take the women's trophy.

Results (9.2K): 1 K Bell (Gateshead) 29.14; 2 D Robertson (Sunderland) 29.18; 3 V Wilson (Morp) 29.28; 4 J Archer (Low Fell) 29.29; 5 L Atkinson (Morp V45) 29.34. Team: Low Fell 35.

Women: 1 C Smallwood (Jarrow and Hebburn) 33.18; 2 K Reynolds (Aurora) 34.45; 3 L Marr (Tynedale V35) 35.07. Team: Elswick 19.

l There were no excuses from birthday girl Paula Radcliffe yesterday after she finished third behind two old African foes, Lydia Cheromei and Susan Chepkemei, in the mud of Brussels' Royal Park.

The two runaway Kenyans brought Radcliffe's recent purple patch of post-Olympic victories to an abrupt end in the Fortis Cup, the first major race of the international cross country season.

Cheromei completed the 6,000metres six seconds ahead of her compatriot in a time of 20mins 57secs with Radcliffe, 27 yesterday, recording 21.23.