BELGIUM'S CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING CHAMPION, HENRI CLERCKX, TODAY (SUNDAY) RETAINED HIS TITLE IN THE 40TH 'CROSS DU SOIR'. MORE THAN 3000 RUNNERS FROM SIX NATIONS COMPETED IN THE GRUELLING 7.4 KILOMETRES ( ABOUT 4 ???? MILES) EVENT STAGED AT THE MILITARY TRAINING GROUND AT EVERE, A BRUSSELS OUTER SUBURB.

SPONSORED BY THE BRUSSELS' PAPER 'SOIR', THE RACE ATTRACTS A LARGE FIELD, AND TODAY WAS NO EXCEPTION. ASIDE FROM BELGIAN CLUB RUNNERS, THERE WERE 800 DUTCH ATHLETES, 180 FROM GERMANY, AND SMALLER GROUPS FROM FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG AND BRITAIN PLUS 750 BELGIAN TROOPS.

DESPITE SNOW AND A SLIPPERY TRACK, CLERCKX SET A FAST PACE AND SOON THE VAST FIELD WAS STRUNG OUT BEHIND HIM. HIS STRONGEST CHALLENGE OVER THE FIRST THREE KILOMETRES CAME FROM THE BELGIAN ACE, EUGENE ALLONSIUS. BUT AFTER THE FOUR KILOMETRE MARK, UNKNOWN WELSH RUNNER, DAVID COLLINS, PASSED ALLONSIUS - BUT HE COULDN'T CATCH THE BELGIAN CHAMPION.

CLERCKX EVENTUALLY CROSSED THE LINE WITH A TIME OF 23-MINUTES-23-SECONDS. COLLINS WAS TIMED AT 23-MINUTES-34-SECONDS, WITH ALLONSIUS THIRD. FOR COLLINS, A STUDENT, IT WAS ONLY HIS SECOND DISTANCE RACE AS A SENIOR AND A SURPRISING PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE MAN ACKNOWLEDGED ONE OF THE BEST CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNERS IN THE WORLD.