The Horsham Blue Stars and Chichester youngsters are having some fine battles in the Lower Age Group of the Southern Area of the Youth Development League.
Competing in the third round of Division West two Horsham won their home match on Sunday with 517 points to their Sussex rivals 499 and Woking’s 456 leading the four non Sussex teams in this division.
Although this is basically an inter-club competition there is still plenty to enthuse over amongst the individual performances at the various matches.
At Broadbridge Heath Cleo Tomlinson was again in tremendous form for Horsham notching up a hat-trick of wins in the U13 events. Starting with a victory in the “B” 70m metre hurdles in 11.6s, after club mate Ruby Jerges had won the “A” race in 11.8s, she went on to win the high jump clearing 1.45m and the long jump with 4.81m.
Club mate Leo Walker also scored a hat-trick but in the U15 age group winning the shot putt with 10.90m, the hammer throw with 25.33m and the discus throw with 34.72m.
The outstanding individual performance of this round came at Lewes in Division East two where Medway romped away with the match scoring 604.5 points. A great battle amongst four Sussex clubs saw them separated by just 11.5 points with Hastings taking second place with 472.5 points, East Grinstead 470.5, Worthing & District 469.5 and Lewes on 461.
It was Lewes athlete Anouska Fairhurst who starred in the U13 javelin throw with a Sussex record. Fairhurst has been having an excellent season and she completed her efforts with a splendid 37.73m having earlier won the 150m in 21.3s. Fairhurst’s javelin effort also bettered the three year old League record and sees her secure her place at the top of the U13G UK rankings this season and move to number seven on the UK All Time list.
In Division East One at Walthamstow the Brighton & Hove team took second team spot behind Chelmsford who totalled 615 points to the Sussex team’s 574 and Orion’s 511.
Many of the U15 athletes at these matches had been in action for the Sussex School’s team the previous day and Max Brazier, who had finished third in the U15 800m in 2:05.3s for Sussex Schools was able to take it a little easier and needed only 2:07.4s to win his event on Sunday.
Crawley, the other Sussex Division one team in West One at Kingsmeadow had a really tough match and were squeezed into fourth place behind Guildford on 617 points, Kingston - 595 and Team Dorset - 586, with 581 points. Katie Bristowe retained her unbeaten record this season with 11.7s in the U15 75m hurdles while Lauren Lethbridge, who was squeezed into fourth place on Saturday, proved victorious on Sunday winning the U15 long jump with 5.14m.
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