Melanie Anning and I have been taking advantage of the hiatus in athletic competition to scrutinise our “All-time” Ranking Lists and bring those up to date and correct some anomalies that have crept in since 1980 when I first produced the lists.
It has been a rather time consuming job but we have had excellent help from Tony Miller from Crawley who is one of the top British Athletics Statisticians and a co-editor of the annual British Athletics Statistical review on behalf of the N.U.T.S.
Tony is a member of the Crawley Club, although he no longer lives in Sussex; and was a Sussex Announcer and one of the leading National Announcers at many major British meetings.
His help has been invaluable.
We are allowing the lists to stretch from their original Ten to 15 but will not be adding marks at the foot but allowing them to reach 15 in the 
fullness of time.
There are 14 marks that are more than 60 years old, ten men and four women. It was sixty years ago that the first official NUTS ranking lists were published in book form although there were best performances list issued before then by the likes of McWhirter twins, Ross and Norris who had launched the Guinness Book of records five years earlier.
These initial lists might be worth looking at at some time to see which Sussex athletes made the National lists all that time ago.
Some of these marks are pretty long standing with the oldest being credited to George Larner in 1911 when he clocked 12:17.3s for the 3000m walk which still places him fifth on the Sussex list.
There were three other marks that were set before the Second World War both Brighton’s Dickie Webb and “Sandy” Duncan (Achilles) clocked 10.7s (converted from yards) for the 100m in 1936 for joint tenth place while Webb is also credited with a 21.5s clocking for the 200m on the straight on the Pitt Street cinder track at Portsmouth for eighth position.
It should be noted the women had a limited choice of events to contest then. No 400m or 400m hurdles, no events longer than one mile, no triple jump or pole vault, no hammer throwing and no road racing.
Sue Allday is the only athlete to still head the list with 14.97m in the shot putt in 1959 and she is also in second place with her 1958 discus throw of 47.70m, one place ahead of Horsham’s Maya Giri who threw 45.81m while also in 1958 Brighton’s Maureen Burtenshaw places fifth with 44.17m.
Come 1951 Worthing all-rounder Peter Goldsmith leapt 14.24m for ninth position. Goldsmith who was in the Army before joining the Met Police is, I believe, the only one of this group of athletes who did not receive international recognition.
In 1952 Maj Charles J Reidy (Milocarians) a Sussex champion threw the hammer 51.20m which keeps him in 12th place while one year later J.W.Abott (London A.C), another county champion putt the shot 14.11m which also places him 12th.
In 1955 P.A.L. (Paul) Vine (Achilles) clocked 14.6s y for the 110m hurdles.
Roy Cruttenden (Poly/Brighton) leapt 7.60m for the long jump in 1956 and this stayed as the Sussex Record until 2016 and is still 2nd on the list while the same year saw Hugh Foord (Brighton) clock 14:04.4s for the 5,000m, converted from three miles to take 14th position.
I wonder how many of today’s athletes will still be listed in 60 years’ time?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have included the UKA County Qualifications from the rule book but I would be happy to try to deal with any queries.
The following extract is taken from UK Athletics – Rules for Competition – effective from 1st April 2018 and is reproduced with permission from UKA. This information is provided as a guide only and should not be considered as a definitive statement of the rules.
RULE 21 S 6 UKA SUPPLEMENT
COUNTY, DISTRICT AND AREA QUALIFICATIONS
(1) English County Qualification
(i) County Championships are open to all eligible athletes possessing a County qualification.
(ii) A County qualification may be acquired as follows:
(a) By birth (see also Rule 21 S4(1)
(b) By nine month’s continuous bona fide residence in the County immediately prior to the competition.
(c) By service in a Unit of HM Forces stationed in the County for nine months immediately prior to the date of the competition. Temporary absence on duty shall not break a qualification acquired under this paragraph.
NOTE: Membership of a Club affiliated to a County Association does not, of itself, provide an athlete with a County qualification unless at least one of (a) – (c) is above is satisfied.
(iii) Competitors who have qualified and competed, under (1)(ii)(b) or (c) above retain that qualification until they have acquired a residential qualification and competed in the Championship of another County, or represented another County in an Inter-County Championship.
(iv) A student at school, college or university does not acquire a residential qualification by residence in the County during term time only (See also (x) below).
(v) An athlete who has competed in a County Championship (other than is allowed under (x) below) or represented a County in an Inter-County competition, may not compete in the Championships of, nor represent, another County in that Competition Year.
(vi) County Inter-Team (including relay) Championships are open to: (a) Any Club affiliated to the County Association, fulfilling the appropriate requirements of Rule 21 S2(4)
(b) Any Unit of HM Forces stationed in the County
(c) Any school, college or business house in the County
NOTE: Every member of a team must hold a County qualification for that event as defined in (ii) above.
(vii)A County may at its discretion limit Team Championships to affiliated Clubs.
(viii) Athletes whose first claim Club is not affiliated to the County Association may compete for their second claim Club in a County Inter-Team Championship if they possess the necessary County qualification.
(ix) A Club may affiliate to more than one County.
(x) A County may at its discretion relax the qualification in the case of athletes in term-time residence at a school, college or university within its boundaries, but competition in any such events shall not be deemed to have established a County qualification for any inter-county competition. This discretion is not extended to include athletes of any age attending only as day students at the institution concerned.
(xi) Where County boundaries are changed by law, affecting the place of birth or residence of an athlete, thereby moving it from County A to County B the following shall apply: (a) if athletes have already competed for County A, or in the Championships of County A, under (ii) above, they shall retain the existing birth or residential qualification unless notice is given in writing to the Honorary Secretary of County A that they wish henceforth to be qualified for County B.
(b) if athletes have not competed for County A or in the Championship of County A under (ii) above, the place of birth shall be deemed to have been in County B and any period of residence in County A to have been in County B.
(xii)Competitors in an Inter-County Championship must possess a County qualification under (ii) above for the County they represent.
Please any suggestion for amendments to reghook@ntlworld.com. Thank you.