BURY’S young pole vaulters are going from strength to strength with new best heights all round in recent weeks. The weekend before last, at the Vault Manchester competition at SportCity in Manchester, Hattie Vaughan set a new lifetime best of 3.61m to win her pool.

Jay Cook recorded a season’s best of 2.81 to take 11th in the B pool, while Abigail Howard set a new personal-best level of 2.31 to take seventh in the D pool.

The following weekend Hattie competed in Loughborough and extended her best to 3.63 to take third in the competition – a height that currently ranks her fifth in the UK.

Jay competed in the North of England junior championships in Sheffield where his 2.80 vault not only underlined his consistency, but also secured him the silver medal.

He just missed out on medals in the 60m hurdles and high jump, taking fourth in both events with new PBs of 9.60secs and 1.55m, respectively.

Three other Bury athletes also competed in the championships, all in the under-15 age category.

Natan Witkowski took a creditable sixth in the 60m final in 7.78, before setting a new PB in the long jump, taking fifth with a best leap of 4.99.

Rosella Togo just missed out on a place in the 60m final after finishing fifth in her semi-final in 8.53, while Abigail Howard competed in the other semi-final, finishing seventh in 8.67.

The duo also competed in the 60m hurdles, with Abigail taking fifth in the final with a lifetime best of 9.78, while Rosella took fourth in her heat in 10.02.

Abigail also competed in the high jump where her new best performance of 1.35 gave her fifth place.

Heaton Park played host to the Greater Manchester Schools' Cross Country Championships, with the young athletes dealing with freezing conditions.

The intermediate boys' team took the gold medal with Joel Taylor winning the race and Brandon Quinton (fifth), Francis Woodcock (eighth) and Joe Hopley (12th) scoring, supported by Josh Dutton, Oliver Donnelly and Jacob Allen – all in the top 30.

The senior boys could not field a full team, but Marcus Dey (fourth) and Ben Forrest (seventh) will qualify for the English Schools' Championships.

Molly Philbin (fifth) and Heledd Rimmer (10th) were the only Bury athletes in the senior girls' race,  while the intermediate girls' team of Charlotte Speakman-Farnworth (22nd), Rebecca Jones (25th), Bolanie Akinnayajo (38th) and Erin Kenyon (42nd) took sixth team place.

The junior boys' team finished fourth with Evan Savage (second), Elliot Savage (sixth), Malachi Fernhead (26th) and James Thewlis (32nd) scoring.

The junior girls' team of Evie Taylor (fifth), Freya Potts (sixth ), Reilly Carson (19th) and Isobel Cammish (22nd) went one better than the boys and won the bronze team medal.

The minor boys' team went one better again, with Oscar Schofield (second), Eli Buckley (eighth), Ian Togo (12th) and Lucas Pilling (19th) winning the silver medal.

The minor girls' team of Chloe Ardin (10th), Lola Potts (21st), Anna Gisbourne (29th) and Madeline Gibson (40th) had to settle for sixth place.