Both Brighton & Hove and Crawley were victorious in their final Southern Athletics League matches of the season last weekend.
Many clubs were struggling to fill full teams in 2019, before the first Lockdown but most clubs are unable to field athletes in every one of the disciplines since the complete loss of League competition in 2020.
This year’s League competition, which did not start until late in the season, does not involve promotion or relegation and the Leagues are not the usual Divisions but more local matches.
East Grinstead at the K2 Centre at Crawley hosted the Southern Division match where Crawley were runaway winners with 342.7 points. This was more than twice as much as the Horsham Blue Star team who totalled 131.9 points. Holland Sports with 92.4, Chichester 82.8 and East Grinstead 66.7 points.
Sussex athletes Morgan Hayward (Crawley, main photo) and Peanut Meekings (Horsham) won the Athlete of the Match medals.
Morgan leapt 14.67m to win the triple jump, which was worth 876 points while Peanut Meekings took the women’s javelin throw with a throw of 38.99m, which totalled 859 points.
Hastings hosted the Sussex Coast Division match at the William Parker track and Brighton & Hove chalked up a comfortable team victory with 287.7 points, well clear of Hastings who scored 210.8 points while the combined Lewes/Haywards Heath team scored 131.1 and Eastbourne
Rovers scored 55.4 points.
Joey Watson (Lewes) and Sarah Hewitt (Brighton & Hove) were Athlete of the Match winners. Joey put the men’s shot out to 14.55s that earned him 887 points and veteran Sarah throwing the women’s discus 35.14m for 807 points.
Images of Morgan Hayward and Sarah Hewitt by Eva Gilbert