It was a very different kind of Sussex Schools' meeting at Crawley’s K2 Leisure centre on Saturday.
Instead of holding their Annual Championships, Sussex Schools held “Trials” to help athletes from Sussex achieve a qualification standard and possible selection for the County team for the English Schools Championships at Manchester next month. The athletes had to have already achieved a tough standard to get an invite to the trials meeting.
There were many fine battles and personal best performances and several athletes achieved English Schools Entry standards.
Rachael Wall (Brighton Girls) an inter, was a bronze medallist in the Junior girls javelin at the 2019 ESAA Championships. She's presently ranked number two in the UK and effortlessly qualified with a distance of 39.68m. Her clubmates in the younger age group, Dulcie Yelling (Varndean) and Eloise White (Brighton College) both achieved entry standards, with 37.56 and 36.20m.
Eleanor Strevens (Claremont) was an impressive winner of the Inter (U17) Girls 1500m in 4:42.27s, while Yasmin Kashdan (Tanbridge House) ran 10.18.94 in the Inter 3K, short of her 10.01.31 PB but still within the entry standard of 10.20.
In the Junior boys shot putt Ardingley’s Will Thurston won with a national standard putt of 14.90m and in the Inter girls triple jump Hope Yelling cleared a National standard distance of 11.21m.
The impressive performances kept coming in the 80m hurdles with Elliot Hanslow (Thomas Bennett Community School) running 11.66 in the junior boys and Noa Maoundus (Hazlewick) 11.62 in the Inter Girls.
Elodie Bradley (Blatchington Mill) continued her strong season with a 12.57s junior girls' 100m and as has become normal these days there were many high flying jumps in the pole vault, namely Gemma Tutton (Priory) in the inter girls' leaping 3.80.
Southern Under 20:
Fine performances by Sussex U20 athletes at Bedford last weekend saw them complete a hat-trick of gold medals and three silver medals. All of these athletes, with exception of Moyo Sargent, are still young enough to compete in the Senior (U19) age group at the English Schools Championships.
The youngest winner was Lewes pole-vaulter Gemma Tutton, who is still in the U17 (Inter group) for School events. She proved victorious at Bedford clearing 3.80m, while Club mate Emilie Oakden just missing the medals in fourth place clearing 3.30m.
There was a first and fourth for Sussex in the javelin throw with Brighton & Hove’s Liz Korczak again repelling the opposition with a splendid throw of 48.22m and Horsham’s Peanut Meeking finishing fourth with 39.74m.
The third Sussex gold came in the 1500m and the very much inform Harriet Bloor, now with Lewes, chalking up an impressive win in 4:38.97.
Another who has been showing consistently good form this year is Crawley’s Ruby Jerges. Ruby was the silver medallist in the long jump with another fine leap of 5.66m while Kelsey Sutherland from Worthing hop, step and jumped 10.92m to collect her silver medal in the triple jump.
Moyo Sargent (Eastbourne) was unlucky to miss his best chance of winning an English Schools medal when championhips were cancelled last year but he is still determined to get amongst the medals and he took the silver medal in the Under 20 400m in 48.72m.
THE WEEKEND.
This Saturday the second part of the Sussex Schools Trials will be held at K2 where Under 19 (Seniors), who were not able to compete last weekend, will be in action plus some special invitations from last week’s U17 and U15 events will be given another chance to gain the necessary standards.
The Top Sussex Under 19 athletes will be hot-footing it, again, along with leading Sussex U 23’s for their England Championships to Bedford Saturday and Sunday.