SHILDON AC's fast-rising middle-distance athlete Cameron Boyek is expected to be one of the North-East's leading medal contenders in the English Schools Championships, being staged today and tomorrow at Gateshead International Stadium.

The 17-year-old double North-East champion, who took the 1500m bronze medal in last weekend's Aviva Under-20 Championships at Bedford, clipping two seconds off his previous best time, also took third place in the English Schools Championships in Birmingham last summer, representing Durham, and now moves up to the senior ranks.

His time at the Alexander Stadium in the intermediate 1500m was 3 mins 54.76 seconds - a huge seven seconds slower than his new life-time best of 3:47.46 recorded at Bedford.

Boyek, who will not be 18 until October, is also an accomplished cross country runner, having won the Northern Counties Schools title and taking third place in the North of England Championships at Sunderland in January.

Competition on the banks of the Tyne is bound to be fierce as the cream of young British athletes battle it out in the prestigious event and the region's best prospects will be hard-pressed to climb the medals podium.

Cleveland seem to have a medal hope in 16-year-old all-rounder Jack Crosby, who won the Inter Counties Schools 200m title in a time of 22.2 secs, winning by over a second.

The Northern long jump and heptathlon champion is the UK's top-ranked under-17 100m runner with a time of 10.9 secs, while his best 200m time earns him fifth place.

Another Cleveland sprinter, 15-year-old Rachel Highfield won the Inter Counties sprints in 12.4 secs and her best 100m time this summer of 12.2 secs placed her eighth on the UK under-17 lists.

New Marske Harrier Mark Shaw, eighth in the intermediate 3000m last year, moves up into the seniors with a season's best of 8 mins 22.71 - third in the current UK under-20 rankings. The English Schools event last year was won in 8:25.15.

Cleveland's 17-year-old hammer-thrower, Charlotte McEwan, sixth in the English Schools last year with a throw of 42.87m, has improved steadily through the summer and the Inter-Counties champion has a best of 44.87m.

Northumberland's 18-year-old Rebecca Liddell, top-ranked under-20 100m hurdler last year, is coming back after injury, and could be prominent in the senior girls 100m hurdles following her fifth placing at Bedford last weekend.