BIRTLEY’S North-East hammer champion, Katy Wilson, moved up to third place in the UK under-23 rankings when she threw a personal-best 48.29m at the CAU Inter-Counties Championships.

The 20-year-old Newcastle University dental student had her summer season cut short last year by a severe back injury she received in a car accident.

But she has bounced back to top form and after finishing runner-up in the British Universities and Colleges Championships with a throw of 43.63m she won her fifth regional title at Gateshead International Stadium earlier this month, reaching 43.78m.

Wilson’s throw at Bedford was her best for nearly two years, when she was runner up in the Northern Under-20 Championships at Liverpool with 48.20m.

She said: “Things seem to be clicking into place after my season was written off last year and my next target is to break through the 50 metres barrier.”

Wilson’s next competition will be in the UK Women’s Athletics League Division Three next weekend, when she competes for Wigan at the Mayesbrook Park Arena in Dagenham.

■ Teesside sprint ace Richard Kilty, now competing in the under-23 age group, finished runner-up in the Inter Counties Championships 100m invitation race in a time of 10.60 secs behind Kent senior Jeffrey Lawal-Balogun (10.46 secs).

■ Middlesbrough and Cleveland’s North East 5,000m champion Carolyn Summersgill, who chose to represent the region at the CAU Inter- Counties Championships instead of defending her title in the Raby Castle 10K, finished eighth at Bedford, recording a time of 17 mins 36.03 secs.

■ The first of three races organised by Low Fell Running Club, the Watergate 10K Trail Race, takes place tomorrow at 10am, immediately after a 2K Young Athletes event (9.30am start).

■ Allen Valley Striders host their eight mile road race today, starting at 2pm and late entries will be accepted.