CHARLOTTE Speakman-Farnworth was Bury AC’s sole representative at the Northern Track and Field Championships for junior athletes in Liverpool and produced an excellent personal best of 6mins 19.81secs to take the silver medal in the under-17 women’s 1500m steeplechase.

Demonstrating her versatility, she also competed in the triple jump, with her best effort of 9.56m giving her 10th place.

Three of Bury’s seniors competed in the high standard Podium 5k at Barrowford and Ben Coop took 10th place in 15:22, just five seconds outside his lifetime best for the distance.

Josh Birmingham broke 16 minutes for the first time, his 15:59 performance securing him 25th place.

A little further down the field in 52nd was Nathan Hilditch completing the course in a creditable 17:28.

Birmingham was racing again the following day, this time in the Birchwood 10k and he demonstrated he is in the form of his life by setting yet another PB of 34:07 to take 10th place. Patrick Babb took 18th in 34:32, also a new lifetime best, while Paul Johnson was 47th in 37:51. Matthew Garside, showing steady improvement, set a new PB of 43:39 and Steve Parker completed the course in 49:13.

Five Bury athletes competed at the Trafford Grand Prix meeting and Jacob Allen, running in the u17 men’s 800m, took eighth place in 2:19.61.

Nathan Hilditch took sixth in the senior men’s 1500m in 4:41.80 and there were PBs for Paul Johnston and Steve Parker in the 3,000m.

Johnson took 13th in 10:00.89 with Parker 27th in 12:29.94, while Erin Kenyon took second place in the u17 women’s javelin, with a best throw of 22.35.

On the roads, eight club members competed in the Stan Curran 5k on an undulating course in Whitworth.

The race counts as part of the Bury AC seniors’ Grand Prix competition and first local home in ninth was Patrick Babb in 17:04, followed closely by Byron Edwards in 12th in 17:17.

Next came Paul Johnston in 17th in 18:02, while Katie Geelan was fifth woman in 20:33 followed by Nicola Harland in 10th in 21:33.

The other Bury finishers were Steve Parker (22:05), Lizzi Cheshire (22:39) and Susan Wheldon-Gorst (23:32).

On Saturday, Luke Harreld ran out as a clear winner in the Heaton Park parkrun in 16:56.