SCOTTISH international Jacqui Elliott won the Northern Women's Heptathon Championship yesterday after her worst-ever performance - and vowed not to compete in the event again until she is properly fit.

The 21-year-old Elswick Harrier had a disastrous start to the competition at Jarrow's Monkton Stadium, finishing last in the opening two events.

But the sudden withdrawals of the two leaders put her back in contention for the title with only one other competitor to beat, and she took the lead on the last event of the first day and went on to take the title.

But Elliott, the reigning British double heptathlon champion, was not at all happy with her performance, and her winning points total of 3,560 was a huge 600 points short of her personal best.

The physiotherapy undergraduate at Huddersfield University had not been able to train properly because of studies and work placements and said: "I have won the competition but I am not kidding myself about my performance.

"I am not properly fit to do myself justice in the heptathlon and I won't do another until I am.

"I was so gutted by my opening two performances I was going to call it a day - I felt I was showing myself up.

"It was only because the two other girls withdrew from the competition that I have won and it doesn't give me any satisfaction at all."

Elliott's time of 20.54 secs in the 100m hurdles was six minutes slower than her personal best and in the second event her high jump of 1.35m was ten centimetres lower than her best, placing her last of the four contestants.

But then the two leaders, Kerry Jury, of Wakesfield, and Leeds City's Danielle Freeman, both with twice as many points as Elliott, called it a day after three events and the Tynesider was left to battle it out with Jarrow and Hebburn's Vicky Haswell, who had a 200 point.

Elliott proceeded to finish ahead of her rival in the final four events, the 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m. She went into the 800m with a lead of 163 points and won her strongest discipline, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Haswell to take the Northern crown by 357 points.

Another of the region's top multi-eventers, Morpeth Harrier Richard Hunter, trying to regain the Northern men's title he won two years ago, was forced to hobble out of the decathlon when he pulled a hamstring immediately after winning the opening event, the 100m.

He said: "I am terribly disappointed because I felt in good shape and I really wanted to win back the Northern title," said the 29-year-old college lecturer, who has done so much to fly the multi-event flag in the region.

It still looked as though the North-East might claim the title, however, when Jarrow and Hebburn junior Chris Hunter - no relation - led for eight of the ten events.

But he was overtaken by Macclesfield's Ashley Pritchard in the penultimate contest, the javelin and went into the final test, the 1500m trailing by only 33 points.

Pritchard, however, proved himself to be much stronger in the metric mile, finishing first in 4 mins 47.4 secs, 27 seconds ahead of his rival to win by 188 points.

The British Universities Sports Association senior men's decathlon championship was won by Mark Sweeney, of Birmingham, while Brunel University's Claire Everett celebrated her 21st birthday by beating defending champion Sara Todd, of Northumbria University, to take the women's title.

Tynedale's Nick McCormack ran a disciplined race to retain his junior men's Northern 3000m title.

Leading from the gun, the 18-year-old Northumbrian dictated the pace and when Morpeth Harriers Andrew Toward and Sam Forester tried to go with him as he broke clear with three laps to go, he saw off their challenge to win by a comfortable 20 metres in 8 mins 50.53 secs. Toward, 17, ran impressively for a time of 8:52.91, breaking nine minutes for the first time.

Loftus AC's Catherine Hare was the only competitor in the junior women's 3000m following six withdrawals and the Inter Counties Schools cross country champion ran alone to clock a useful 10 mins 34.70 secs.

There was another North-East success in the Under-17 women's shot, with Gateshead Harrier Kerry Elliott throwing nearly a metre further than her nearest rival to win with 10m.

l Results in Friday's Local Heroe