ATHLETICS: Packed programme for Northern Ireland and Ulster finals

Hundreds of young athletes will be in action at the Mary Peters Track tomorrow for the Northern Ireland and Ulster U14, U15, U16 and U17 Championships.

The programme opens with the U17 girls’ steeplechase and a rematch between Bethany Nixon of Dromore and Ella Quinn from Omagh.

In the high hurdles, there can be wins at U15 for Naeve Moohan of Tir Chonaill and U17 Lisburn pair Holly Mulholland and Jordan Cunningham. While there can be an U17 sprint double for Alice Rogers from Ballymena and Antrim.

Murphy Millar of North Down and Aoife McGreevy (Lagan Valley) meet in the U17 3,000m, while the U16 race will be close between Sorcha Mullan of Omagh alongside Amelia Kane and Eimear McBrien, each Lagan Valley.

At 800m there can be victories for Oisin Duffy (City of Derry, U14), Victoria Lightbody (City of Lisburn, U15) and Cara Laverty (City of Derry, U16).

In the field, Jamie Wright (Ballymena Academy) and Kate McCullough (Ballymena and Antrim) can take the U16 javelin crowns, while Aine Wilkinson (Finn Valley) and Olivia Cuskelly (Lifford Strabane) look good at U17 high jump and hammer.

The field events will start at 9.30, with track at 9.45.

Ciara Mageean will face strong opposition in the 800m at the Belfast International on the 26th of this month.

The Commonwealth Games captain and Euro 1,500m bronze medallist will face Polina Mickiewicz-Lorinska of Poland and her training partner, Sweden’s Anna Silvande.

There is a strong Irish challenge - with Claire Mooney, Alanna Lally and Sarah Healy, the latter who broke Mageean’s Irish Schools 1,500m record. Rachel Gibson and Masters champion Kelly Neely are also in the line-up.

Athletics NI development leader Tom Reynolds said: “This is one of the highest standards of fields ever seen at the Belfast Internationa.”