Aimee Pratt, Nick Percy and Morgan Lake were among the winners at Sportcity on Thursday night

Compared to the dreadful conditions at the Diamond League in Gateshead a few days earlier, Manchester enjoyed glorious weather. Some of the events were a little thin on the ground, not helped by a number of late withdrawals, but there was enough quality to suggest this event next year will return as a World Athletics Continental Tour meeting.

Morgan Lake gained revenge after her defeat by Emily Borthwick at Gateshead with another 1.90m high jump victory. Borthwick was not able to repeat her Gateshead heroics, where she also headed world champion Mariya Lasitskene, and was second with a 1.87m leap.

Another top class event was the men’s discus and while the distances may not have quite matched expectations, Nick Percy was in top class form winning with a 63.24m fourth round throw and stadium record which was sufficient for him to win the £500 British Athletics Supporters’ Club award for the men’s best performance of the meeting.

British discus record-holder Lawrence Okoye closed the gap a little though with a 62.07m final throw. Greg Thompson was also over 60 metres with a 60.80m while Paralympian Dan Greaves threw 59.39m.

Aimee Pratt set off well inside British record pace at the 3000m steeplechase with a 69 first lap and 3:04 opening kilometre. She slowed through 2000m in 6:18.05 but that was still well inside the schedule for a 9:30.00 Olympic qualifier but the early pace told and she was only able to manage a 78 last lap but her 9:35.36 time was a Commonwealth Games qualifier and won her the £500 best women’s performance by the British Athletics Supporters’ Club.

Ireland’s Bryan Fay set a big PB in the men’s race of 8:33.93 with Britain’s Daniel Jarvis following him home in a marginal PB of 8:39.49.

The last women’s race of the evening was the 1500m and Pratt was back in action leading through 800m in 2:14.80. Spain’s Solange Pereira took over and led through the bell in 3:06.93 but she couldn’t hold Georgie Hartigan who sprinted past to win in a PB 4:12.00.

The men’s 1500m which ended the programme, was the closest race of the evening. Phil Sesemann paced it to 800m in 1:57.63 and then Adam Clarke took it on and led past the bell and into the straight but a late rush saw Henry McLuckie catch him on the line and both athletes were given a time of 3:40.82 with Clarke getting the verdict by two thousands of a second.

McCluckie’s time moved him to seventh all-time among British juniors.

A stunning end to the night as there’s a photo finish in the men’s 1500m ?

Adam Clarke wins by two thousandths of a second as he and Henry McLuckie are both awarded times of 3:40.82. Unreal ? pic.twitter.com/anBSfV2mLz

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) May 27, 2021

The next most competitive race of the night was the men’s 800m. After a 52 first lap, Saul Ordenez took over but he was caught on the line by fast finishing Alex Botterill who won in 1:46.57 from the Spaniard’s 1:46.58 with George Mills going inside 1:47 for the first time with a European under-23 qualifier of 1:46.81.

The Diane Modahl women’s 800m was more of a solo race as Ellie Baker followed the pacemaker through a 27.26 first 200m and then powered past to lead through 400m in a brave 57.41.

She was still on course to break two minutes at 600m in 1:28.74 but though holding form well her last 200m took 33 seconds as she won in her second fastest ever time of 2:01.73.

European junior champion Izzy Boffey was closing fast  in the straight for second in 2:02.02 for another European under-23 qualifier.

Another to get a Euro qualifier was Izzy Fry at 5000m. Jenny Nesbitt was paced to halfway and was 12 seconds clear at 3000m in 9:22.76, 12 seconds up on Fry who was paced to 3000m by Ciara Mageean. Gradually Fry closed the gap to eight seconds at 4km and was three seconds back at the start of the last lap and she caught Nesbitt in the last 50 metres with the runner-up clocking 15:50.60.

The men’s race was a slow tactical affair but also resulted in a close finish with Cameron Allan moving from fifth to first in the last 200m with a sub-28 last 200m and 2:35 final kilometre to take 50 seconds off his PB with 14:05.12 with the second half ran at 13:35 pace.

Kirsty Law won the women’s discus with a fourth round 57.14m throw while Adele Nicoll won the women’s shot in a PB 16.49m which moved her from 20th to 16th all-time.

European indoor 60m finalist Andy Robertson was a class apart in the men’s 100m winning the first race easily in 10.42/-0.4. The second race was even better though the wind got up to a heftier headwind of 1.8m/sec, the Sale Harrier sped to a season’s best of 10.29.

Former European Junior 400m silver medallist Cheriece Hylton won the women’s 200m comfortably in 23.74/-0.3.

Heather Paton dominated the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.40/-1.4.

Adam Booth won the men’s 400m hurdles in a PB 51.56 while Ami Pipi dominated the women’s 400m in 52.67.

Lee Thompson proved strongest in the men’s 400m in 46.45 to defeat Niclas Baker’s 46.76.

George Hyde started with five no throws in the shot but finished with a 16.17m to edge past Gareth Winter.

The hammer competitions started proceedings and over four hours of action and they resulted in wins for Chris Bennett in 71.71m and Katie Head with 61.60m.