THREE local athletes - Joseph Kelly, Emma Flanagan and Anna Anderson - have won medals in the English Junior Fell Championships.

Two others, Heather Parker and Phil Bolton, finished fourth - Bolton missing a medal by a single point.

The six race series started in March and finished on Saturday with the Lads Leap Race at Crowden in the Glossop area.

Rossendale Harrier Kelly won the silver medal in the under 16 age group behind Luke Maude, from Skipton, and actually led the series going into the last round.

His championship chance was set up with victory at High Rigg in Cumbria, but Maude responded with his only win of the season last weekend while Kelly could manage only sixth.

Kelly has had a brilliant season having already won the English Junior Uphill Championships on home territory at Cowpe Village Playing Fields in Waterfoot.

Now he is set to win his first England vest as the first two boys and first two girls in the under 16 and under 18 age groups earn automatic selection for the Open British and Irish Championships at Belfast on Sunday October 8.

With a total of four places and a travelling reserve available in each category, several more East Lancashire athletes could yet be added to the squad.

Bolton, also from Rossendale, took third place in Joe's race on the day, but his rival for the bronze, the aptly named James Mountain, took fourth, which was just enough to thwart him. Frustratingly, Bolton was also fourth last year.

Jack Thompson of Pendle finished equal sixth with Burnley's Grant Cunliffe 15th.

In the same under 16 age group, Emma Flanagan of Rossendale Harriers shared the girls' bronze medal with Claire Lilley of Skipton.

Emma's sixth place on the day didn't alter her final score, with the best four results only to count, but second place in the Ilkla Baht'at Race helped to see her home.

Laura Johnson was the only other regular competitor in this class finishing equal 12th for Dale. In the under 14s, Heather Parker was an excellent third in Derbyshire, but the Rossendale Harrier couldn't force her way into medal contention as she was headed by the silver and bronze winners.

Anna Anderson from Pendle won a medal for the second successive year adding a shared bronze in the under 18s Championship to the silver in the under 16s won 12 months ago.

On Saturday she was second to new champion Dionne Allen from Leigh, and she needed every point to catch Jenny Reed from the Chesterfield club.

Anna finished in the top three four times and collected the Lancashire Champion-ship at Barley en route.

There are races, but not championships, for the under eight and under 10 age groups, and three young enthusiasts made their mark.

Alice Garnett from Park High School AC and Rebecca Flanagan of Rossendale were second and third in the under 10s in the final round and Dale's Marcus Preedy was second under 10 boy.

As with all the age groups, any athletes who complete at least four of the six events will win a commemorative T-shirt, and all three youngsters will qualify.

The presentation will be at the Junior Do on Sunday October 29.