Three Hunts AC stars are competing this week in the World Masters Championships.

Penny Butcher lines up in Lyon, France in the W55 category of the heptathlon, Andy Stowe contests the M40 400m and Richard Phelan competes in the M50 pole vault - an event he only took up in 2010.

Phelan received a pre-event boost by setting a new personal best with a 3.20m clearance at the London Inter-Club Challenge.

He has also been in record-breaking form closer to home – albeit in a different discipline. Phelan set a new Eastern Veterans League record for the M50 high jump courtesy of a 1.56m clearance during the final meeting at Corby.

He wasn’t the only Hunts AC competitor to impress there as the club racked up 11 individual wins and four other club records.

Bruce Grimley picked up a hat-trick of victories in the 800m, 2000m and 2000m walk in the M60 bracket and still had the energy to form part of a successful 4-100m relay quartet in the M50 age group along with Wayne DuBose, Richard Holland and Derek Darnell.

Peter Downhill stepped in at short notice to race the 2000m in the M35 section and responded with a new club veteran record of 6:51.60.

He then contributed towards another club best when teaming up with Phelan, Matt Linnell and Stowe in the 4-100m relay which was won in 53.1. Linnell had dashed from work during a break to be part of the team while Downhill had started his busy shift with an 800m success.

Bob Ellingham was another male winner in the M50 discus.

Two more club records arrived from the female ranks and both featured Karen Pearson. She won the W50 2000m in 8:56.2 to knock almost a minute-and-a-half off the previous club veteran women’s best.

She then joined forces with Jo Abel, Sandra Pedley and Andrea Linnell to win the 4-100m relay in the W35-49 age bracket in 54.8 – another club best.