VALE Royal Athletics Club will be looking to string together more success at the Cheshire Cross Country Championships this weekend.

The event takes place at The Farm Club, Pickmere, with the action scheduled to start with the under 11s event at 11am and finishing with the men’s race at 2.15pm.

A huge turnout is expected from Vale Royal runners as is usual and chairman Stuart Doyle has spoken of it being an example of the rude health of the club.

“It looks like we will have around 100 entries which is a phenomenal proportion of our total membership to be competing in a single endurance event,” he said.

Last year’s event was delayed due to Covid-19 and moved away from its usual January slot to April instead, with runners enjoying the sunshine and firmer terrain for a change from the rain and boggy conditions that are likely to return for Saturday’s action.

Vale Royal celebrated six individual wins in last April’s event at Betley near Crewe.

At under 15s level, Hope Smith was a runaway 77-second winner of the girls’ race and Robbie Price finished 52 seconds clear of his nearest rival in the boys’ contest.

Eva Jha was 25 seconds ahead of the field in winning the under 13s girls’ gold medal, while Nancy Carrington crossed the line six seconds clear in the under 11s girls’ event.

Helen Smith, 11th in the women’s senior race, took the over 50s first place, while Mark Crabtree, fifth in the men’s race, was the first over 40 to finish.