Paul Bradshaw has won a gold medal at the North of England Junior Indoor Championships a week after striking silver in the Welsh Senior Indoor Championships.

Paul's was one of four victories and eleven medals for East Lancashire athletes in last weekend's prestigious competition at the English Institute of Sport at Sheffield as Eleanor Markendale, Leigh Lennon and Robbie Schofield all won titles.

Blackburn Harrier Bradshaw is currently at University in Cardiff in the first year of a BSc in Sport and Exercise Management, hence his entry into the Welsh Championships, which were held in the City.

Entered in the 800 metres, he won his heat in 1:57.05 then was delighted to run 1:54.77 in the final after a 60 second first 400m.

Great Britain International James Nasrat from Newport broke away from the field with 250 metres to go to win the race in 1:51.70.

At just 18, the silver medal came as a pleasant surprise. The following week he ran in Cardiff again, then drove up to Sheffield immediately afterwards.

In the Cardiff Grand Prix he tried front running, not entirely successfully, finishing third in 1:55.

At Sheffield though, he decided to follow Nasrat's game plan and kicked early to catch his opponents napping.

It worked beautifully as he held on to win in 2:00.16. By Monday he was back in Cardiff and raising a celebratory glass on his nineteenth birthday.

The recently formed Ribble Valley club targeted Sheffield with 22 entrants, and they duly won seven medals, including golds for middle distance aces Leigh Lennon and Robbie Schofield.

Both under 17s were attempting doubles in the 800m and 1500m and very nearly succeeded. Leigh won the 1500m in 4:48.38, a race where Blackburn's Holly Robinson took fifth, but was beaten into second in the 800m by less than half a second.

In contrast, Robbie won his shorter race in 2:00.32, and like Leigh, was within half a second of the winner with 4:14.14 for second in the1500m.

Club mate Joe Basquill joined Schofield in both finals, missing a medal by a whisker.

Nathan Riding won a silver medal in the under 20s 1500m clocking 4:05.78 behind Preston Harrier Nathan Bibby.

Peter Matthews, from Blackburn Harriers, was fourth. Ashleigh Williams won her silver in the under 20s 800m with 2:27.26 to add to her fifth spot in the 400m, while Jennifer Mitchell took fourth in the longer race.

Eliot Bailey completed the club's medal haul with a bronze in the under 15 boys' 800m returning 2:27.43.

Eleanor Markendale was Pendle's only representative, but she guaranteed her club maximum exposure by appearing in four finals.

She won the under 20 women's long jump in 5.56m, close to her indoor best, and added a bronze medal in the high jump.

She has recently been working hard on this event and she cleared 1.60m. In the sprints she was fifth in the 60m hurdles and seventh on the flat.

Rachel Wood won Blackburn Harriers' second medal of the weekend, registering 5:20.49 for second place in the under 20s 1500m, but Mohammad Moosa was out of luck as he missed a medal by three one hundredths of a second in the under 17s 60m hurdles.

His consolation was a new club record, beating Trevor Talbot's mark, which had stood since 1978.