TOP-RANKED under-17 pole vaulter Mark Christie, who has targeted an English Schools record next month, will take on older rivals in his toughest competition of the season in the Norwich AAA Under-20 Championships at Bedford this weekend.

The 16-year-old Sunderland schoolboy, the Durham Schools record-holder and Northern Under-17 champion, was unable to vault because of injury fears during gusty conditions at the Inter-County Schools Championships in Carlisle two weeks ago.

But the young Gateshead Harrier, who cleared a personal-best 4.60m competing as a guest at the Northumberland Schools Championships at Gateshead Stadium, is looking forward to taking on his older rivals at Bedford in his last outing before Exeter on July 6-7.

Christie, who has been delighted with his form since recovering from a broken ankle sustained playing basketball for his school, St Aidens, travels with confidence.

He said: "When I competed in the Northumberland Schools Championships my coach, Joe Wake, said that when I cleared 4.40m I was so far above the bar it was like a 4.90m vault.

"I then went on to a personal-best 4.60, which was 20 centimetres higher than I'd vaulted before in competition. I am only ten centimetres below what could be the winning vault at Bedford and I will be giving it everything."

Christie has the English Schools intermediate boys' record of 4.70m - set by South Yorkshire's Christian Linskey in 1995 - in his sights.

Another leading pole-vaulter who trains with Wake's group at Gateshead is Cleveland's Sophie Dewell, who is set to become the first girl from a Northern county to compete in the event at the English Schools Championships. Dewell, a 17-year-old student at Stockton Sixth Form College, is the North-East senior women's champions and has a personal best of 2.90m.

l Sunderland Harrier Brian Rushworth bounced back from his Aycliffe 10K defeat to score his tenth win in the Penshaw Hill race.

The 38-year-old North-East cross-country champion beat Durham veteran Steve Everett by 38 seconds, while Jarrow and Hebburn's Angela Hunter won the women's race.

l Askern's Dave Bond (32 mins 23 secs) finished over a minute and a half clear of Quakers runner Alasdair Tatham in the New Marske Harriers Pie and Peas 10K. Hartlepool Burn Road's Tracey Waller won the women's section in 39.56.

l Mark Richardson will run his first individual 400 metres race since his reinstatement from a drug suspension in Glasgow tomorrow.