Two Bury AC members were in the medals at the Northern Athletics Junior Championships in Derby last weekend.

Ben Clarke took silver in the under-15 boys’ javelin, increasing his personal best to 49.79m in the process, while Jemima Miles, in the U17 girls’ 80m hurdles also took a silver medal in a blanket finish where she recorded 12.10secs - just four hundredths of a second outside her best. Combined eventer, Oliver Cooper, took fifth in the U15 boys’ discus (26.99) and sixth in the long jump (5.19), while Evie Elliott picked up a slight hamstring injury in the U17 women’s 300m hurdles, but still managed to take fifth place, with 49.20.

Bury hosted the prestigious British Milers Club Grand Prix and World Challenge meeting on Saturday where more than 350 elite middle-distance runners competed and in excess of 90 overseas athletes took part. The spectators were treated to a superb series of 44 races. Winners of the A races: 800m men - Ramon Wipfii (Switzerland) 1:48.10; 800m women - Khalihisa Mhalanga (Herts Phoenix) 2:02.30; 1500m men - Cooper Teare (USA) 3:33.96; 1500m women - Hannah Nuttall (Charnwood) 4:07.16; 5,000m men - Bran Anderiessen (Netherlands) 13:38.18; 5,000m women - Eloise Walker (Edinburgh) 15:35.92; 3,000m steeplechase men - Kevin Robertson (Canada) 8:24.37; 3,000m steeplechase women - Grace Featherstonhaugh (Canada) 9:40.45.

Teare and Robertson set new BMC best performances when securing their victories, with Teare’s time believed to be the fastest ever recorded in the north of England.

The BMC organisers were very impressed with Bury’s facilities and hospitality and credit is due to club organisers, Byron Edwards and Roger Morley, supported by a superb group of volunteers.

The previous Tuesday, Bury hosted it’s third Trafford AC Grand Prix event with more than 160 athletes from across the north of England competing and once again spectators were treated to fast races and great competitions.

The club had seven members competing in different events. First on the track was Martin Clark, running in the A 3,000m race. It was a class affair with Salford’s Harry Wakefield setting a new track record of 8:15.92. Clark took an excellent seventh place, recording a new personal best of 8:43.43. In the B race, student Sam Smyth ran strongly to take fifth pace in a season’s best of 9:19.38, while clubmate Jack Griffiths placed 12th in a season’s best of 9:45.73. Pete Barrow ran in the C race, where he finished seventh in 10:57.17.

Luke Harreld ran in the C 800m race, where he produced a strong finish to take second in 2:02.34. It was a good sharpener for him before he heads off for the World Masters Championships. U17 Luke Drinnan ran in the F 800 where he also produced a strong finish to take second with 2:20.35. Caitlyn Johnston ran in the E 1500m where she, too, produced a spirited finish to take second. The Leeds University student recorded 4:56.97 - just four hundredths of a second outside her PB.