THE races in the Pendle and Burnley Grand Prix are coming thick and fast now with three in the last fortnight and another to follow at Barley tomorrow night.

The Hendon Brook 13.5 mile Road Race held last Sunday at Nelson was the fifth of the summer and brought the series to the halfway point.

The series covers a mixture of race distances and terrain, but the longest race is surely the toughest of all the challenges too, and the result brought about a change of leader in the men's series.

Rossendale Harrier Thornton Taylor has been in strong form recently with second places behind David Gregory in the ten-mile Bluebell Sculpture Race at Halifax and at the five kilometre Irwell Sculpture Trail where Lee Passco set a course record.

Also he proved to be the master tactician at Hendon Brook where the searing heat played a significant role.

Taylor, more comfortable in hot weather than most, was content to bide his time as last year's race winner Gregory and the 2003 Grand Prix Champion Andrew Stubbs flew away at the start.

"I did my own thing," said Taylor. "I picked them off with eight miles to go.

"I was climbing well and when I went past I was confident I could win."

Before the race, Taylor was lying second in the overall standings behind the nineteen year old Blackburn Harrier Tom Cornthwaite, who had won all the previous four races this year.

Contestants must run in nine out of ten races and Cornthwaite opted out of this one to concede the lead to his rival, but has vowed to be back.

Admitting that Cornthwaite is a hot favourite, Thornton has set his sites on winning the over 45 class, while the consistent Stubbs remains a threat after holding on to second on Sunday after his Clayton club-mate Gregory retired.

Recently the Grand Prix has resembled a Clayton Harriers' club championship, but it is a surprising fact that none of their men or women have won a race yet this season.

The revelation among the women has been Amy Green of Spenborough, who won for the fourth time at the weekend.

In her only defeat, she was second to Skipton's Ann Buckley in the opener at Pinhaw Moor.

Defending series champion Candice Leah has been the pick of the Clayton athletes with second behind Green in the Burnley Lions 10K, the Kelbrook Fell Race and the Burnley Boys Club 10K.

As ever though Clayton's veterans have been strong, and at Nelson there was a course record for Ted Orrell on the over 65 class.