PICKERING'S one-lap wonder Richard Buck will make his England Schools debut tomorrow.

He made his selection a formality after winning Under 17s 400m gold in the English Schools' Championships at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium.

After comfortably winning his heat and semi-final, the Lady Lumley's School student blasted a strong field apart in the final to win in a new personal best of 48.11 seconds.

It completed a family double as his mother, Karen (nee Barraclough), had previously won the girls' 100m title.

Nestl Rowntree AC runner Buck will now line up for England against Scotland, Wales and Ireland in tomorrow's Home International.

It was also a good weekend for other York athletes who had been selected for the North Yorkshire team at the National Schools' Championships.

Emma Macalister-Hall (St Peter's, York) took the silver medal in the junior girls 800metres, finishing with a time of 2mins 15.33 secs.

Laura Jarvis (Queen Margaret's, Escrick) also won silver in the senior girls high jump after leaping 1.69 metres.

Alastair Smith (Manor School) ran well in the junior boys 800metres to finish sixth in 2mins 4.06secs.

The intermediate girls' relay team also did well to reach the final of the 4x100m where the quartet of Jenny Lumley, Jess Taylor, Heather Howard and Katie Caffrey finished seventh in a time of 49.20 seconds.

North Yorkshire produced one of their best overall performances in many years finishing 28th out of the 45 counties competing.

All the York athletes will be back in action for Nestl Rowntree AC at Huntington Stadium on Sunday when the club hosts the final National Young Athletes League meeting.

York's team, which consists of boys and girls up to the Under-17 age group, compete in the top-flight of national athletics. The final match brings NRAC head-to-head with Wakefield, Middlesbrough and Southport.

A full turnout of club athletes is required as York hover just above the relegation zone and a good team performance will be needed if the Nestl Rowntree team are to maintain their position in the National Premier League.

Updated: 11:09 Friday, July 18, 2003