HIGHLIGHT for Vale Royal Athletics Club in the England Championships at Sportcity, Manchester, was a fantastic run by Robbie Price winning the U15 3,000m race.

Hartford High School student Price moved steadily through the field to overhaul the leading pair with 800m to go then stormed on to take the win by a huge 12-second margin.

The mature and assured performance now sees him top the UK U15 rankings for 2021 with his new best time of 8:58.87 knocking nearly 20 seconds off his previous best.

In the U17 women’s 3,000m race, Holly Weedall took a deserved third place while Hope Smith was sixth.

Eva Jha, in her first major championships, was 16th in the U15 1,500m.

Alice Gale came sixth in her heat of the U17 800m.

Vale Royal’s Aaron Doyle took first place for the men and Megan Huxley for the women in the Pie & Peas 5 at Moulton.

With Matt Rowlinson, Nathan Williams and Stuart Doyle (first over 50) also finishing in the first four places overall, Vale Royal pocketed the men’s team prize.

Results of Vale Royal’s first eight finishers: Aaron Doyle, 1, 25:58 (also first U20); Matt Rowlinson, 2, 26:50; Nathan Williams, 3, 27:48; Stuart Doyle, 4, 28:21 (first V50); Gareth Williams, 10, 29:58 (second V50); Lee Carrington, 14, 30:46 (second V35); Megan Huxley, 20, 31:21 (first woman); Rob McBain, 24, 31:51 (third V40).