A momentous weekend with eight league records marked the end of an era for county league athletics.
With the 4th Under 15 league match at Withdean on Friday evening and the Under 13 League final at the K2 on Sunday, the Sussex Track and Field Season came to a close.
Both matches symbolised the last ever of these age groups as the country prepares for a change in age groups coming in next year.
Kicking off the Under 15 match was the 80m hurdles where Crawley’s Harley Saunders-Neate smashed the record clocking 11.1s.
This set the tone for the evening where a further five records fell including the phenomenal Archie Oates breaking his own shot and discus records throwing 15.11 and 45.86.
Fellow thrower Arthur Rogers threw 53.51 in the javelin to take this record whilst his Brighton and Hove 4x300m team clocked 2.40.6 breaking the record that was set last year.
Florence Matten (Brighton and Hove), has had an amazing season so her performance in the pole vault on Friday night came as no surprise. The first year in the age group athlete leapt 3.46 for her record – a height that now puts her number 1 in the UK.
Brighton & Hove AC were the winning team on the night meaning they took the league title. Crawley were second and Eastbourne third.
As well as Archie’s records across the season, two other records fell with Isabella Buchanan (HYAC) clocking 2.15.40 in the 800m and the HYAC 4x100m girls’ relay team.
All four fixtures across the summer have seen sunny evening with amazing athletics.
The Under 13 league is ran slightly different with an East and West Division across three evening fixtures followed by a final at the K2.
Prior to Sunday’s final, Crawley had taken the West title and Brighton and Hove the East, with three records already broken – Ada Greenaway (Brighton and Hove) in the 600m (1.40.90), Monty Rowland (Brighton and Hove) in the javelin (44.39) and Brianna Ripley (HYAC) in the 150m (19.5).
On Sunday Crawley AC and Brighton & Hove AC pushed each other to the wire with Brighton narrowly coming out champions at the end of the day. Horsham placed third.
Two records were broken by a Crawley newcomer, David Peter-Nzeama, who showed some fine talent in the 75m clocking 9.50 and in the 150m running 18.74.
Running alongside the Under 13 event were the Sussex AA 3K Championships where Isabella Buchanan (HYAC) broke her own Under 15 record running 9.44.1.
In the boys’ race Taylor Thom Watts (Brighton and Hove) was victorious in 9.11.9.
In the Under 17s, Horsham’s Freddy Boniface (9.09.30) took the men’s title whilst Eastbourne’s Freda Pearce won the women’s gold (10.35).
Keeping it in the family, her brother, Fintan Pearce, was 1st in the under 20 contest (8.57) whilst Laila Hellyer (Worthing) was the 1st under 20 female (11.20).
The senior men’s race was comfortably won in 8.48.1 by Reuben Hoyte (Phoenix) and Brighton and Hove’s Lucie Bourne happily secured women’s gold in 10.40.
With just a handful of track and field fixtures remaining, the curtain begins to fall on the summer season. With a lot of sunshine and strong athletics it has been a great summer. Thank you and well done to all the officials, volunteers, athletes, coaches and spectators who have contributed.