The colours theme for most sporting enthusiasts heading home via the M62 last Sunday evening was the claret and amber of Bradford City Football Club.

However a duo of rising young local athletes were proudly sporting a special mix of gold, silver and bronze due to their splendid efforts for the North Yorkshire team in the Yorkshire and Humberside Sports Hall Athletics Championships at Hull.

Sports Hall athletics at championship level embraces a fiercely-contested programme of sprints, endurance races, hurdles, jumps and throws, and represents the first stage up the ladder to- wards top grade track and field competition.

Indeed across the country sports hall athletics has served as a significant launching pad for many of Britain’s Olympic stars over the years.

Most notably the Yorkshire and Humberside Championships were where Sebastian Coe and Jessica Ennis first hit the spotlight.

Contested at under-13 and under-15 age-level only the events are always highly-competitive.

One of the overall stars of Sunday’s under 13 programme was Giggleswick School’s Samantha Baker-Jones who achieved a terrific victory in her age- group’s six-laps race.

She later followed up with another fine effort to win bronze in the shot-putt.

To round off a memorable day there was further golden success for the Giggleswick girl as she played a key role when partnering York’s Katie Bohl to help North Yorkshire to victory in the four-laps parlauf where each of the duo run an alternate leg twice over.

There was also a golden conquest for North Yorkshire’s under-15 girls duo of Skipton AC’s Elspeth Adamson and Thirsk’s Sophie Lake who excelled to win that age-group’s four-lap parlauf.

Their cause was enhanced by some particularly brilliant baton changing.

Adamson, enjoying her own personal day to savour, had earlier impressed as she won silver in the individual four- laps event and she almost snatched a third medal but finally had to settle for fourth place by just one bound in the speed bounce.

All the events were played out before a packed gallery which generated an electric atmosphere for the young competitors.

Returning home empty-handed was Silsden’s George Muir.

He did well to qualify for the West Yorkshire team through his club Bingley Harriers, and his efforts in the under-15 boys’ four-laps parlauf was particularly commendable.

Amongst outdoor events scheduled amid the forthcoming weeks is the burgeoning Keighley Big 10K on behalf of the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice at 9am on Mother’s Day, Sunday, March 10 in Keighley’s Victoria Park.

Close on 1,000 entries have already been received for the unique multi-terrain event which last year yielded more than £49,000 for the hospice.

Further details are available by visiting www.big10k.org.uk