Bury AC’s junior members were out in force at the Greater Manchester Schools Track and Field Championships at Stretford with several celebrating victories and personal best performances.

In the sprints, Rashaun Currie was the senior boys 100m champion (11.88) with Thomas Hesketh taking fifth in the intermediate boys (12.07 PB).

Devonne Samuels was fourth in the junior girls 100m (14.95) while Blessing Idoko set a new PB of 27.11 to win the junior girls 200m. Erin Garroch was sixth in the intermediate girls 300m (48.63PB).

In the middle distance events, Anna Gisbourne was the runaway winner in the junior girls 800m, setting a new best of 2.13.55. In the junior girls 1,500m there were new bests for Chloe Ardin (4.50.10) and Emily Purdy (4.51.22) as they took fourth and fifth places respectively.

Sam Smyth won the intermediate boys 3,000m in 10.09.24 with Freya Potts taking victory in the senior girls event in 10.33.24. Over the hurdles, Jemima Miles was fourth in the 75m event for junior girls (13.73); Rosella Togo won the intermediate girls 80m (11.89PB) and Natan Witkowski won the intermediate boys 100m (14.26PB).

In the field events, there was a victory for Reilly Carson in the intermediate girls javelin with a new best of 37.96. Jay Cook won the intermediate boys shot with a new PB of 12.68 while Lucy Hill won the junior girls hammer with 22.87. Connie Potts took third in the intermediate girls hammer (33.91).

Ben Coop was the club’s sole representative at the North of England Senior Championships held at Leigh. He raced in the 1,500m and finished fifth in a new personal best of 3.59.33, the first time he has ducked under the 4 minute barrier.

The previous weekend, Bury athletes competing in the Youth Development Lower League for athletes in the under 15 and under 13 age groups finished in third place overall against some extremely competitive rival clubs.

Once again, there were several personal bests of which some secured AAA ratings.

Standout performances included Anna Gisbourne’s 800m in 2:13.8 and 300m in 41.2; Blessing Idoko’s 100m in 13.3 and 1.40m high jump; Ben Gardner’s 1.80m pole vault and Evie Elliott’s 75m in 10.6.

The teams performed well in the relays with the under 13s boys and girls 4x100m quartets comprising of Ben Clarke, Oliver Cooper, Isaac Wride and Patrick Yates and Tia Buckley, Faye Gribbin, Miley Sharpe and Evie Elliott stopping the watch at 61.8 and 60.8 respectively.

In the under 15s sprint relays the boys team of Peter and Ben Gardner, Adam Warren and Finley Collings and the girls quartet of Blessing Idoko, Lucy Hill, Anna Gisbourne and Devonne Samuels ran 53.8 and 54.7 respectively. In the 4x300m the under 15 girl’s squad of Lucy Hill, Corrine Newton, Polly Fordham and Chloe Ardin covered the 1,200m in 3.18.8.