FOR fans of track and field, Witton Park was the place to be on Sunday afternoon as two matches in the McCain’s Young Athletes League took place simultaneously.

Home club Blackburn Harriers were pitted against Sale Harriers and Horwich RMI in the Northern Premier League, while in Division 1, Pendle Athletic Club were matched with Lancaster and Morecambe AC and Border Harriers.

In Blackburn’s match, the U13 girls’ 1200m race was a long way from being the most exciting contest in the programme, but only because Elizabeth Greenwood was far too good for the others, winning the three lapper by more than the length of the finishing straight.

Her time of 3:51.2 was her club’s only Grade 1 Standard of the day, and she is now third in the 2011 Power of 10 National Rankings List.

By contrast Byron Abbott of Blackburn and Pendle’s Tiarnan Crorken dished up a wonderful finish in the U13 boy’s 1500m race – though ironically the result didn’t matter as they were competing in different matches.

Abbott in the role of front-runner, looked in total command for most of the race but was caught by the fast finishing Crorken in the home straight. Their respective times of 4:59.4 and 5:03.9 (a personal best) were Grades 3 and 4.

Dominic Mahoney gave Blackburn victory in the U17s 1500m with a Grade 3 4:14.4 while in the field Oliver Murray returned a Grade 3 performance to win the U13 boys’ high with a clearance at 1.36m.

In the same age band Luke Phillippides won out in the shot with 7.38m, rated as a Grade 4.

The format of the league means that each club meet each of their eight opponents once, two at a time, and Blackburn took second in their match behind a very strong Sale Harriers side, but still with their highest score of the season – 553 points – and 250 ahead of Horwich.

Pendle were third as they have been in all their three matches, but it has been lack of numbers rather than quality which has hampered them.

Helena Leathley won both the U17s hurdles events with 13.1 seconds for the 80m and 48.4 seconds over 300m and U13 girl Natrika Wildman found success on the flat with 10.9 seconds for second in the 75m and a winning 21.5 for 150m. Morgan Ratcliffe took the U13 boys’ shot with 7.83m and was first in the 75m hurdles in exactly 15 seconds.

Meanwhile, the eight Division 2 teams including local clubs Hyndburn AC and Ribble Valley AC were in action at Longford Park, Stretford.

Hyndburn are in a three cornered fight for promotion alongside Stockport and Salford but were a close third to their rivals on the day. Unofficially, they stand second behind Salford with one match to play. Ribble Valley were fifth on the day with their best score so far.

For both clubs it was a day for personal best performances. Hyndburn’s Jamie Shirtcliffe and Sam Butters of Ribble each set two with U13 Shirtcliffe winning the 75m hurdles in 15.1 seconds and the ‘B’ javelin with 20.70m. Butters, competing in the U17s got two firsts in the middle distances with 2:07.4 and 4:25.8 in the 800m and 1500m.

Sprinter Charlotte Bolton was a double winner for Hyndburn in the U15s 100m and 200m setting a PB in the longer event with 27.4 seconds.

Her clubmate Ellen Sagar-Hesketh was equally successful in the jumps winning the U17s long and triple jumps, the latter in a PB 8.94m. Reece Clark helped Ribble Valley to first in the U17s 4x400m relay after setting his best time of 9:38.9 to win the 3000m.