FOUR of East Lancashire's junior athletes have made it to the top of the National Rankings for the Millennium Year, and another eleven are listed among the country's elite.

Thrower Simon Bissell, 15, takes centre stage this week as the second of our three part series concentrates on athletes from Burnley, Chorley AC, Blackburn Harriers and Park High School.

Burnley athlete Bissell could be excused if his form had suffered last season.

He left Burnley AC for Sale Harriers and also continued to pursue his budding Rugby League career signing to play for Wigan Warriors academy team.

Despite the distractions he managed to remain focused to become the under 15 National Champion in both hammer and discus at the junior AAA's Championships in July.

He threw the hammer 59.07m in the North of England Championships in Middlesbrough, and in the last meeting of the season, hurled the discus 49.10 on his home track at Burnley.

The distances confirmed him as number one in the country in both disciplines, and he also rates second in the shot with 15.06m.

In some competitions he competed as an under 17, which meant throwing heavier equipment. That didn't stop him being competitive though, as he rates eighth in the under 17 hammer, and 12th in the discus.

This year his sporting priorities will be tested as the World Junior Championships in Hungary clash with a tour of Australia with the NW Counties Rugby League squad.

Simon's 12-year-old sister Susan was unbeaten in nine meetings last year and finished the season ranked fifth in the under 11 shot. She throws the discus too, but is expecting to concentrate on javelin this coming season.

The Bissells are hoping to continue to represent Lancashire even though they are with Sale. They qualify by residence, but not by birth as they were born in Saudi Arabia.

To confuse matters further, Simon has played Rugby League for Yorkshire against Lancashire when he was with the Keighley Club!

Colin Bailey of Burnley AC has ended his career as an octathlete. As he leaves the under 17's he will progress to the decathlon.

"I can't wait" he said. "The extra events are the 100m and the pole vault, the throwing events are with heavier equipment and the hurdles race is longer at 110m."

Last year he took third in the AAA's Championships at Stoke with 4618 points which ranks him fifth in the country.

He rates the high jump and the hurdles as his best individual disciplines and achieved 17th in the rankings at high jump.

He won the Lancashire Schools high jump at Blackpool with 1.93m and set a championship record in the hurdles when he won the Lancashire Championship at Lancaster.

Already competing in the decathlon is James Roden, one of two Chorley AC athletes to make the national listings.

The Manchester University student scored a best of 5730 for eighth place in junior men.

He holds the club record for the sprint hurdles and as been a major points scorer for the Northern Men's League team which has won successive promotions.

Eloise Manger made 16th place in the under 17 javelin although she is in the first year of the age group.

She won the Lancashire Championship with a throw of 36.55m and was the second youngest of the qualifiers for the English Schools Championships.

She was awarded her Lancashire vest for the Northern Inter Counties match at Cudworth and won the event.