Nestl Rowntree sprinter Jess Taylor was the surprise winner at the North of England indoor championships with a silver medal.
The 15-year-old runner finished second in the 200metres senior final behind England international Bernice Williams at the new English Institute of Sport arena in Sheffield after qualifying for the final with a new personal best.
Taylor, coached by Geoff Barraclough, entered the event as a practice run for the AAA indoor championships at the end of the month but ran an inspired first round lap of 26.40 secs, to shave 18-hundredths of a second off her personal best.
Her impressive qualification saw her take the vital fourth lane and she ran home in 26.10.
Her second personal best of the day earned her second place and the silver medal after beating other heat winner Vicky Carmichael of Gateshead into third in 26.17.
Williams of Birchfield Harriers clocked a new championship record of 24.82 in her winning run.
Taylor will now be focussed on the national indoor junior championships at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena on February 28-29.
Updated: 10:17 Saturday, February 07, 2004
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