Sophie Hitchon scored a very unusual double at the Northern Athletics Championships for Seniors and Under 20s when she won the women's hammer titles in both age groups.

It was no surprise that the UK record holder in the U20 age group was the junior women's winner, and in truth her best of 58.42 metres was far too good for runner up Jenna Winson of Derby with just 45.80m.

However, it was a measure of her domin-ance at the moment, that at 16 years old she can finish clear of the best seniors in the North. The Blackburn Harrier man-aged 59.39m in the senior event with Sarah Holt from Manchester club Sale Harriers next on 56.07m.

Three more local women took gold medals in the two day event at Sport City, Manchester, with Sophie's training partner at Blackburn, Sarah Henton, winning the senior discus with 47.30m, a margin of more than five metres.

The Harriers made it four victories with Alison Leonard clocking 2:08.46 in the U20 800m. Pendle's versatile Elean-or Markendale took the U20 long jump with 5.74m, and just missed a second medal with fourth in the 100m hurdles, at 15.39 seconds.

There were two medals for senior Kelly Hilton with second in the triple jump and third in the long jump with respe-ctive distances of 11.95m and 5.19m, and a third medal for Chorley Athletic Club thanks to Eloise Manger, who was runner-up in the senior javelin with a distance of 38.25m.

Nicola Breaks picked up a bronze for Hyndburn with 11.26m in the senior triple jump, and there was a near miss for Blackburn's Christina Carr, fourth in the U20s 400m hurdles in 66.25 seconds. Only one man won a medal, Robbie Schofield from the Ribble Valley club whose 1:55.44 in the U20s 800m earned him a silver.