HEATHER Timmins has become Warrington Athletics Club's first English Schools senior cross country champion in 47 years.

The club's rising star put 12 seconds between her and the second-placed runner as she sped home for Cheshire at Temple Newsam Park in Leeds on Saturday.

Timmins' individual success enabled the Cheshire team to finish in third place, giving her a second medal.

Records show that the club's only previous English Schools Cross Country Championships winner was Dave Brennan in 1963, with his title coming in the junior section.

The 17-year-old student at Sir John Deane's College, Northwich, has been in brilliant form this year, winning the UK Inter Counties Under 17s Championship and the UK Cross Challenge Series, finishing second in the English National Cross Country Championships and representing England under 20s in Luxembourg.

Club chairman Dave Spencer, who trained Heather when she first joined the club as a 10-year-old, paid tribute to her achievements this week.

He said: "I can't think of any other homegrown female runner who has been as successful in one year as Heather.

"And if she keeps on progressing at this level you have to be looking towards the Olympics for her, you just never know. Saturday's result tells you she is the best at her age."

Timmins, whose front-running approach in Leeds was similar to that of 1992 winner Paula Radcliffe, said: "I went out quite quickly at the start to see how I coped and it went quite well.

"I seem to like front running and I really wanted to win a medal, so I'm very pleased.

"Everything has been going right in training as I train alongside the senior men. That seems to have paid off."