There was a clutch of medals, including two golds, for Sussex at the South of England Indoor championships at Lee Valley over the weekend. Primarily it was the Under 15 and Under 17 championships but the Senior and U20 1500 metres events were incorporated to reduce the time at next weekend’s senior and U20 championships at the same venue. The first gold medal came in the U20 championships on Saturday when Brighton & Hove’s Tom Eames, forsook his final chance of an under 17 title at the Sussex Cross-country championships at Bexhill by running in the U20 age group. He ran a perfectly judged race to win the title in 4:01.61s. The other Sussex title came on Sunday when Horsham Blue Star’s Ruby Jerges took the U15 long jump crown with a leap of 5.12m beating club mate Cleo Tomlinson, who jumped 4.99m into second place. There were two silver medals for Seb Wallace (Horsham) in the Boys U15 Long jump and High Jump with 5.81m and 1.66m respectively, while Emilie Oakenden (Lewes) cleared 2.50m for silver in the U15 pole vault with another Lewes vaulter Natasha Clarke just missing the medals by placing fourth with 2.20m. The U 15 boy’s pole vault saw another silver medal when Ori Bartle (Lewes) cleared 2.80m and Dillan Tierney (Crawley) also cleared 2.80m to take the bronze medal. In the U15 200 metres Ruby Anning took fourth place in 26.89s after clocking 26.75s in her semi-final. On Saturday she had finished sixth in the 60 metres final after an 8.16s PB in the semi. In the U17 events Crawley athletes Adam Lindo and Katie Bristowe both won silver medals with Lindo setting a personal best of 6.61m in the long jump and Bristowe clocking 8.79s in the 60m hurdles final following an 8.73s PB in the heat. Kelsey Sutherland from Worthing leapt to a bronze medal in the U17 triple jump with 10.63m and she also took fifth place in the long jump with 5.18m, both personal bests while Charlie Finnie (Crawley) putt the U17 shot 11.49m for bronze medal and there were several fourth placings. In the U17 age group Will Snashall (Crawley) cleared 3.50m in the pole vault, Louis Goffin (Brighton & Hove) leapt 12.36m in the triple jump, Millie Noyce (Crawley) putt the shot 12.76m and Ivy Spencer (Lewes) cleared 2.80m in the pole vault. Eastbourne’s Moyo Daramola clocked 52.16s when winning his semi-final of the U17 400m but he finished sixth in the final in 52.65s. ENGLISH INDOOR COMBINED EVENTS Elise Lovell from Hastings, on her debut for Havant AC, led the Sussex athletes in the National senior Indoor Pentathlon championships at Sheffield when she scored 3881 points to place sixth. During the competition Lovell was the best long jumper with a leap of 5.85m. Katie Garland from Brighton & Hove placed ninth with 3609 points and she was the best high jumper clearing 1.74m while club mate Becky Owen placed 15th with 3387 points. Crawley’s Jo Rowland from Surrey was second in the competition with 4033 points.
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