EAST Lancashire athletes flourished in the sun at Blackpool last weekend when the town staged the Lancashire Athletic Association Track and Field Championships.

All our local clubs could be proud of their efforts this year as our medal haul exceeded a hundred at Stanley Park.

Blackburn Harriers' men and boys took 18 medals, including nine gold, while it was Hyndburn who topped our women and girls chart with 20 medals.

Meanwhile, six Burnley stars contributed ten gold medals, while there were four club records set for Pendle.

Chorley AC, Chorley Harriers, Park High School AC and Rossendale Harriers fielded smaller squads, but all left with at least one gold medal.

There were three championship records for Blackburn Harriers, two in the under 17s where Paul Whittle took the 100m hurdles in 14.5 seconds and Richard Stones headed the 3,000m in 9:09.7.

Impressive Stones also took the 1500m. The third record was won by Chris Hart who dipped under six minutes in the under 20s 2,000m steeplechase.

Hart also by won the most exciting race of the weekend - the 1500m - to put last year's troubled season firmly to rest.

Three internationals were split by a tenth of a second with Hart clocking 4:02.1, with club-mate Matt Wood and Richard Newton, of Preston, being timed at 4:02.2.

Four out of five Hyndburn gold medals were in the throws where senior Vikki Grime set an example by taking the hammer in 34.97m and the shot in 9.21m. Imogen Walters won the under 15 discus with a distance of 21.70m and scored second places in the javelin and shot.

Nick Smith's throw of 47.82m secured the under 17s javelin, while the club's solitary gold on the track went to under 15 Curt Pearce with 9:39.6 in the 3,000m.

Two Dannys made Burnley's headlines with Danny Eckersley our region's only three time winner and Danny Whittaker setting two championship records.

Eckersley took a hurdles double winning the under 20s 110m race in 17.8 and the 400m in 60.2. His third gold was in the triple jump.

Fellow under 20 Whittaker completed a double-double to repeat last year's feat of winning the 100m and 200m. He lowered his own championship record in the 200m by half a second to 21.8 and equalled the 100m record with 10.9.

Meanwhile, Abigail Ewart set a new championship mark of 30.37m in the under 17s hammer adding nearly five metres to the distance set in last year's inaugural contest.

Pendle's Laura Finucane lowered her own championship best in the under 20s 400m by another seven tenths to 54.3, then revealed that she had hoped to go even faster!

Her new mark was a club record, while Pendle's record book was substantially rewritten in the under 17 age group by Luke Simpson and Amy Weaver.

Simpson's winning times of 11.3 in the 100m and 22.9 in the 200m and Weaver's winning shot putt of 10.07m set new marks.

To underline the club's good form, Ben Lindsey set a PB as he won the under 17s 800m in 2:02.2.

BLACKBURN HARRIERS

Boys/Men: Under 15: Andrew MacDonald (100m 3rd 12.40) Peter Matthews (1500m 2nd 4:35.60, 800m 3rd 2:07.40) Under 17: Paul Whittle (100m hurdles 1st 14.50 Championship Record) Thomas Coar (100m hurdles 3rd 15.70, 400m hurdles 1st 66.40) Richard Stones (1500m 1st 4:12.70, 3,000m 1st 9:09.70 Championship Record) Junior (Under 20): Jerome Duxbury (100m 3rd 11.30) Chris Hart (1500m 1st 4:02.10, 2,000m steeplechase 1st 5:59.40 Championship Record) Matt Wood (1500m 2nd 4:02.20) Craig Devonport (400m 2nd 51.90) Senior: Rob Barton (1500m 1st 3:58.90) Michael Hammer (5,000m 1st 15:00.20) Liam Barton (3,000m steeplechase 1st 9:48.00) Alf Oddie (javelin 3rd 44.82m) Claude Peter-Thomas (long jump 2nd 6.24m) Girls/Women: Under 13: Carmen Peter-Thomas (100m 2nd 13.80, 200m 2nd 28.20) Under 15: Christina Carr (75m hurdles 2nd 13.40) Rachel Searson (3,000m 3rd 11:35.10) Under 17: Emma Graham (3,000m 2nd 11:17.40) Sophie Croxson (3,000m 3rd 11:45.60) Junior (Under 20): Rachael Coar (100m hurdles 1st 17.10, triple jump 2nd 10.59m), Amanda Shepherd (3,000m 1st 12:37.50)

