Way back on May 2, Gary Shaw and Molly Ralphson were the winners of the Hameldon Hill Race in Accrington and that result in the opening race of the summer set the pattern for the entire Pendle and Burnley Grand Prix Series.

The 12th and last event was the Worsthorne Moor ‘Magnificent 7’ on Sunday where Shaw and Ralph-son were first again, although in truth they had their titles in the bag as soon as they had completed the required 10 races.

Shaw becomes the first athlete, man or woman, to defend a title successfully going back to at least 2003, while Ralphson, who a few years ago was the first Trawden AC athlete to win a Grand Prix event, has improved on that feat to become the first to win a title.

She didn’t even manage a single win last year as she finished third woman overall, but enjoyed a terrific 2010 season to win nine times, dropping only a point as she finished second to three time champion Amy Green at Hendon Brook.

Having run in every race, she was able to discard a third and a fourth place.

Shaw had won a strange 2009 series where there were different men’s winners in all 11 races, his solitary victory coming at Worsth-orne Moor.

None could doubt his credentials this year as he put together six wins, two seconds and two thirds.

In Sunday’s race, Clayton’s Shaw clocked 42:02 for a 51 second advantage over Andy Buttery of Rossendale with Jason Harbour of Clayton, the winner at Hendon Brook, nine more seconds back.

Buttery took veteran honours over Harbour as the unattached Kieran Horrigan in fourth was the winning over 50.

Ian Greenwood, Barry Mitchell, and Ted Orrell in the over 45s, over 65s and over 70s gave Clayton more age group titles, as did the leading junior Carl Steele and Rossendale’s Ken Taylor was first over 60.

With his eighth place finish, Andy Preedy of Rossendale conso-lidated his second spot in the series although he ended more than 50 points behind Shaw, and Steele just beat Aidan Holgate to third in the battle of the Clayton juniors.

Gary Pearse of Blackburn Harriers in fifth was the veteran series winner ahead of Clayton duo Paul Hesketh and Sean Clare with all three being over 45s.

Mark Wightman won the over 50s and was notably in front of the 40-44 class winner Neil Worswick, both being from Clayton.

Robert Smith of Trawden and Todmorden’s Ian Stansfield were the over 55 and over 65 champions and there were more titles for Clayton through Ron Chappell and Ted Orrrell, respectively the winners in the over 60s and over 70s.

The women’s race mirrored the series as Ralphson defeated Victoria Mousley comfortably.

The race margin was a minute and three quarters as Ralphson came home in 50:13, and the series ended with 21 points between them.

Mousley went into the last race a point behind fellow Accrington Road Runner Nicola Wood, but helped by third placed Debbie Gowans, Mousley’s team-mate in the GB Cani-Cross squad, Wood, was bumped down to fifth and has to settle for third in series.

Fourth, fifth and sixth are Clayton veterans Karin Goss, Jean Rawlinson and Sue Allen, who will take the over 60, over 55 and over 50 awards, while Allen, along with Ralphson, will get a second award for completing every race. Fourteen men will also qualify.