WARRINGTON Athletics Club member Danny Cliffe took part in his first international event when he raced in the Home Counties Cross Country International in north Wales on Saturday.

Danny set the pace from the start of the race, which was held in Mold, but despite reducing the leading group to five runners, his brave effort began to tell in the last half mile.

He faded and slipped back to eighth position after being caught by three of his teammates, but still only missed out on fifth by one second.

A stadium record was set at Victoria Park at the weekend when Romanian Dorel Greta threw the javelin 63.82m in the first of Warrington Athletics Club's open track and field meetings.

The affiliated member of the Warrington club, who was competing for his first club Hastings AC, smashed the previous record - thought to be the 57.80m set by Ken Stoll - and also won the shot put with a throw of 13.85m.

In the same meeting Warrington club member Tony Archdeacon was first over the line in the senior men's 400m hurdles, while Claire Irons took the tape in the senior women's 3,000m.

Megan Tyler recorded a personal best of 1.58m as she won the under 17 girls' high jump, Hayley Darbyshire recorded a sprint double with victory in the under 15 girls' 100m and 200m, Emma Lagar won the under 15 girls' long jump, and Gareth Ross came out on top in the under 15 boys' javelin.

Jessica Deakin leapt to a personal best as she won the under 13 girls' long jump, Lucy Deakin took three titles as she won the under nine girls' long jump, 75m and 150m, and Anthony Healy was victorious in the under nine boys' cricket ball throwing competition.

Warrington Athletics Club were also represented in three of the races at the AAA Young Athletes Road Relay Championships in Sutton Coldfield on Sunday.

In the under 15 boys' event, Lawrence Walker took the lead leg for the A team and put the team in sixth position with a run of 12mins 44secs.

He handed over to Danny Cliffe, who replicated his impressive display in north Wales the day before, with a superb run of 12mins 41secs that moved the team up to second, before Matt Jackson then brought the team home in fourth with a final leg of 12mins 56secs.

The B team were led off by Matt O'Neill, whose run of 13mins 37secs put the team in 34th place.

Mike Williams clocked 14mins 52secs on the second leg before handing over to John Gillibrand, who moved the team up from 50th to 43rd on the last leg thanks to his 14mins 12secs.

In the under 13 boys' race, Mike Stewart's lead leg run of 14mins 57secs saw him hand over with the team in 30th.

Danny Jackson took over to clock 14mins 39secs and move the team up 10 places before Tom Jervis bettered their position even further with an anchor leg run of 14mins 20secs that brought the team home in 16th.

Heather Timmins ran the first leg of the under 15 girls' race and handed over in ninth with a time of 14mins 51secs.

Sarah Cartwright then stormed round the course in 14mins 41secs - the 15th fastest time of all the competitors - to lift the team into fourth before Lucy Gemmell's final leg of 15mins 56secs saw them finish in eighth.