ATHLETICS: DAVID Twigg showed strength, stamina and speed to complete a county cross-country double.

The 15-year-old won the intermediate boys' title at the Cheshire Schools championships only a fortnight after winning at the Cheshire clubs event.

His club success had come at Winsford where, as a first-year Under 17, he emulated his victory of 2003 as an U15.

The schools event was staged over 6k at Malpas with David, of Fairfield High School in Widnes, improving two positions on his bronze-medal placing as a first-year intermediate in 2003.

Mum Denise said: 'It was a very good race to watch. David led for quite a stretch of the way but the lad who was behind him, from Mid-Cheshire, caught up which made it really exciting.

'When they came into the straight towards the finishing line, the other team were shouting for their lad and we were shouting for David. It was such a fantastic atmosphere.

'David just kicked in and sprinted away - it was a really good finish.'

'The other lad said he thought he had it but when David moved away again, he knew he had no chance.'

David, of St Helens Sutton AC, now goes through to the national final of the clubs championship at Nottingham in March. This will be televised by Sky.

But he has still to come through an Inter-Counties round, at Leicester on February 7, to qualify for the All England Schools final in Maidstone, Kent, on March 13.

David has previously won Cheshire titles on the track at 800m and 1,500m.

There were no surprises in the senior girls' race at Malpas in which Karrie Hawitt, Runcorn's world-champion fell runner, tore the opposition apart.

The Helsby High School sixth-former, competing for North Cheshire, came home almost two minutes ahead of her nearest rival.

Lawrence Walker, also from Helsby High and representing North Cheshire, was a clear winner in the junior boys.

Results of Halton team runners in the Cheshire Schools Championships were:

BOYS - Intermediate: 1 D Twigg; 16 A Ubido; 56 M Crisp; Junior: 28 J Gregson; 74 J Patton; 80 J Powell; Minor - 16 C O'Brien; 32 J Fenlon; 52 T Finch; 67 L Thornhill; 74 A Mercer; 76 L Jones; 78 C Ellis.

GIRLS - Intermediate: 49 B Paton; 50 E Hughes; 52 E Baldwin. Junior: 18 Chloe Wilson; 77 R Handley; 80 C Patten. Minor: 63 R Fenney; 75 S Heaps; 79 D Walsh.