A PAIR of Geordies, Nick Swinburn and Rocker Laidler, plundered the two top sports prizes at Kilnsey Show.

The prime attraction, the Kilnsey Crag Race was won for the second successive year by Tyneside star and reigning Inter-Counties champion, Swinburn, who achieved a place in fell-racing’s ‘hall of fame’ by having won both the late summer historic classics, the Grasmere Guides Race and the Kilnsey show-piece in the same year.

First accomplished by Langdale’s George Woolcock in 1920, only a small elite handful have managed that rare feat since.

Short, rough and explosive, the Kinsey Crag Race is a spectacle to behold, and the Tynesider was soon up amongst the leaders as the contestants headed out of the showfield.

England international Swinburn then made a telling move around the half way point up the shifting tread mill of scree and rocky outcrops and stretched his lead along the sky-line where a huge gathering added further vocal support.

However, fortunes have frequently fluctuated amid the precarious descent. And, although his closest challengers – both former winners – Macclesfield’s Simon Bailey and Ted Mason from Appletreewick, made inroads midst their own stirring sortie – the leader held both his nerve and balance to arrive back in the showfield and up the home straight to a traditional Kilnsey ovation.

Swinburn’s winning time was a very speedy eight minutes dead. And, in the scrap for the minor places, the seven times England champion, Bailey, (8:06) finished runner up; Mason – fresh from his outstanding exploits for England in Italy – finished third in (8:15), and another Upper Wharfedale high-flyer, the 2017 Inter-Counties champion, Ben Mounsey (8:22) from Threshfield, was fourth.

Former England junior champion, Luke Maude (9:04) from Hebden finished sixth to complete the one, two, three after Mason and Mounsey in the shake-up for the local awards.

Ian Willis (10:05) from Sutton shaded Rylstone’s Rob Carr (10:08) for the top Over 40 honours and Charlie McIntosh (10:09) from Leeds who won the Over 50 accolade.

In the Women’s event, the day belonged to Threshfield’s Kirsty Hall (11:18) who was First Lady and scooped both the Over 40 and top local awards for good measure.

Runner-up was Keighley’s Pippa Barrett, (11:31) and there were special plaudits for the third podium placer, Victoria Peel from Bowland, she having arrived right on the back of a John O’Groats – Lands End bike ride for life-supporting charities.

Embsay’s Sue Marshall (14:08) was top Over 50 female finisher.

Sam Smith (8:46) from Silsden produced an impressive performance to win the Under 17 Crag Race at the main expense of ‘Barlick Claret’ Jack Villiers (9:14) in second, and in third came Settle’s Sebastian Seggar-Staveley (9:24) – grandson of the 1945 senior Crag Race winner, Jimmy Staveley.

Harrogate’s Lexi Whitaker (10:16) well clear of Keighley’s Naomi Conroy (12:10) and Homfirth’s Olivia Dyson (13:38) grabbed the podium places amongst the female contestants.

Kilnsey is traditionally a particularly special occasion for local aspirants and for Grassington’s Sam Headley (9:28) it would become extra-special as he triumphed in the Under 14 event where Keighley’s Sam Conroy (9:39) and Calder Valley’s William Hall (9:43) were his closest challengers.

Harrogate’s Eve Whitaker (9:48) won the Girls event, while Otley’s Charlotte Rostron (10:59) finished second and Malham’s Emma Peel (11:06) finished third and was first local girl.

Hetton’s Jacob Reeday (6:20) won both the open and local awards in the Under 12 event, clear of nearest pursuers Archie Peaker (6:51) of Keighley and Macclesfield’s Oliver Bailey (7:01).

Bingley’s Martha Jackson (6:55) won the corresponding race for girls ahead of runner-up, Lucille Pickles (7:44) of Barnoldswick and Glusburn’s Olivia Aldham (8:12) who finished in third.

Despite an uncharacteristic delay due to a ‘mechanical fault’, the harness racing once more provided a grand finale to a sporting show-piece.

In a pulsating Open Final contest Geordieland trained Happy Hands, driven by Darlington’s Rocker Laidler, grabbed the victory honours, narrowly denying a late charge from the Haythornwaite Barnoldswick trained Lanehouse Yankee, driven by former rugby league star, James Haythornwaite.

Third place went to the Jim Winter of Appleby trained Desert Secret.

- Roger Ingham