Danielle Walker and Eleanor Markendale are Champions of the North of England after successes at the NOEAA Track and Field Championships in Manchester.

Ben Fish, Paul Bradshaw and Sarah Henton won silver medals and there was a bronze for Nicola Breaks.

The championships were for athletes in the under 20 and senior age groups with the younger competitors having had their chance at Leeds last month. Then Eleanor Markendale had won the under 17s 300 metres hurdles, but last weekend she was allowed to compete in the under 20 class and came up trumps in the long jump.

It was the second bite of the cherry for the Pendle Athletic Club all rounder it having been beaten into second spot in the under 17 long jump.

Eleanor raised her game to leap 5.60 metres, to show a 13 centimetre improvement in the intervening period.

Burnley's talented track star Danielle Walker has suffered an inconsistent last couple of years, but was at her sparkling best in the under 20s 1500m.

The 17-year-old clocked 4:36.03, and although the margin was slim, she led from the front and the result was never in doubt.

To underline her form, Danielle also won her heat in the 800m but withdrew from the final as tiredness took its toll.

Blackburn Harriers won three silver medals but it could so easily have been gold for Paul Bradshaw in the under 20s 800 metres. He was given the identical time of 1:55.95 as winner Garry Bristow.

Last year's senior 10,000m Champion Ben Fish tried his hand at the 5,000m this year and clocked 14:30.58 to finish five seconds shy of Simon Deakin's 14:25.82. Thrower Sarah Henton was the runner up in the senior discus with 46.95m and Hyndburn's Nicola Breaks took bronze in the senior triple jump with 10.39m.

l The successful athletes will be awaiting news of the Lancashire Team for the Northern Inter Counties Match at Gateshead on July 30.

A total of 72 invitations for seniors, under 17s and under 15s are being sent out this week.

Next Inter Counties match is the Fell Championships at Settle Hills is next Saturday.

With four per team, invitations have been sent to Tom Cornthwaite (Blackburn Harriers), Paul Thompson (Clayton), James Kevan (Horwich) and Mark Croasdale (Lancaster). And so far for the women Candice Leah and Vanessa Peacock from Clayton and Carmen Anthony of Horwich have been invited Other local finalists:U20 Women: Caroline Smithson of Hyndburn (long jump 4.80m 7th) Claire Mitchell of Hyndburn (javelin 28.28m 5th) Abigail Ewart of Burnley (hammer 37.82m 7th) Amy Leeming of Pendle (triple jump 9.71m 4th) Amy Weaver of Pendle (shot putt 11.65m 5th) Cecilia Savundra of Hyndburn (400m 60.27 seconds 6th) Senior Women: Vikki Grime of Hyndburn (hammer 32.77m 9th) Lauren Grime of Hyndburn (discus 20.83m 10th) U20 Men: Luke Simpson of Pendle (100m 11.15 seconds 4th ) Stephen Sumner of Hyndburn (100m 11.18 seconds 5th, 200m 22.66 seconds 5th) Paul Whittle of Blackburn Harriers (110m hurdles 15.27 seconds 6th) Richard Stones of Blackburn Harriers (5000m 15:44.13 4th) Senior Men: Danny Eckersley of Burnley (400m hurdles 57.5 seconds 6th).