Last weekend saw the final major Sussex County Championships competition of the 2021 Track and field season, with the Combined Events, Steeplechase and Walks events at the Sutton Arena.
Due to the pandemic the two-day competition, co-hosted with Surrey AA, was cancelled last year. Unsurprisingly, apart from the Under 13 girls, entry levels in the Combined Events were low, particularly in the younger age groups. However, Sussex saw a welcome resurgence in both the Walks and the Steeplechase events.
In the 3000m SC for Senior Men, Horsham Blue Star’s Bradley Burke won in a fine 9:36.00 with a margin of almost two minutes. In the 2000SC Horsham Under 20’s Ash Williams and Charlie Beckley took gold and silver in 6:58.69 and 8:18.00 respectively. Their clubmate Under 17 Sophie Morris made it a quartet of medals for HBS with her win in the 1500 SC in a PB of 5:48.86.
In the Walks, Lewes AC brothers, Under 13 Charlie and U15 Harvey Perry, were the gold medallists in their age group in the 2000W and 3000W races, in personal bests of 12:19.48 and 19:05.73. Their clubmate Lauren Morse became Under 20 Women’s champion over 3k in 17:47.96.
The Senior Men’s 3k medallists were all Masters athletes with Trevor Jones of Steyning leading the pack in 16:53.54, from Ian Torode (SW Vets) 18:18.33 and Surrey WC's Paul Gaston in 19:12.53. In between officiating Brighton veteran Judith Carder managed to walk to gold in the senior women’s competition.
The last time High Jumper Will Sutton (CRA) competed over multi-events was in 2019 when he won the Under 15 boys pentathlon. He returned to Sutton for a weekend-long Octathlon and although the only competitor from Sussex, Will’s score of 4271 would also have won the gold medal in the Surrey contest. A week earlier he set his High Jump PB of 2.01m and on Sunday leapt to his second-best height of 1.95m, whilst recording a remarkable seven personal records. Will ended the day with a points total of 4271.
Crawley’s Paul Nixon was the sole Sussex competitor in the Under 13 boys pentathlon, but running, jumping and throwing alongside Surrey athletes, the youngster rose to the challenge. He set three personal bests, scored 1318 and celebrated becoming county champion on top of the podium as the crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’. In the same age group Paul’s clubmate, Jennifer Klein, dominated the event winning four of the five events with a final points total of 2110. Klein set personal bests in the Hurdles, 800m (2:27.21), High Jump and Shot Put. Brighton's Kira Dunford was second with 1816 points and Crawley's Elsie Whyman was third scoring 1717.
The Eastbourne duo of M60 Brian Slaughter and M65 Peter Morgan were Gold and Silver medallists in the Masters' Men’s Pentathlon. Brian has had recent injury problems and they flared up in the final event – the 1500m - forcing him to walk much of the race.
Crawley’s Livvy Connor is better known as a long jumper and pole vaulter, and she was well on the way to establishing an excellent Senior Women's heptathlon score before illness on the second day forced her to withdraw from the competition. Brighton’s Lucy Kirby (3432 pts) comfortably won the three-way battle for gold in the Under 20 Women’s heptathlon, from Chichester’s Fleur Hollyer (2824) and Nicole Boltwood (2361). Keeping it in the family Brighton’s Libby Kirby scored 1696 in a solo U15 Girls competition.
The Masters' Pentathlon for Senior Women saw a World record (pending ratification) from W45 Diana Norma of Epsom & Ewell, with a phenomenal score of 4397. Di is the sister of Brighton’s Julia Machin, the W50 World record holder in the High Jump. Another Brighton athlete W45 Jo Wilding won the Sussex competition with a PB of 2970 including a Shot Put best, from W35 Lucie Venables (HHH).
Our thanks to the Sussex and Surrey officials who supported the smooth-running event and made it all seem effortless.
See the combined Sussex and Surrey results here.
Photos: Mel Anning