Rossendale Harriers won their Division 3WC match at Leeds to go top of the Northern Track and Field League.

It looked as if they would be unable to take part in the pole vault competition as there were no poles available, but Phil Bolton is a student in the town was able to borrow a couple from his college at short notice.

Bolton and Aaron Barker then went on to win the competition with maximum points.

The club managed nine victories, seven of them from the men, and the turnout was undoubtedly boosted by the lure of Laura Johnson’s 19th birthday party afterwards – she is at Leeds University.

However, it wasn’t just the youngsters that shone as 40-year-old Andy Buttery and 50-something Steve Duxbury scored full points in the men’s 5000 metres.

After winning the opening round, the Burnley and Pendle combined team was second to the hosts at Macclesfield but still increased their gap at the top of the Division 4W table to two points.

Their ‘A’ string competitors contributed 10 wins with Eleanor Markendale and Marc Hartley each winning three times – although one of Hartley’s was as a member of the 4x400m squad.

Markendale was particularly pleased with 5.73m in the long jump as she hasn’t done the event much this year while her other successes came in the 100m flat and the 100m hurdles.

Distance man Hartley came up trumps in the 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m.

In the same match, Hyndburn were fifth and a very thin Chorley AC squad without a single female competitor was seventh. Their highest finish was fourth for Dave Taylor in the 5000m.

Hyndburn’s best moment was in the women’s hammer when sisters Lauren and Vikki Grime secured a double first, and Lauren backed that up with second in the discus. The pick of the men were Stephen Sumner and Nick Rawcliffe with seconds in the 200m and 400m hurdles.