CANOEING: RUNCORN Canoe Club secured a triple crown at one of domestic canoeing's biggest events.
Stalwart Steve Marnell triumphed at individual and four-man disciplines at the National Sprint Championships.
He took the Veterans' A 1,000-metre K1 title and teamed up with clubmates Graham Illidge and Paul Brooks plus Macclesfield's Robin Avery to secure the 500m K4 title at the National Water-sports Centre in Nottingham.
Meanwhile, Runcorn club chairman Jamie Mayers partnered Dave Pedler from Worcester to win the Men's B K2 event over 1,000m - Mayers coming third in the equivalent K1 race.
There was also a top effort from the youngsters who were placed in finals one to eight according to times - the quickest going into final one.
Runcorn's Jenny Illidge and Amy Robinson, both 13, were runners-up in final two of the U14s K2 over 500m.
Both are pupils at The Heath Science and Technology College and in their first season of serious competition.
Steve Marnell backed up his 1,000m K1 victory with second at 500m, again at Veterans' A. Veterans' B K1 events saw second place at 1,000m for Graham Illidge, who was third at 500m.
Racing together, Marnell and Illidge were runners-up in Veterans' A K2 races over 500m and 1,000m.
The duo joined fellow Runcorn paddler Richard Cox in the fourth-placed Veterans' A K4 boat over 1,000m, with Macc's Avery again in the quartet.
Paul Brooks was third in the Veterans' A K1 at 500m.
Martin Layng, 17, featured in the junior development squad crew which took second places in U18s K4 events over 500m and 1,000m.
Steve Marnell's son James, a 15-year-old who goes to St Chad's Catholic High, took sixth place in final five of the U16s K1 over 500m.
Jenny Illidge, Graham's daughter, was third and fifth respectively in final three of the U14s K1 at 1,000m and 500m.
Amy Robinson also reached the same finals with fifth spot at 1,000m and seventh over 500m.
In the lightning class, nine-year-old Chelsea Brooks, Paul's daughter, won the fourth final of the U10s K1 over 500m from team-mate Amy Wignall, also nine. Amy and Chelsea performed excellently in K2 to finish fourth in the first final.
Club chairman Mayers said: 'Every-body did well and it shows from the amount of juniors coming through we are going in the right direction.'
This Sunday, Runcorn Canoe Club club hosts a national marathon event on the Weaver Navigation at Clifton with events over four, eight and 12 miles.
