ANDY ATTACKS STEVE IN THE BATTLE OF THE VERNONS

Steve Vernon "isn't even the best Vernon in the country let alone the best runner" according to his namesake, Andy. The astonishing attack from the Aldershot man comes after Steve romped home to comfortably win the National Cross in unprecedented Alton Towers conditions at the weekend. "Steve text me after his win" said a stern faced Andy from a charity event "he said that I would never have got round the course and that I was mentally weak not to show up. That's completely out of order. The only reason I didn't run was because I got caught in the queue for Nemesis".

The tension between the pair has been bubbling under the surface ever since Andy attempted to sue Steve for "copyright infringement on [his] name" early last year. A High Court judge threw out the case - pointing to the fact that the Stockport man was in fact older than Andy. However, this has not stopped Andy from appealing the "very unfair" ruling, nor the bad blood from running deep. The St Mary's based athlete was eager to voice his fury at the "gallivanting" of "arrogant Steve", adding that he "couldn't wait" to "tear him apart" at the Inter Counties next month. "Did you see him celebrate?" thundered Vernon "who does he think he is? He was acting like it was like it was a forgone conclusion - beyond the pale if you ask me."

Almost as shocking as the attack on his rival was the concession from Andy that he "had fully intended" to race on Saturday. "It was a real shame," he explained "I had done Oblivion and Air, but had been in the line for Nemesis for over an hour. If I had given up my place, it would have meant starting again after the race. I wasn't prepared to do that". Steve Vernon has called Andy's comments "remarkable" and said that it demonstrated "a lack of professionalism". "We all wanted to play on the rides" said the newly crowned National Champion "I tore myself away from the teacups in order to do my warm up. You've got to know when to draw the line".

Steve would not be drawn on whether he thought that Andy could have beaten him on the day, but did concede that the course favoured him. "I know that Mike [Skinner, who came second] is a bit of a wimp and so probably didn't like the downhills" said the mud lover "he wouldn't even go on the banana boat before hand and I think that says it all".

ENGLAND ATHLETICS APOLOGISE FOR 'SOMME-LIKE' NATIONAL

MUD BATH: Steve Vernon celebrates his win

England Athletics have conceded that they "got it wrong" in allowing the National Cross Country Championships to take place on a course "more suitable for a war than a race". The governing body have today been inundated with complaints from furious athletes about the mess of their kit and the resulting damage to washing machines across the country.

"Cross Country should not be run in these sort of conditions" said a red faced EA spokesman "we appreciate now that to have any mud on the course to totally unacceptable and we will be doing our best to rectify it in future years". 2012's event at Parliament Hill is already under threat as organisers face increasing calls for it "to be held indoors" from now on. "Any event at Parliament Hill is likely to involve mud" continued the spokesman "and so it might be best to steer away from that. We are ruling nothing out - it could even be run on road".

Yesterday's race - won by Steve Vernon - had the highest drop out rate in history and officials had deal with a stream of furious team managers pointing out "severe mud damage" to club tents. Some athletes have still yet to finish their race. England Athletics insiders have today estimated the cost of the clean up operation to be "close to £35m". "The whole field is going to have to be dug up and relaid" said our source "and [EA] will have to pay for thousands of cars to be fully valeted". The association have set up a 24 hour hotline to deal with the "unprecedented call volume" following the event and have encouraged relatives concerned about competitors to contact them urgently.

James Wilkinson who slumped to a disappointing 21st place blasted race organisers calling the whole day "a fiasco". "How can any half decent runner be expected to run in that?" thundered Wilkinson from his post race press conference "I am going to need psychological help to get over this. I am absolutely traumatised".

ALL CROSS COUNTRY EVENTS CANCELLED: UKA

All Cross Country events for the rest of the season have been cancelled because of the snow. UK Athletics released a brief statement this evening blaming Dwain Chambers for the extraordinary action and advising all race organisers against flouting the regulation. The spokesman did not rule out banning the sport all together "in the interests of everyone" but said that the governing body would "make every effort" to run some semblance of a calender next season. The news comes as the majority of Western European governing bodies take similar action, with USA Track and Field holding a crisis meeting early next week. The World Cross - set to take place in Spain next year - has already been axed.