One gold, two silver and a county record highlighted Sussex participation in the England U23 and U20 championships in windy conditions at Bedford over the weekend.
The top spot however was saved for Crawley’s Orla Brothers who has been promising so much this season in the U20 400 metres and particularly the 400m hurdles.
This tall, elegant, red haired athlete returned to competition early this season after losing last season through injury and has simply gone from strength to strength.
Brothers eased though her heat on Saturday in second place but the final was a different matter and she scorched around the track coming off the final bend a clear leader. She stretched that lead all the way to the finish to break the sixty seconds barrier for the first time.
Brothers was more than a second clear of her nearest rival in 59.46s, the first Sussex U20 to crack sixty second and her time places her second on the Sussex All Time List.
Toby Harries (Brighton Phoenix) is another athlete who has comeback to top flight athletics after losing last season. After testing his leg out at the Sussex Schools' championships last weekend Harries decided he was fit enough to take on the top sprinters in the Country and finished third, in 21.1s in his heat but come the final he battled with Croydon’s Romell Glave before being squeezed into second place in 21.18s to the winner’s 21.08s.
Sussex silver came in the U20 110m hurdles where Brighton & Hove’s Cameron Fillery won his heat in 13.74s but again was beaten by a Croydon athlete, Robert Sakala in the final clocking 13.89s to the winners 13.83s.
Collecting an U20 Bronze medal was George Turner (Crawley) who set his best ever outdoor clearance of 4.55m in the pole vault.
The other two bronze medallists came in the U23 events with Brighton Phoenix athletes Spencer Thomas being squeezed into third place in a tactical 800 metres in 1:48.48s and Rob Fitzgerald, again in a tactical battle, in 3:44.42s while Brighton & Hove’s Ian Crowe-Wright placed seventh in 3:47.44s.
Joe Fuggle (Wadhurst) just missed a medal in the U20 400m hurdles in 53.77s as did Archie Davis (Phoenix) in the 1500m in 3:59.24s and Horsham’s Jade Brewster in the U23 pole Vault when clearing 3.65m with Livvy Connor (Lewes) clearing 3.50m for fifth place.
There was a fifth place for Natasha Purchas (Crawley), who is still an U17 performer, in the U20 Pole Vault with a clearance of 3.45m and for Crawley’s Holly Turner in the U23 400m with, like brother George her best outdoor performance of 54.95s, which is the fifth fastest time by a Sussex athlete.
Studies have hampered County 400m hurdles record holder Bethany Close this season and after winning her U23 heat inside sixty seconds she placed sixth in the final in 61.80s and there was an equal sixth for Crawley’s U20 high jumper, Lillie Franks ,in a disappointing 1.63m in difficult conditions while Scott Staples (Lewes) threw the U20 javelin 53.69m for seventh place.
This place was matched by Finley Bigg (Phoenix) in the U20 800m in 1:52.17s and club mate Dan Stidder clocked 8:47.26s for ninth place in the U20 3000 metres, a pretty good haul for Sussex.
Unfortunately another medal went by the board when Amber Anning, who had ran the fastest heat in the U20 400m, despite still being U 17, had to withdraw from the final because of a twinge when warming up. She is due to compete for the English Schools team in France next weekend.
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