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Sussex youngsters got amongst the medals in the England U15 and U17 Track and field championship at Bedford over the weekend with things coming good for Lewes pole vaulter Livvy Connor. After a year when she has shown great promised as an intermediate hurdler but seemed to be just a touch away from the top her form in her number one event although she did take the bronze medal in the English Schools U17 event. At Bedford however she was in great form equalling her personal best of 3.60m to take the gold medal.
In the same event Tamsin Campbell (Crawley) was also on form to clear 3.30m to take sixth place. In the 3,000 metres Brighton & Hove’s Stephen Ferroni was involved a great battle for the medals but eventually lost out for the gold to Josh Kerr (Edinburgh) who just snatched the title in the final strides in 8:35.15s to Ferroni’s second place in 8:35.34s, which is pretty repetitive for Ferroni. He has only raced four times this season and he has finished second every time but this did include an English Schools and International Schools second placing. This time however it was the fastest he has ever run.
There were two bronze medals for Sussex with Finley Bigg (Phoenix), again ducking under 50 seconds taking the bronze medal in the 400m in 49.88s. to match his English Schools bronze medal in July while Lillie Franks (Crawley) repeated the medicine in the U15 high jump. Franks was the only Sussex U15 medal winner but she had to share her third place with two other jumpers clearing 1.65m, which was also the height cleared by the second placed athlete. Jonny Haines (Crawley) took fourth spot in the U17 hammer throw with 54.24m while in the same age group George Turner (Brighton & Hove), Archie Davis (Phoenix) and Joe Fuggle (Tonbridge) all finished in fifth place. After a season when he has been struggling to clear the heights he had been clearing indoors in the early part of the year Turner at last matched and even bettered his indoor mark soaring over a personal best height of 4.10m. for equal fifth place. Davis’s fifth place came in the 800m in 1:57.22s and Fuggle’s in the 400m hurdles in 56.97s. In the U17 girls events Sophie Mansfield (Phoenix) and Lottie Hoare (Brighton & Hove) picked up sixth places Mansfield clocking 2:14.93s in the 800 metres and Hoare throwing 45.80m in the hammer throw. Joe Massimo Crawley’s Surrey athlete added the U15 200m title to his English Schools 300m crown setting a new Championship Best Performance in both semi-final and final finishing with 22.19s.