A LEIGH Harriers' star who only took up athletics seriously last month has won his first county honours.

Fifteen-years-old Tashon Gallagher struck gold in the Greater Manchester Schools' Championships lifted the intermediate 400m title in 51.8 sec.

The Burnage High School pupil, who was representing Trafford schools, strolled through his heat to win in 53.4sec, then changed gear to stamp his new found class on the final.

He will now represent Greater Manchester in the school's inter counties match at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium on Saturday.

There he will be joined by fellow harriers Lauren Howarth and Tom Boardman who both performed exceptionally well to carry off silver medals at Stretford on Saturday.

Lauren, 14, a pupil at Wigan's Deanery High School, knocked an amazing 13 seconds off her previous best 1,500m performance to run an English Schools' qualification time of 4min 50.8sec to finish second in the junior final.

Lowton High School's Tom Boardman also stormed to silver in the intermediate boys' 3,000m clocking 9min 12sec.

All three will now take on the champions from other northern counties in Birmingham and have a further chance to qualify for the school's "Olympics" in Sheffield next month.

Amanda Fearnley ran well to lift her first county medal on the track -- bronze in the intermediate 3000m in a time of 11min 45sec.

Trackmate Adele Swanton just missed out on a medal crossing the line in 12min 8sec.

In the inter girls 300m Louise Boardman ran two personal bests in her heat and final in which she finished sixth in 46.9sec.

Hannah Warburton also clocked a pb to finish fifth in the junior 1500m in 5min 3.8sec.

Rebecca Howarth just missed out on a place in the final of the junior girls' 800m after recording 2min 31sec in her heat. Emma Morris met the same fate in her heat of the inter girls' 800m after clocking 2min 39.5sec.

Other Leigh competitors who were eliminated in the heats included Alex Urmston who ran 2min 7.9sec and Neil Pendlebury 2min 16.7sec in the inter boys' 800m and Andy Edwards who ran 57.2sec in the 400m.

Competing in the Merseyside County Schools' championships Chloe Brown threw 19m20 to take fourth in the junior girls' discus and Tom Henders ran a pb of 4min 45sec to take fifth in the junior 1500m.

Leigh harriers' pole vault veteran John Taylor leapt to further success lifting the British Masters over 45 championship title in Derby.

The World Masters 040 bronze medallist successfully moved into the 045 category to win with a 3m70 vault.

Derek Howarth again added to his impressive haul of national medals, this time taking silver in the 070 agegroup 800m in 2min 48.4sec.