TYNESIDE schoolgirl Emma Morris won the North of England and North-East Under-17 Heptathlon Championships by the narrowest of margins at Wentworth Park, Hexham, yesterday.

At the end of two days of competition in the combined events meeting the 16-year-old South Shields Harrier went into the last event, the 800m, trailing Manchester's Katia Lannon by 13 points.

And after leading throughout the two-lap event Morris just held off her fast-finishing rival to make up the deficit and win by 12 points.

"I thought I had blown it," admitted Morris, who led for five events on the first day, but slipped to second after a disappointing javelin round.

The North-East Track and Field Championships triple gold medallist said: "The javelin and shot are my weakest events and my long jump isn't too good either.

"When I lost the lead after the javelin I knew I would have to pull out something special in the 800m and I did just enough to win.

"I'm delighted to have won the two championships and I think I'm improving."

The St Wilfred's School pupil clocked 2 mins 31.20 secs for the 800m, with Lannon finishing in 2:33.25, a difference of 25 points. Another South Shields Harrier, Joanne Grout, took the bronze medals in the two championships.

Jarrow and Hebburn's Alicia Berry won the North-East senior women's heptathlon championship from clubmate Vicky Haswell while the junior women's title went to Jarrow's Laura Steinberg, with Gateshead's British junior decathlon record holder Sophie Dewell in second place.

The North-East Under 17 Men's Octathlon Championship was won by Gateshead's John Stacey who beat clubmate Craig Glanville by 125 points.

Results - North of England and North Eastern Counties Under-17 Heptathlon Championships: 1 E Morris (South Shields) 4064 pts (80mH 12.39, HJ 1.63, SP 7.00, 200m 26.8, LJ 4.89, JT 20.26, 800m 2:31.20); 2 K Lannon (Manchester) 4052 pts (13.44, 1.60, 8.23, 27.3, 5.15, 23.50, 2:33.25); 3 J Grout (South Shields) 3695 (13.80, 1.36, 7.96, 27.4, 5.06, 25.96, 2:37.27).

North-East Senior Women's Heptathlon Championship: 1 A Berry (Jarrow and Hebburn) 3440 pts (100mH 17.33, HJ 1.51, SP 8.34, 200m 29.9, LJ 4.56, JT 225.83, 800m 2:45.25); 2 V Haswell (J&H) 3316 (21.00, 1.48, 8.83, 28.9, 4.50, 26.23, 2:32.50). Under-20 Championship: 1 L Steinberg (J&H) 3049 (18.12, 1.39, 8.10, 29.1, 4.57, 18.94, 2:54.22); 2 S Dewell (Gateshead) 2973 (18.61, 1.39, 7.22, 27.9, 4.21, 13.81, 2:42.60).

North-East Under-17 Men's Octathlon Championship: 1 J Stacey (Gates) 4125 (LJ 5.92, DT 24.57, JT 33.78, 400m 55.8, 100mH 15.18, HJ 1.75, SP 9.89, 1500m 5:02.37); 2 C Glanville 4000 (5.24, 18.22, 29.80, 52.7, 15.10, 1.51, 10.50, 4:28.44); 3 C O'Grady (Duchess HS) 3034 (5.12, 18.93, 19.44, 58.1, 16.91, 1.57, 7.61, 5:17.94).