Teesside sprinters stole the show at the North-East Track and Field Championships at the Gateshead International Stadium.

Stockton-based Sudanese international Rabath Yusuf scored a brilliant double in the 400m and 200m, while under-17 100m winner Yusuf Aliu was just pipped by his training partner Richard Kilty over 200m.

Another Middlesbrough Mandale athlete, Christian Carson, was an eye-catching winner of the two under-13 sprints.

But it was the richly talented Yusuf, who grabbed the glory over the two days.

The 18-year-old, who competes in the British Athletics League for Border Harriers and hopes to be granted British citizenship in the near future, was outstanding over the shorter distances.

In yesterday's 200m final he overcame a slow start to overtake Morpeth's David Riley in the straight, going on smoothly to win by a stride in 21.77 secs.

Another Teesside athlete, Peter Vickers, who also competes for Border, won the senior men's 100m in a time of 11.02 secs in a thrilling final, underlining the rich vein of talent which is on tap on Teesside.

If Teesside were outstanding in the men's sprints Gateshead Harriers were even more successful in the women's 100m races, winning all five, from seniors to under-13s.

And the athlete of the championships was Blaydon Harrier Leanne Tuckers, who won four gold medals, setting two new championship records.

The 19-year-old Tynesider set new marks in the junior shot (11.98m) and discus (39.95) and also won the under-20 hammer (25.10m) and senior women's shot (11.77m). She also finished runner-up to the record-breaking Border athlete Clair Griss in the senior discus.

Olympian Jared Deacon, who was beaten over one lap last year by Yusuf, switched from his usual 400m to try his hand again at the hurdles and had to be satisfied with third place.

The South Shields athlete, who was a member of the 400m relay team which won the European Championships and Commonwealth Games titles, won the North-East gold medal last year in a time of 50.68 secs - only five hundredths of a second outside the championship record. But this time he struggled to get going and found himself trailing to hurdles specialist Liam Collins, of Gateshead, who won in 52.91 secs and his junior clubmate Kieron Flannery (55.89). Deacon's time, 55.89, was more than five seconds slower than his last attempt over the barriers at Gateshead.

Gateshead's Sigourney Bell added the under-15 1500m crown to the 800m title she won 24 hours earlier.

Teesdale's Claire Robson retained her senior 1500m, beating off challenges from two athletes who have recently returned from altitude traing in Boulder, Colorado, Chester-le-Street's Morag McDonnell and Alyson Dixon. Robson kicked to the front with 200m remaining and went on to beat former North-East cross country champion McDonnell by five metres in a time of 4:32.32, with Dixon a further 10 metres away third.

Another athlete who spent three weeks in Boulder, Nick McCormick (Morpeth), enjoyed a clear-cut win in the 800 metres after a rapid 54 seconds first lap left him ten metres clear of the field, going on to win in 1:52.20.

Marcus Cram, son of Steve, was denied a medal in the final of the under-13 boys' 800m when Darlington's Paul Clifford hung on for third.

But Adam Morrell, son of former Great Britain middle-distance ace Tony Morrell, was a comfortable winner of the under-15 800m.

Darlington Harrier Bernadette Taylor won her fourth regional title with a runaway victory in the 5000m on the opening day of the championships.

The 29-year-old trainee nurse who, in the past 12 months, won the North-East half marathon and cross country championships and retained her North Yorkshire and South Durham Harrier League title, beat junior race-walking international Johanna Jackson by 300 metres in a time of 17 mins 42 secs.

Taylor made no secret of her determination to win a first North-East track title, going quickly into the lead and eventually lapping two of her rivals.

Jackson, who represents Great Britain in the European Cup 20K walk in Hungary next weekend, had no answer to the relentless pace of her more experienced rival and was content to watch her disappear in the distance and take silver.

Wearsider Mark Christie, who competes in the British Athletics League for Sale Harriers, set a new senior pole vault record of 5.00m, improving his old mark, set last year, by 20 cms. But he failed at three attempts to clear 5.15m as he tried to lift his personal-best of 5.11m.