CLEVELAND, the North-East's smallest athletics county, were the region's most successful team at the opening day of the English Schools Championships at Gateshead International Stadium, with six individual qualifiers for today's finals.

The brightest prospect for a gold medal is junior boys' sprinter Yusuf Aliu, who notched up two comfortable victories.

The North-East and Northern under-15 100m and 200m champion coasted into the final by winning his heat in 11.36 secs and his semi-final in 11.24 secs.

But he might have to improve on his personal best of 11.1 secs to beat Kent's James Alaka, who won his two races in 11.12 secs and 11.24 secs, beating another Cleveland qualifier, Richard Kilty, who clocked 11.47 in his semi-final.

North-East and Northern 400m under-17 hurdles champion Scott Henderson was a comfortable winner of his heat in 56.8 secs, despite hitting two hurdles in the final straight.

He will face two slightly faster heat winners in the final.

Cross country international Jonathan Taylor demonstrated his versatility by winning the intermediate boys 1500m heat to qualify for today's final.

Second at the bell, the 16-year-old Cleveland runner timed his finish perfectly to win in 4 mins 5.63 secs.

Another Cleveland athlete, James Minter, won his senior boy's 800m heat in 1:53.60, while Dean Daniel, who set a new intermediate 200m record last year, was second in his senior boy's 200m heat, qualifying with a time of 21.80.

Durham had three qualifiers and could go close through Lewis Robson, who followed up on his second placing in his intermediate 400m heat (50.33 secs) by winning his semi-final in 49.64 secs, even though he was noticeably easing down.

He faces a tougher race today against Hampshire's Lewis Sellers, who won his semi-final in 49.25 secs.

Durham's other final qualifiers were Samantha Coleby in the junior 75m hurdles (best time 11.57 secs) and Lorna McMichael, second in her intermediate 300m hurdles heat (45.41 secs) in the fourth fastest time.

Hosts Northumberland had two qualifiers, Stacy Scott, who tumbled down near the finish and rolled over the line to finish second in the junior girls 800m (2:14.90), and Kieron Flannery, who finished second in his senior 400m hurdles heat (55.31 secs).

The North-East's first medal of the championships was won by Durham's Graham Jackson, who finished third in the senior boy's triple jump for the second year in succession. The 18-year-old Durham Johnston student, coached by Peter Stanley, who guided Jonathan Edwards to Olympic glory, cleared 14.36m in the event, won by Merseysider Graham Matthes (14.68m).

Today's programme - mostly finals - starts at 10am.

l Leading British 400 metre runners Tim Benjamin and Daniel Caines will come head-to-head with Malachi Davis in this weekend's Norwich Union Olympic trials.

Davis, an American-born athlete, was granted a British passport three days ago and has flown over to take part in the championships beginning today in Manchester.

The last-minute entry, who has one British parent and runs for the Bush Track Club in Los Angeles, already holds the Olympic qualifiying standard of 45.52 seconds.

That time would have been unlikely to gain qualification for Davis, unknown even within his own country, if he had contested the US Olympic trials which began today in Sacramento.

Already this summer, eight US athletes have ran under 45 seconds.