In one of the county’s best performances in recent years, Sussex athletes stormed to victory after victory, and many podium places, at last weekend’s South of England Championships at a windy Lee Valley. Worthing’s Emma Macready raced to honours in the 3000m steeplechase, moving into the lead with 1000m to go and never relinquishing it. Macready ran a personal best (PB) and smashed the previous Championship record by almost five seconds with a time of 10:26.78. Perhaps the most emphatic victory of the day was that of Phoenix’s Billy White in the U20 steeplechase. White ran a PB of 9:43.21 for gold – an impressive enough time without his winning margin of 71 seconds!.
Meanwhile in the sprints, Anna Short (Brighton) went into the final of the U20 women’s 100 metres as the fastest qualifier and did not disappoint. Short ran a wind-assisted PB of 11.81 to take gold. Horsham’s Molly Adams was sixth in this race and fifth in the 200m. Crawley’s Jason Hussain was just outside of the medals coming fourth in the senior 200m final. Holly Turner (Crawley), returning to form, ran a seasons best of 55.47 to win the 400m senior women’s crown.
The hurdles proved fertile medal ground for Sussex athletes. Beth Close (Brighton) continued her fine season, running away with the senior women’s 100mH in a wind assisted PB of 13.86 whilst Crawley’s Amy Barclay came through to take bronze in 14.33w. Peter Moreno (Brighton) was just outside of his personal best, in the senior men’s 110mH, taking silver in 14.56. Meanwhile his club mate Gwilym Cooper ran a superb time of 51.58 to win the 400m Hurdles, taking more than a second from his previous best. Horsham’s Kotryna Bajorinaite also ran a PB of 65.23 for silver in the U20W 400MH, with Holly Talbut-Smith (Crawley) fourth in the same race. There was a bronze and a silver in the senior men’s 800m, with Ian Crowe-Wright (Brighton) setting a nippy PB of 1:52.9 followed home by Worthing’s Mark Burchett in 1:54.5. Brighton’s Stephen Ferroni came 6th in the U20M 1500m a few seconds down on his best.
There was more success in the field events. Crawley U17, Lillie Franks, has consistently jumped 1.70m this season and this was good enough to win gold in the U20 High Jump competition. Tom French (Brighton) won the senior men’s Long Jump, jumping a windy season’s best of 7.26m. In the Pole Vault Brighton’s George Turner’s silver medal jump of 4.40m was just one centimetre below his best. Livvy Connor (Lewes) fresh from setting a Championship best of 3.45m at the Sussex Schools’ on Saturday also took silver, jumping 3.60m, just two centimetres down on her PB. Not a bad weekend’s work! In the Senior Men’s Pole Vault Leigh Walker (Crawley), now a veteran jumped 4.40m for bronze. Louisa James (Hastings), threw 57.04m, for second in the senior hammer. Caroline Garratt, (Worthing) (O50) was fifth in the javelin in 38.36m while her teammates, the Evans brothers, finished 4th and 5th in the senior hammer with Matt throwing 51.59m and Simon 48.59m.
Melanie Anning
THE WEEKEND
Sussex athletes have another hectic weekend before them and, if anything, busier than last weekend.
Several of the Sussex athletes who played a major part in last weekend’s successful South of England championships will be heading to Bedford to contest the England U23 and U20 events.
This event also doubles as the trials for the European U23 and U 20 championships next month as well as the World U18 Youth Championships.
Some U20 athletes missed last weekend’s area championships to concentrate on this week’s trials which will be held on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday several leading Sussex Schools athletes will be missing the South East Schools Inter-counties match at Erith in order to compete at Bedford.
There is still the opportunity, at Erith, for athletes to catch the eye of the selectors for a place in the Sussex Schools team in the English Schools event.
On the Club scene there is another round of the Southern Athletic League with clubs travelling to venues across the South East though in Division One both Crawley, who are currently leading the League, and Brighton & Hove, who are struggling this year, have home matches and will be missing several athletes to Bedford.
On Sunday the latest round of the Young Athletes Development League, Lower age group, will be held with Crawley at home in their Premier League match and Both Horsham and Chichester at Broadbridge Heath.