Up to the 1960/70s it was a great honour to compete in the “A.A.As Championships” at the White City and latterly the Crystal Palace when it attracted top class athletes from throughout the world.
This was, apart from Major Games probably the top athletic competition of the year with many of the World’s top athletes making an appearance at these championships and frequently depriving the top British athletes of winning their, then National Championships.
Indeed Brighton & Hove’s Roy Cruttenden, who was then the English Native Record holder for the long jump, suffered such a fate until 1956 when he, at last, won the title and he repeated his victory a year later.
Earlier this year Cruttenden celebrated his 90th birthday.
There have however been few Sussex athletes who have proved victorious at the Annual A.A.A championships.
Steve Ovett (Brighton & Hove) won the 1500m title just once in 1979 while the Crawley Hammer thrower, Mick Jones did likewise in 1982.
To be the “Three As” champion was an honour that was rated worldwide.
This year, for the first time since 2006, the championships will be incorporated into the C.A.U (Inter Counties championships) at Bedford on Saturday and Sunday.
Team manager Craig Cox on the Sussex team:
Despite the last minute time table change from England Athletics causing mass pandemonium, I believe that we are still taking a stronger team to Bedford than last year, a team littered with international quality. Due to the addition of the AAAs championships to the event I fully expect the competition to be much tougher across the board than 2014. We have plenty of Sussex's leading athletes making the trip to Bedford with some genuine medal hopes amongst them. Unfortunately due to a clash with the Phoenix AC summer party, many of the county’s leading middle distance runners are unavailable for this one.
Last year’s winners Emma Macready, Fiona Clark, Louisa James and Ross Skelton all make the trip as well as Crawley sprint Power house's Jason Hussain and Kim Baptiste who will both contest the 200m. Kim will be joined in the sprints by English Schools medallist Anna Short.
Southern Champion Gwilym Cooper and the ever dominant Lasis Brothers will also be looking to finish high up the placing's.
Elsewhere in the women's team Grace Baker comes into the team fresh from the European juniors and will look to medal in either the 1500m or the 5000m (TBC). International heptathlete Elise Lovell will be hoping to continue her excellent form in both the Long Jump and the 100 hurdles. Elise will have stiff competition in the later event from the in form Rebecca Jennings. World and European Vets Champion, Leanne Buxton will be warming up for the World vets Championships by contesting the 400m hurdles. Newly crowned English schools champion Livvy Connor will be looking to add more medals to her collection in the Pole Vault.
Team Manager, Craig Cox is confident that 'Team Sussex' can build on its most successful period ever as a team and come away with another high placing in this national event, to match the Southern Counties men's title we won just last month. We are proving that we are very much a force to be reckoned with when we all come together and I am grateful for the support from the majority of the athletes and teams within the county. Although we are taking a fairly small team, I believe in the quality of everyone in it and they are well capable of scoring us points.
Full Team Men: Jason Hussain (Crawley) 200m Ollie Smith (Chichester) 400m Finley Bigg (Phoenix) 400m Mark Burchett (Worthing) 800m Gwilym Cooper (Brighton) 400 hurdles George Grainger (Crawley) 400 hurdles Tom French (Brighton) Long Jump Matt Lasis (Crawley) Hammer & Discus James Lasis (Crawley) Hammer & Discus Sam Heawood (Worthing) Shot Putt Ian Richards (Steyning) Walk
Women: Anna Short (Brighton) 100m & 200m Kim Baptiste (Crawley) 200m Sophie Mansfield (Phoenix) 800m Grace Baker (Hastings) 1500m or 5000m Fiona Clark (Crawley) 5000m Emma Macready (Worthing) Steeplechase Elise Lovell (Hastings) 100 hurdles & Long Jump Rebecca Jennings (Harrow) 100 hurdles Leanne Buxton (Bedford) 400 hurdles Kotryna Bajorinaite (Horsham) 400 Hurdles Livvy Connor (Lewes) Pole Vault Tamsin Campbell (Crawley) Pole Vault Louisa James (Shaftsbury) Hammer Sarah Hewitt (Brighton) Discus Caroline Garratt (Worthing) Javelin Katy Temple (Portsmouth) Javelin - Injury Doubt.