The Sussex Schools Intermediate girls’ team chalked up one of their best results ever, in the South East Schools Inter-county match at Bexley on Saturday when they won their match against the might of the south east counties.
While the other three age groups finished in fourth team spot against, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent and Middlesex, the Inters who are under 17 provided five winners in their group and only in a couple of events did they fail to get an athlete in the top three places.
In unhelpful and windy conditions, mainly headwind for the sprinters, hurdles and jumps, Ruby Jerges turned in the performance of the day with a record jumping 5.74m to win the long jump ahead of team mate Cleo Tomlinson who leapt 5.59m for second place. Jerges jump is better than Kate Bachtiger's 1980 Sussex record of 5.73m but it is understood it was wind assisted so may well deprive her of the record.
Freya Brennard won the hammer throw with 48.83m and Kelsey Sutherland, the triple jump with 11.01m with Harriet Armstrong in third place with 10.64m while Ivy Spencer took the pole vault at 3.10 and Abigail Packham the 80m hurdles in 11.8s.
Second places were gained by Rebekah Tyler in the shot putt with 11.85m, Mille Noyce with 31.53m in the discus throw and an unusual second place for Lizzie Korczak with 40.65m in the javelin throw after trouble coping with the wind.
On the track, in the “A” races, the were further second places for Ruby Anning in the 200m in 26.3, Millie Dickinson in the 800m in 2:17.09s, with Layla Wilkinson third in a 1/100th PB of 2:17.16s, in the 1,500m for Poppy Palmer Malins in 4: 50.6s and Poppy Oliver in the 300m hurdles in 44.67s.
Sussex scored 246.5 points to Hampshire’s 226.5 and Surrey’s 184 points.
There were more winning performances in the other age groups with Timi Esan winning the Inter Boys 100m in 11.27s, James Pavey clocked 14.2s in the 100m hurdles, with Seb Wallace winning the “B” race in 14.4s, and Pyers Lockwood taking the 400m hurdles while Dylan Hanslow clocking 4:48.4 took second place in the Inter Boys 1,500m steeplechase.
James Pratt won the Junior javelin throw with 51.56m while in the Junior girls events Sussex took the first three places in the pole vault with Emilie Oakden clearing 3.30m, Amelia Hatchard 3.10 and Maddie Bullen, competing as a guest, 2.90m.
Noa Maoundus took second place in the 75m hurdles in 11.38s with Isabella Lehtinen winning the “B” race in 11.80m.
Overall the Sussex team did well in finish close fourth behind Kent, Hampshire and Surrey but ahead of Middlesex.