Blackpool,Wyre and Fylde Athletic Club's International distance runner, Antony Ford, ran the second fastest 10,000m in the UK this year, at the British Milers Club(BMC) Nike Elite Olympic Trial meeting at the Woodside Stadium, Watford, last weekend.

In a star studded international lineup, Antony established a new personal best performance of 28 mins.30.39 secs to finish runner-up and the first British athlete behind the Indian champion, Surrender Singh, who clocked 28 mins 22.39 secs. Although the first sixteen of the nineteen competitors in the race broke the 30 minute barrier - none of the athletes achieved the Olympic "B" qualifying mark of 28 mins 10 secs or the "A" mark of 27 mins 50 secs.

The only athlete now ahead of Antony in the national 10,000m rankings is Mo Farah who has opted to run the 5000m in Beijing.

It is therefore unlikely that Britain will have any representive in the 10,000m in this years Olympics unless Antony Ford can improve a further 20.39 seconds to achieve the qualifying mark - a tall order, but with a fourteen second improvement last weekend, anything is possible. All his teammates at BWFAC will be willing him on as he searches for another suitable race to achieve the Olympic qualifying mark in the next few weeks.

The club will then have two athletes in Beijing, if Antony can join St Annes' British wheelchair champion Shelly Woods who has already been selected for the Games.

Five BWFAC athletes were in action in the Northern Athletics Senior and under 20 championships at Sports City, Manchester.

The club's British shot putt champion, Carl Myerscough, established a new championship best performance of 19.87m in winning his specialist event - a full 2 1/2m ahead of second placed Runantas Martisanskas of Sale Harriers and 60cm better than he achieved when representing Britain in the European Cup in Annecy, France, where he could only manage 6th place with a throw of 19.27m.

Matthew Wright rose to the occasion with a superb clearance of 4.35m to clinch 3rd place in the senior men's pole vault competition and Tom Cunningham was placed 8th in the senior men's 1500m in a time of 4 mins 07.73 secs after clocking 4 mins 03.76 secs in the heats.

Other BWFAC athletes competing at Manchester were Ted Romney who came 4th in heat 1 of the under 20 mens 400m in a time of 51.03 secs and Alex Bale who ran 11.71 secs for 6th place in heat 3 of the senior men's 100m sprint.