VALE Royal Athletics Club members made the most of favourable conditions to post fast times on track at Stretford in midweek.

Two of those athletes, Ben Lee and Matthew Sheen, set personal bests during British Milers’ Club (BMC) Gold Standard races.

The former clocked 1.55.17 over 800m, knocking more than a second off his time in a race at the same venue a fortnight earlier.

Meanwhile Sheen, 19, ran 1,500m in 3.55.96, dipping below four minutes for the first time.

Jacob Brown continues to improve, a season-best of 1.54.67 over 800m marking a third successive race where he has lapped quicker than previously in 2016.

In the regular Trafford Grand Prix meeting held the same evening, in-form Alfie Bould was a victor in the opening under 15s boys’ 1,500m race.

Over the same distance John Humphries (4.14.29), Alex Doyle (4.21.12), Stuart Doyle (4.26.95), Will McKay (4.46.01), Holly Smith (4.51.97), Cara Gibbons (4.58.25), Lucy Smith (5.17.25) and Charlie Humphries (5.18.12) clocked personal bests.

Katie Gerrard, taking a break from studies at Loughborough University, lowered her previous best to 4.26.24.

Over two laps, Harry Dexter ran a lifetime best of 1.59.27.

In the 3,000m opener, Josh Betteley’s 8.51.51 was eight seconds faster than his best in 2015.

Oliver Williams ran 9.06.35 for the distance, another personal best, while Sarah Murphy’s 10.19.17 achieved the same objective.

In the field, veteran Paul Hudson’s marker of 20.82m in the discus completed a list of 16 personal bests by Vale Royal athletes in a single evening.