Four of Bury’s talented young athletes produced lifetime best performances at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield for the England Athletics Junior Track and Field Championships.

Oliver Cooper, competing in the under-15 boys’ pole vault, built on his performance in winning the Northern title the week before. Entering the competition with a best of 3.30m, Oliver improved his best to 3.51 - the joint best vault in the competition. However, as he had more than one attempt to clear a lower height, he had to settle for the silver medal on count back. The height ranks him as joint first in the UK in his age category. Earlier in the day, he also set a new personal best of 9.64secs to take sixth in his heat of the 60m hurdles. It was an excellent day for the young combined event specialist to the delight of his coach, Matt Cullen, ahead of the national combined events indoor championships back in Sheffield next month.

Jay Cook was another Bury athlete to make the winners’ podium. The Loughborough student competed in the U20 men’s shot and improved his PB from 13.41 to 13.74 to secure an excellent bronze medal. He saved his best to the sixth and last round of the competition and the throw moves him up to sixth in the UK rankings. He also competed in the 60m hurdles and took seventh place in his heat with 8.93, only four hundredths of a second outside his best.

Bury had two competitors in the U17 women’s 60m hurdles. Jemima Miles took her PB down to 9.06 to take fourth in her heat and qualify for the semi-finals. The competition proved a little too strong in the semi-finals and Jemima had to settle for eighth place with 9.09. However, it will not be too long before the Elton High School student dips under nine seconds.

Meanwhile, Evie Elliott set an excellent new PB of 9.24 to take fifth in her heat, showing she has put her hamstring injury behind her.

A number of Bury’s younger athletes competed at the county Sportshall athletics championships at SportCity at the weekend.

There was a silver medal for the U11 girls in the sprint relay together with some individual medals.