THREE East Lancashire clubs were divisional winners in this summer's Northern Track and Field League for senior athletes.

The newly combined Burnley and Pendle team will win promotion from Division 3WC and Rossendale Harriers will progress from Division 4WC as their seasons come to a close.

Blackburn Harriers have won Division 2WC but promotion will be decided in an end of season play-off final on Saturday 2 September.

The first division covers the entire North of England so the top two from each of the four regional second divisions must complete for just two promotion places.

For the first time in four outings this season the Burnley and Pendle Team failed to win, suffering a very narrow defeat to Holmfirth Harriers by 399 points to 391 at Cleckheaton.

Still they won the league with 23 points, two more than their Yorkshire rivals, and the consensus is that the joint team has been a resounding success. Expect to see the experiment continued next season in the second division, with the possibility of further inter club initiatives - starting with a joint celebration.

Beth Highton was a triple winner in the 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and high jump while Karen Wood, Sophie Highton and Amy Weaver ensured the throwers held their end up with victories in the discus, hammer and shot.

Marc Hartley in the 3,000m steeplechase and Luke Simpson in the long jump were the individual men's winners as the 4x400m of Phil Hayton, Michael Hunt, Ben Lindsay and Danny Eckersley also crossed the line first.

Rossendale Harrier Sarah Yeomans won the triple jump, 400m flat and 100m hurdles as her club made it four wins out of four at Hyndburn. Anthony Gotts took the 3,000m steeplechase and the 400m hurdles and there were six other individual A string winners as they accumulated a healthy 443 points.

Both 4x400m relay teams were also successful with the women clocking 4:31.6 with Laura Briggs, Beth Walton, Yeomans and Laura Johnston and the men 3:40.0 thanks to Paul Wadsworth, Gotts, Aaron Barker and Michael Corbishley.

In the same fixture, Hyndburn were third on their home ground and third over the season. Their women won every throw with Vikki Grime taking the hammer and shot and Lauren Grime and Claire Mitchell the discus and javelin. Caroline Smithson struck her best form with wins in the high jump, long jump and 100m.

The two Sarahs, Henton and Haworth, were Blackburn Harriers' stars as they closed their regular league season at Preston. Henton won the discus, javelin and shot as Haworth took the long jump and triple jump and was second in the 100m hurdles, breaking her own club record with 15.2 seconds.

As the Harriers won for the fourth time in a row, Paul Whittle won both hurdles events and there were further successes on the track for Matt Wood in the 1500m, Ben Fish in the 3,000m steeplechase, and Matt Nuttall in the 5,000m.

In the field, Mark Birchall was first in the javelin as was Jerome Duxbury in the long jump. Our highest ranked club have reached the play-offs in each of the two previous years without winning promotion. Now they aim to make it third time lucky.