Eleanor Markendale has taken second place in the North West Combined Events Open Championship at Sport City in Manchester.

The event also doubled as the British Universities Championships and the Liverpool John Moore’s University student was once again second as Jess Taylor from Manchester University and Sale Harriers took both titles.

Markendale scored 4895 points for the heptathlon, and was understandably a little below her best with her second heptathlon in a fortnight.

Nevertheless, she was the fastest of the competitors in the final discipline, the 800 metres, which she finished in 2:21.81.

Interestingly, in her previous outing competing for Great Britain U23s at Watford, she set a personal best 5056 points which would have been enough to beat Taylor.

Blackburn Harrier Eleanor Graham won a bronze medal in the youngest age group – the four event quadrathon for U11s. Graham clocked 12.51 seconds for the 75m, threw the javelin 14m, scored her highest points with 3.34m in the long jump, and ended the day with 2:14.67 in the 600m.

Alex Chambers of Hyndburn struck bronze in the boy’s quadrathon, and matched Graham by throwing the javelin further than any of his rivals. Markendale’s Pendle club colleague Lucy Chadwick spent the weekend in Bedford competing in the England Athletics U17 and U15 Championships.

The recently crowned English Schools’ champion was again right on the money in the U15 shot where four of her six putts landed over 11 metres.

Her best of 11.47m, just 19 centimetres off her best, left the 14-year-old from Colne in fifth.

The was a strong local interest in the U17 men’s 800m with two Blackburn Harriers and one from Ribble Valley reaching the final.

All three qualified from the third and final heat with Anthony Hauserman of Blackburn Harriers winning the heat and Chris Matthews and Sam Yates in third and fourth making it as fastest losers.

Ribble Valley’s Yates reversed their fortunes in the final with fourth in 1:56:12, closely pursued by Hauserman and Matthews fifth and sixth in 1:57:17 and 1:58:23.

Preston’s Ben Akin took the bronze medal.