A triumphant Sussex Schools team returned from Gateshead on Saturday night with four gold medals and probably their best haul of medals for half a century.
It was extremely lucky thirteen for Sussex medal winners this year and 32 athletes achieved a “Top Eight” placing which is more than half the team of sixty athletes that made the journey north.
Livvy Connor (BHASVIC) soared over a new personal best and a Sussex Under 20 record of 3.85m to take the senior pole vault title.
This effort was matched by Abigail Roberts (West Yorks) but the Sussex girl won on count back and both athletes equalled the Championships best performance.
In the Intermediate 300m where Orla Brothers (Millais)swept to victory in 39.59s her efffort earnt her a place in the English Schools team for the Schools International team next weekend and she will be joined by Joe Fuggle (Uplands) who romped to victory in the Intermediate 400m hurdles in 54.58s.
Late in the afternoon Amber Anning (Roedean) streaked to victory in the Junior 200 metres clocking an amazing 25.04s into a 3.6 headwind after winning her heat in 24.75s.
Many thought that Anna Short (Brighton Coll) had notched up a fifth victory in the senior 100m but the photo finished ruled that she finished 1/100th of a second behind Charlotte Paterson from Humberside in 12.00s, again into a strong headwind.
Calum Neal (Tanbridge House) soared over 4.30m to take silver in the Intermediate pole vault and gained a place in the International team while Bill Saunders (Chailey) topped 3.55m for the silver medal in the Junior Pole Vault and a brilliant run by Tom Eames (Varndean) saw him pick up silver in the Junior 1,500m in a giant PB of 4:10.76m just one metre down on Kai Atkins (Lancashire).
These four silver medallists added to Natalie Purchas’s (Burgess Hill Girls) pole vault silver on Friday.
There were four bronze medals starting with Archie Davis (Patcham) in the Intermediate 800m in 1:54.41s, again 1/100th of a second away from second place but this run earnt him a place in the International team.
Bexhill Colleges’ Katie Garland leapt 5.65m for her bronze in the Senior long jump while Billy White (Varndean College) set a PB of 5.58.81s for his bronze in the 2000m steeplechase and Ben Hawkes (Sion) also had a PB of 52.38m in the Junior hammer throw.
There were fourth places for Hove Park’s Lotte Hoare in the Senior hammer throw with 48.89m, Lillie Franks (Ardingly) in the Intermediate high jump with 1.68m, Cameron Fillery (Brighton Coll) in the Intermediate 100m hurdles in 13.34s (13.11s in semi-final) and Harrison Leach (Warden Park) in the Junior discus throw with 39.48m.
The following finished sixth: Sarah-Ann Haigh (Bishop Luffa) in the Inter 200m in 25.62s (25.39s in semi-final), Tamsin Campbell (Farlington) 3.35m in Inter Pole Vault, Jonny Haines (Hazelwick) 47.58m in Sen Hammer, Scott Staples (Seaford Head) 55.39m in Inter javelin, Daniel Eeles (Chichester Coll) 1:54.79s in the Sen 800m.,Sophie Mansfield (Hazelwick) 2:12.56s (2:11.88s in heat) and Inter Girls relay team in 48.80s.
Pole vaulters Jack Harris (St Pauls) cleared 3.15m in the Jun Pole Vault, Nathan Parker (Brighton Coll) Sen 110m hurdles in 15.09s (14.81s in heat) and Chloe Billingham (Weald) 3.45m in the Sen Pole Vault for seventh places, while Marcus Jones (Holy Trinity) threw 42.66m in the Jun Hammer Throw; Sophie Cunningham (Cavendish) clocked 12.39s. (12.15 in heat) in the Inter 100m, Alyssa White (Chichester High) 12.61s (12.51s in heat) in the Jun 100m, Hannah Brockbank (Blatchington Mill) 29.86m in the Jun Discus, Finley Bigg (Steyning) who clocked 49.01s (48.74s in heat) in the Senior 400m and Beth Crocker (Hurstpierpoint) leapt 5.30m in the Sen Long Jump for eighth place.
Team manager Judy Lasis said that “Without doubt this was the best Sussex Schools team I have ever been with either as an athlete or a member of the team management. They all showed tremendous determination and support for each other.