BURY AC members enjoyed some good results at the traditional Christmas Handicap at the Market Street facility.

For the first time the event also included sprint races as well as the usual distance event.

Winner of the first 150m sprint was Jena Dickinson, who cut through the field of Devonne Samuels, Jenna Douglas, Alina Willan and Darcy Fowler-Gibbs to take the first prize of the morning.

Amy Garroch repeated Dickinson’s feat in moving from last to first to win the second 150m race. Gilbert Vaughan took second followed by Dexter Fowler-Gibbs, Fran Garroch and Alison Dale.

The third sprint was won by Hattie Vaughan from Dickinson and Hannah May.

The longer race over a circuitous two-mile course saw youngster Nathan Ardin cross the line first after passing seven young compatriots.

Second was Matthew Lowe, who bravely tried to keep up with Nathan, followed by Gilbert Vaughan, who ran very strongly to take third.

He was followed in by Erin Garroch, Tom Gibson, Jack Smith, Lola Potts, Lucy Alcock, Colin Smith, Heledd Rimmer, Roger Morley, Devonne Samuels and Jenna Douglas.

The first three won prizes donated by sponsors and Jack Smith, as the first senior finisher, won the coveted Woodward Tankard.

Handicapper Nick Rimmer did sterling work behind the scenes setting the distance and time handicaps that ensured exciting races.

On Sunday, a number of Bury athletes competed in the Sale Harriers Indoor meeting at Sportcity and many were rewarded with new best performances.

In the 60m sprint, Hashim Shah took second in his race with a time of 7.55secs, frustratingly just one hundredth of a second off his best.

Viola Melingi set a personal best of 8.86 in her race, James Coghlan ran a nippy new best of 7.60 in his heat and Jena Dickinson also set a new lifetime best of 8.95 in her race.

Also competing were Jerel Livingston (8.05), Hattie Vaughan (8.46) and Jay Cook (9.26).

Grace Gibson set a new best time of 49.34 in her under-15s' 300m race, while Viola Melingi and Jenna Allen-Cartwright also competed over 300m, setting times of 48.52 and 47.26 respectively in their u20 races.

Grace also ran over 600m, again setting a lifetime best of 1.55.53 to take fourth in her race.

Jay Cook and Ella Hall competed over 60m hurdles and both set new personal bests. Jay recorded 11.65 to take fourth in his heat, while Ella was third in her race in 11.62. They also competed in the long jump and shot with Jay leaping 4.12 and Ella 3.77, and Jay putting 7.15 in the 4kg event and Ella 8.43 with the 3kg shot.

Jerel Livingston and Jena Dickinson also competed in the long jump with Jerel leaping a massive 5.79 to take fourth in the men’s event and Jena producing a best jump of 3.74.

Hattie Vaughan competed in the pole vault where she took second place in the large competition pool with a best vault of 3.35 – just 7cm short of her recently set PB.

Bury athletes will continue training over the Christmas holidays with the next major competition the Greater Manchester County Cross Country Championships at Heaton Park on January 6.