GREAT Britain athlete Richard Buck clocked the third best 400-metre time in the country this year when he struck gold at the Northern Senior Indoor Championships at Sheffield.

The Nestlé Rowntree runner won his heat before taking the title with a time of 47.62 seconds - breaking the Northern indoor record.

The time also lifts Pickering-based Buck to number one in the UK indoor 2007 rankings.

Buck's success capped a fine day for Nestlé Rowntree which saw them pick up two gold medals and a bronze.

Sixteen-year-old Vicky Graves took the spoils in her first 3,000m race against her senior competitors, running away with the title in a time of 10 minutes 28 seconds.

Buck's compatriot Will Steel finished fifth, in 51.4 seconds, in the 400m, while 17-year-old Lauren Bodie threw the shot 11.47m to win a bronze medal.