Flames suffer burn out in Sheffield

The title is decided over two matches and Sheffield go into the second match at Cardiff with a good chance of winning.

Chris Craig, who competes for Sale, was a winner in the Sheffield colours taking the 200m in a personal best of 21.41 whilst Bernice Wilson (Birchfield) – a former Sheffield Hallam student – won the 60m convincingly in 7.33.

He said: “I’m very, very happy that my race went to plan. I’ve been focussing a lot recently on running my own race. It’s a big indoor personal best so I’m exceedingly happy with that.”

Craig’s team-mate and Flames captain Sam Ellis (660m) led the men’s medley relay team of Anthony Whiteman (800), Rhys Smith (400) and Tom Mosley (200) to glory and helped the hosts into second in the team competition.

Holly Bleasdale, who has made a habit of being the star of the show, won the pole vault for Manchester Warriors with a leap of 4.50m.

Bleasdale was delighted to get another personal best after vaulting 4.48m to finish runner-up at last weekend’s Aviva International Match in Glasgow.

She said: “I came in at 4.15m which is the highest I’ve ever started at so I thought I’d give it a good go today. I just wanted to get a PB and stay fresh. I was pleased to clear 4.50m so hopefully I can have another good attempt at 4.61m next week at the Aviva UK Trials when there will be a big crowd and everything.”

The men’s high jump was one of the most competitive events of the day with London South Sharks’ Tom Parsons (2.28m) taking the win over his North London rival Robbie Grabarz.

Parsons said: “I enjoy these competitions. There’s a nice atmosphere and not too much pressure so you can work on technique and not worry too much about it, but the overall standard is still good enough to get the adrenaline going.”

Chris Baillie’s late surge clinched a victory for Glasgow Cobras, who led for much of the competition, in a competitive 60m hurdles.

He said: “The McCain City Challenge is a really good competition. I’ve always liked it. I ran both matches last year for Glasgow, the standard is always good with these youngsters chasing after you.”

The men’s 800m promised to be one of the races of the day and in the end it was the favourite – London North Lions’ Andrew Osagie – who just edged out a brave Guy Learmonth, winning by two hundredths in 1:50.80.

Glasgow’s Lee McConnell won her indoor 200m debut from Manchester Warriors’ Victoria Barr in 23.73.

McConnell said: “The time was fine. It was horrible running it though. I kind of buckled down the back straight – I’ve never run indoors really before so it was weird.”

Leeds City international James Wilkinson finished third in the British Universities Cross Country Championships at Birmingham on Saturday. The winner was Wilkinson’s Birmingham University team-mate Nick Goolab.

International triathlete Jonathan Brownlee (Leeds University) finished fifth and another Leeds University runner, Tom Bishop, was eighth.

In the B race, Leeds City’s Carl Smith, another Birmingham student, was an impressive winner.

Michael Wood (Leeds) retained his senior boys title at the West Yorkshire Schools Cross Country Championships at Shipley on Saturday. Wood beat his team-mate Gordon Benson, last year’s intermediate winner.

In a repeat of last year’s result, Jenny Walsh (Kirklees) beat Alex Bell (Leeds) in the senior girls race, Walsh’s winning margin being the biggest of the day.