RYEDALE running ace Richard Buck took 400 metres silver at the Aviva Indoor UK Trials and Championships in Sheffield – and is now confident of qualifying for next month’s European Championships.

It took a personal best of 46.76 seconds from Nigel Levine to deny Buck in Sunday’s final, with the former Pickering schoolboy clocking 47.30 seconds. Nick Leavey was third in 47.72 seconds.

Buck and Levine had also been the fastest qualifiers from the semi-finals, with Levine winning in 47.13, which was also a personal best, and Buck second in 47.04 seconds Buck was the fastest after Saturday’s five qualifying heats, having been timed at 47.58 seconds in heat two.

Buck thus filled only half of the selection criteria for the European competition – second place ticked one of the boxes but his best time, 47.13, was outside the qualifying standard.

But the 24-year-old, who will compete at this weekend’s Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham, is confident of achieving a time of 46.70 seconds. His seasons best is 47.00 seconds, ran in Moscow earlier this month.

“I’m disappointed because I left something in the tank,” he said of the Sheffield race.

“I wasn’t able to run my own race and fair play to the other guys for not letting me do that but it is annoying.

“They are always like that but I know I will get the time for the European indoors in Paris, probably in Birmingham, I am not worried about that at all.

“If I am doing it on the training track then I can do it in competitions.”