There were golds for Eastbourne's Pyers Lockwood and Lewes AC's Gemma Tutton, as well as several other medals, at the English U17/U15 championships in mixed conditions at Bedford last weekend.
English Schools U17 400m hurdles champion Pyers Lockwood (Eastbourne) completed a magnificent season with a convincing U17 victory in 55.81 seconds. While the second gold came from Lewes’s Gemma Tutton, who is back from two years living in Spain. The British All-time number one under 13 and under 15 pole vaulter, took the U15 crown clearing 3.51m to confirm her status. Fellow Lewes club member Amelia Hatchard took the bronze medal with a fine PB clearance of 3.31m, while Emilie Oakden also soared over 3.31m but lost out on a medal on count back.
Just back from holiday Brighton & Hove’s Lizzie Korczak was a silver medallist in the U17 javelin with a throw of 45.29m behind Basildon’s Harriet Mortlock who threw 46.11m. There was a bronze medal in the U15 pole vault when Crawley’s James Pratt cleared 3.51m and he also took seventh place in the javelin throw with 47.60m.
High jumper Will Sutton from Crawley just missed a medal placing fourth in the U15 event with 1.72m and club mate, William Snashall, did likewise in the U17 pole vault clearing 3,86m, the same height as Horsham’s Dan Dearden from Surrey who finished fifth.
There were also fifth places for another Crawley/Surrey athletes when Michelle Okorie 12.19 in the U15 shot putt, Crawley’s Jemima Caldwell in the U15 javelin throw with 36.56, with Brighton & Hove’s Rachel Wall in seventh place with 35.55m and an equal fifth spot for Ivy Spencer from Lewes in the U17 pole vault clearing 3.01m.
In the U17s Liam Dunn (Chichester) clocked 1:58.85s for sixth place after clocking 1: 57.24s in his heat, Ruby Jerges (Crawley) leapt 5.41m for sixth place in the long jump and there was another sixth place for Poppy Oliver (Crawley) in the 400m hurdles in 44.68s.
Freya Brennard (Worthing) finished seventh in the U17 hammer throw with 48.86s javelin thrower Ivo Pitts (Crawley) for seventh place while back in the U15 age group there were eighth places for Crawley’s Noa Maoundus in the 75m hurdles in a windy 11.57s and Horsham’s Alina Hillicks in the discus throw with 22.82m.
Reg Hook