ROSSENDALE Harriers all but clinched promotion from Division 4WC of the Northern Track and Field League with their third victory out of three at Wilson Playing Fields, Clayton-le-Moors.

Now all they must do to win the league is avoid sixth place at the final fixture on August 6.

Hosts Hyndburn Athletic Club did Dale a great favour on Sunday finishing in a season's best second to take a point off league runners up Pudsey and Bramley for the first time this summer.

This league is for senior athletes only, and Rossendale adopted the policy of filling every event to maximise their points tally.

That is not to say that team spirit was a substitute for quality far from it.

Andy Grenfell produced a winning 16:25.1 in the men's 5000m while there were maximum points in the women's 3000m, 400m hurdles and 100m hurdles thanks to Sharon McGuire, Davina Raidy, Heather Corbishley and Sarah Yeomans.

Heather took part just 24 hours after making her bow in Lancashire's fell team at the Inter Counties match.

Hyndburn's Stephen Sumner just shaded Anthony Timms of P&B in the men's 100m, but Timms earned his revenge in the 200m in one of the best rivalries of the day.

Graeme Ballard of Chorley AC was a noteworthy third in the B' 200m in 26.9 seconds: the paralympic star is a cerebral palsy sufferer.

Hyndburn's women achieved astonishing success with 19 winners out of 23 and the other four were seconds.

In seven events both their A' and B' string competitors came home first.

Ashleigh Williams with 61 seconds for 400m, Leigh Lennon's 800m in 2:17.0 and Lauren Grime with 30.29m in the hammer were the stars.

Like Rossendale, Blackburn Harriers maintained their 100 percent record at their Division 2WC match at Witton Park, and appear to be heading towards the league title.

Sarah Henton won the A' discus by over 10 metres with a massive 45.94m, but it was in the hammer where the Harriers have improved the most.

Sarah threw a club record 24.17m and Emma McEachnie a junior club record only two centimetres less.

Sarah Haworth equalled her own club record in the 100m hurdles winning a high quality race in 15.5 seconds.

Blackburn's distance men shuffled the pack with Ben Fish chosen for the steeplechase, in spite of the presence of Chris Hart who reverted to 800m and 1500m.

It mattered no a jot as the club won all three races.

Hart also helped them win the 4x400m relay which saw a welcome return for Jason Lobo.

The joint Pendle and Burnley team continues to sweep all before them in Division 3WC.

At Bury they were aiming to make it three consecutive wins, and club officials believe they have succeeded, although are awaiting the final match score.

Burnley athletes on the mark included Danielle Walker who won the 800m and 1500m double, John Edwards with first B' hammer, and John Linaker, winner of the B' 400m hurdles.

Danny Eckersley set a personal best in the 400m hurdles, which was good for second place in the A' race, and also took second in the high hurdles.

Daniel Linaker was second in the high jump and third in the javelin and Leanne Scott was third in the 400m.

Now we are at the height of the track season, many of our athletes were competing twice over the weekend with action in the Mid Lancs League taking place at Preston on Saturday afternoon.

In the men's match Blackburn Harriers were third with 108 points and Burnley sixth with 29 in the first division.

Rossendale Harriers and Hyndburn AC took first and second in the second with respective scores of 135 and 97.

Pendle AC were runners up in the women's match on 138 points, with Hyndburn fourth with 69 and Blackburn sixth on 34. Like their male counterparts, Rossendale topped Division 2 with 85 points.

l LAST week we reported that Blackburn Harriers had finished fourth in the Young Athletes Match at Witton Park. Apparently there was a glitch in the results programme and subsequently they have been promoted to third.