Yet another brilliant run from twelve year old Bethany Cook earnt her the South of England U13 title at Parliament Hill Fields on Saturday, the only Sussex individual medal in these championships this year.
Cook, who has been unbeaten this season, faced the strongest challenge she has faced from Ellie Shaw from Wimborne but she still had more than ten metres in hand as she crossed the finishing line in 11:36.
There was another Sussex Top Ten placing in this event when Rebecca Losh (Brighton & Hove), who had been runner up to Cook in the County championship crossed the line in a sparkling eighth place.
Five Sussex athletes actually made top ten placings this year, one more than last year, but a place in the top fifty, or even one hundred in the senior men’s event, is a very good effort.
George Pool (Hastings) ran well to place eighth in the U15 boys race while there was also a top twenty placing for Brighton Phoenix’s Leo Brewer in this event who placed 17th.
Pool’s club mate Maya Ramnarine led the Sussex challenge in the U15 girl’s race finishing a fine ninth place.
Nicole Taylor from Crowborough who runs for Tonbridge completed the “Sussex five” with an excellent run in the senior women’s race and this effort rather confirmed her impressive win in the County Championship at the beginning of the month with the first three placings at Bexhill being replicated at Parliament Hill. Brighton’s Emma Dixon, who is now living and working in London and running for the Highgate Harriers filled in 15th place and Liz Coomber from Lewes placed 17th but it was more a case of quality rather than quantity in this event as far as Sussex were concerned.
There were “Top Ten” places for three non-Sussex athletes who make regular appearances in Sussex Cross-country League events with Surrey’s Ethan Scott, who runs for East Grinstead, turning in a brilliant run in the U13 event where he took the silver medal behind Reigate’s Felix Vaughan in 10:58 some forty metres behind the winner.
Matt Smith from Horsham had probably his best run of the season to lead the Sussex runner’s home in the U13 event in 39th place, one place ahead of County champion Jack Gardner from Lewes though they were both clocked in at 11:54.
There was a bronze medal in the senior men’s event for Chris Smith (Thames Valley Harriers) who appears in Sussex in the Haywards Heath colours and Jamie Knapp (Southampton) who runs in the Sussex League for Brighton & Hove who filled sixth place.
Jon Pepper (Brighton Phoenix), was not able to match his medal winning form of a couple of years back but never the less had a pretty good run to finish 13th with club mate Max Dumbrell placing 37th.
County Master’s champion from last week Howard Bristow (Brighton & Hove) placed 50th with club mates Kevin Moore 60th and James Turner 75th while James Baker (Chichester) again made the Top One Hundred places finishing 93rd.
Poppy Mercer (Bodyworks), who missed the Sussex Schools Championships, led the Sussex runner’s home in the U17 event but she was caught in the three way battle placing 37th, two places ahead of Brighton & Hove’s Olivia Lyon-Monk who was in turn one place in front of one place in front of Naomi Fonteyn.
Luke Burgess (Horsham) headed Sussex in the U17 boys placing 68th while the U20 events saw Olivia Dowle (Crawley) finish 28th, but she is a Surrey athlete and it was club mate Kennagh Marsh who finished 30th and it appears Sussex did not have an U20 finisher in the Men’s events.
The best team placing came from the Crawley club in the U20 Women’s event where they finished second to Aldershot.
Brighton & Hove placed 17th in the senior men’s event with newly crowned County team champions, Hastings in 36th place. Brighton & Hove also placed eighth in the U13 Girls, 12th in the U17 women and 18th in the U15 girls’ team events.
Crawley placed ninth to lead the Sussex challenge in the U15 Boys and Hastings were 13th in the U13 boys.
If you have any queries or want more information regarding this post, please Email Reg Hook.