GREAT Britain international Brian Rushworth, battling an ankle injury which is threatening his racing career, maintained his unbeaten record in the Penshaw Hill race by winning for a ninth time.

But the 37-year-old Sunderland Harrier was made to fight all the way by clubmate Tim Field, who briefly took the lead on the downhill section in the second part of the race.

Rushworth, who has now won four consecutive races since a six-month injury lay-off following his ninth North-East Cross Country championship, was caught by surprise as Field made his challenge and said: "He certainly made a race of it and I had to work hard to regain the lead."

Rushworth, who also took the prime award for being first to the Monument, eventually ran out a comfortable winner of the three-mile event by 19 seconds.

Results: 1 B Rushworth (Sunderland) 15 mins 55 secs; 2 T Field (Sund) 16.14; 3 L Browell (Sund) 16.42; 4 T Wallett (North Shields Poly) 16.48; 5 N Carr (Chester-le-Street) 16.51; 6 D Mullen (Sund V45) 16.57; 7 B Bewick (Sund) 17.13; 8 I Crampton (Durham City) 17.13; 9 I Tindle (NSP) 17.20; 10 N Younger (Sund) 17.34. V45 P Roper (Sund) 17.35; V50 V Tindle (Sund) 18.37.

Women: 1 M Ford (South Shields) 21.05.

l New Marske Harrier Shaun O'Grady was a comfortable winner of his club's Pie and Peas 10K, beating Quakers' Barry Stephenson by 37 seconds. Veteran Helen Humphrey, also of New Marske, won the women's section, beating Harlow by a minute and a half.

Results: 1 S O'Grady (New Marske) 31.21; 2 B Stephenson (Quakers) 31.58; 3 M Cherrington (Morpeth) 32.47; 4 T Livingston (NM V40) 32.49; 5 R Maddams (Harlow) 32.52; 6 I Cook (Hartlepool Burn Road) 33.44; 7 A Tatham (Quakers) 33.51; 8 D Parkin (Loftus) 34.10; 9 P Welham (NM) 34.35; 10 J Foster (Unatt) 36.51. V50 R Howard (Loftus) 38.02; V60R Sherwood (NM) 42.29.

Women: 1 H Humphrey (NM V40) 39.19; 2 P Jackson (Harlow) 40.53; 3 S Carbery (Darlington) 42.19; 4 S Gayter (NM V35) 42.36; 5 E Dasey (Middlesbrough and Cleveland V40) 43.50. V50 L Woods (NM) 45.42; V60 I Conaghan (NM) 51.44.

l Teesside rivals Mandale and Middlesbrough and Cleveland clash in today's North of England Inter Club Championships regional meeting at Clairville Stadium. Other clubs competing at Middlesbrough are Durham City, Border, City of Sheffield, Cleethorpes, and Hallamshire.

Taking part in the Womens Inter Club Championship regional match are Barrow in Furness, Border, Gateshead, Middlesbrough and Cleveland, Mandale, Hull and Cleethorpes.

The men's North of England Plate, also at Clairville, involves Hartlepool Burn Road, New Marske, Richmond and Zetland, Scarborough, Shildon and South Shields. The meeting starts at 11am and the first two teams from each competition go through to the finals at Cudworth Stadium, Barnsley, on August 28.

Mandale and Middlesbrough are also in competition tomorrow in the fourth McDonald's Young Athletes Northern Premier League meeting at Clairville, where Gateshead will compete in a second match, also starting at 12.30pm