BURNLEY AC

Boys/Men: Under 15: Chris Wall (discus 3rd 15.95m, hammer 1st 20.51m) Under 17: Martin Wall (100m hurdles 2nd 15.50) Junior (Under 20): Danny Whittaker (100m 1st 10.90 Equals Championship Record, 200m 1st 21.80 Championship Record) Danny Eckersley (110m hurdles 1st 17.80, triple jump 1st 11.40m, 400m hurdles 1st 60.20) Girls/Women: Under 17: Danielle Walker (1500m 1st 4:48.90, 3,000m 1st 10:45.10) Alexis Walker (javelin 1st 30.67m) Abigail Ewart (hammer 1st 30.37m Championship Record) Senior: Karen Vaughan (javelin 2nd 21.19m, long jump 2nd 3.45m, discus 2nd 17.05m)

CHORLEY AC

Boys/Men: Senior: John Wright (200m 3rd 24.60) Girls/Women: Under 17: Kelly Hilton (80m hurdles 1st 12.80) Junior (Under 20): Laura Livesey (1500m 2nd 5:19.70) Vicky Snape (800m 1st 2:20.50)

CHORLEY HARRIERS

Girls/Women: Under 17: Sara Parkinson (long jump 1st 4.98m) Senior: Sarah Scarrott (1500m 2nd 4:56.10)

DARWEN DASHERS

Girls/Women: Senior: Linda Clarkson (5,000m 2nd 19:32.30)

HYNDBURN AC

Boys/Men: Under 15: Damian Rawcliffe (80m hurdles 3rd 17.30) Curtis Pearce (3,000m 1st 9:39.60) Under 17: Stephen Sumner (100m 2nd 11.80, 200m 3rd 23.80) Michael Smith (800m 3rd 2:05.20) Nick Smith (javelin 1st 47.82m) Junior (Under 20): Sam Walters (triple jump 2nd 10.75m) Girls/Women: Under 15: Leigh Lennon (1500m 3rd 4:59.30, 3,000m 2nd 11:21.80) Imogen Walters (javelin 2nd 20.71m, discus 1st 21.70m, shot 2nd 9.61m) Under 17: Caroline Smithson (100m 2nd 12.80, long jump 2nd 4.94m, 200m 2nd 26.90) Sophie Hart (100m 3rd 12.90) Nicola Barnes (800m 3rd 2:30.60) Heather Donald (triple jump 3rd 10.11m) Junior (Under 20): Claire Mitchell (100m hurdles 3rd 21.50) Rachel Curran (400m 3rd 65.10, 800m 3rd 2:34.20, high jump 3rd 1.40m) Lauren Grime (discus 3rd 27.42m, hammer 3rd 17.06m) Senior: Vikki Grime (hammer 1st 34.97m, shot 1st 9.21m) Sue Grime (hammer 3rd 19.09m)

PARK HIGH SCHOOL AC

Boys/Men: Under 13: Billy Warren (1500m 2nd 4:57.60) Under 15: Philip Berry (3,000m 2nd 10:34.50) Girls/Women: Under 15: Rebecca Robinson (3,000m 1st 11:07.80) Tiffany Boswell (800m 3rd 2:22.70)

PENDLE AC

Boys/Men: Under 13: Ross Inglis (200m 3rd 28.70, 800m 3rd 2:26.50) Under 15: Ehsun Anwar (long jump 2nd 5.26m) Under 17: Luke Simpson (100m 1st 11.30, 200m 1st 22.90) Ben Rusius (3,000m 3rd 9:52.20) Ben Lindsey (800m 1st 2:02.20) James Finucane (javelin 3rd 40.45m) Senior: Leeroy Golding (triple jump 1st 10.68m) David Thornton (800m 2nd 1:57.80) Girls/Women: Under 13: Emma Thompson (800m 3rd 2:36.10) Under 15: Eleanor Markendale (100m 3rd 13.10, long jump 2nd 5.13m, 200m 2nd 26.40m) Under 17: Anna Anderson (1500m 3rd 5:14.80) Amy Weaver (hammer 2nd 28.53m, shot 1st 10.07m) Junior (Under 20): Laura Finucane (400m 1st 54.30 Championship Record)

ROSSENDALE HARRIERS

Boys/Men: Under 17: Paul Wadsworth (1500m steeplechase 3rd 5:14.50) Senior: Anthony Gotts (1500m 3rd 4:44.00, 200m 2nd 24.50, 400m hurdles 1st 62.70, long jump 3rd 4.94m) Andrew Grenfell (5,000m 3rd 16:40.20)

OTHER LOCALS

Boys/Men: Junior (Under 20): Lee Purseglove (Wigan Harriers) (high jump 1st 1.85m) Mark Fletcher (Preston) (200m 3rd 22.70, long jump 1st 6.45m) Girls/Women: Under 17: Anna Griffiths (Wigan Harriers) (300m 3rd 43.40, discus 2nd 31.20m, shot 2nd 9.98m)