LOCAL athletes left Stanley Park in Blackpool with a haul of 32 gold and 32 silver medals after last weekend's Lancashire AA Track and Field Championships.

The standard of competition was markedly higher this year and with conditions close to ideal nine championship records fell to our athletes.

A bullish Hyndburn coach Gerry Lowe described his club's return of six gold, 11 silver and seven bronze medals as their best for ten years.

Shot putters Imogen Walters and Anna Griffiths set championship bests in the under-13 and under-15 events with pentathlete Griffiths demonstrating her full range of skills with a second victory in the 75m hurdles and three silver medals too.

Samantha Murray earned herself a unique pair of county titles winning the under-13s 1500m on Saturday then switching sports for a fencing title on Sunday when she defeated team-mate Louise Highton in the epee final!

Curtis Pearce, of Blackburn Harriers, is upholding the sporting family tradition.

The son of former Rovers and Burnley goalkeeper Chris is emerging as a major force in the under-13s.

Curtis won the 800m and 1500m double, both in new records, lowering the 800m mark by nearly 5 seconds to 2:20.5.

Matt Wood won a quality under-17s 1500m race where the first four all ran the English Schools qualifying time. His time of 4:04.9 beat the record previously held by Lee McCash.

There was also a welcome return from warm weather training for Commonwealth Games hopeful Jason Lobo who took the senior 800m in 1:55.4.

Pendle club won eight titles, the most for any of our clubs.

Eleanor Markendale and Laura Finucane shared five gold medals and four Championship Records.

Under-13 Markendale saved her best for the big occasion matching or beating her PBs in the 100m, 200m and long jump.

Her reward was three gold medals with new Championship marks of 13.5 in the 100m and 4.78m in the long jump.

Finucane, despite the distraction of impending GCSEs set a Club Record and championship best of 39.7 when winning the under-17s 300m, and beat her own championship record in the 800m with 2:12.7.

Danny Whittaker, of Burnley, beat two existing Championship Records, and yet still came home with only silver medals!

Preston Harrier David Aquirreburualde just pipped him in the under-17s 100m and 200m - in the 200m it was so close the judges were split 2-2 and it had to be decided by the track referee.

Chris Hart, Colin Bailey and sisters Alexis and Danielle Walker are all county champions, while the club's encouragement for ethnic minorities bore its first fruit when Indian Ehsun Anwar won bronze medals in the boys under 13 100m and 200m.

Park High School flyer Louise Dickinson won the 100m/200m double at under 17 level in 12.4 and 25.6, both victories predictably untroubled by serious competition.

Team-mate Jennifer Tunstill took the under-20s 800m in 2:24.0. Meanwhile England fell international Nat Lawton won the under-20s steeplechase, one of four Chorley AC athletes to strike gold.