CRAVEN athletes notched a double success at the famous Alva Games after Wharfedale Harriers Ted Mason and Kirsty Hall stormed to victories in the men's and women's fell races.

The prestigious event in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, saw 84 senior and 48 junior runners take to the start line, with a spectacular lung-busting 1,300ft near vertical ascent and descent to the finish laying ahead of them.

As in previous years there was an international flavour as the race brought runners from as far afield as the US, as well as the whole of Britain.

In the men’s race, Mason, from Appletreewick, Calder Valley’s Ben Mounsey and Helm Hill’s Ben Proctor all locked horns from the start.

Mounsey was first to the summit flag but this is a race where experience and course knowledge pay dividends.

Mason used all of his prior knowledge to find the better line down the fell and overtook Mounsey to romp home as the winner in 20.13mins, ahead of the Calder Valley runner (20.38) and Proctor (21.56).

The ladies race was no less spectacular as Hall, from Threshfield, and Ochil Hill Runners’ Catriona Buchanan jostled all the way for first place.

Buchanan looked like the winner until the very end where a sprint finish gave Hall the edge as she dipped over the finish line in first place (24.23), fractions of a second ahead of Buchanan (24.23) with Helm Hill’s Kathleen Aubrey (30.01) in third.

There was more local success in the Under-17 boys’ race, which was decisively won by Keighley and Craven’s Joe Hudson (11.11) from club-mate Tom Barrett (11.43) and Settle Harriers’ Thomas Marshall (11.45).

The girls race was won by Clayton-le-Moors’ Briony Holt (13.08) ahead of Bingley Harriers’ Emily Field (13.44) and Wharfedale’s Emily Jones (19.58).

First Under-14 boy was Rossendale Harriers’ Joel Taylor (9.33) from Wharfedale’s Sam Smith (9.59) and Keighley’s Harvey Lewis (10.01).

Meanwhile, the first girl home was Wharfedale’s Alice Jones (11.49) ahead of Cumberland Fell Runners’ Emily Swarbrick (13.19).

The Under-12s race was won by Calder Valley’s William Hall (10.04) from Blackburn Harriers’ Dexta Thompson (11.06) and Calder Valley’s James Duffy (11.29).

The girls’ winner was Rossendale’s Evie Taylor (12.51) ahead of Teesdale’s Adele Dry (13.37) and Cumberland’s Faith Bowness (13.44).