There were five Sussex winners on a rain and windswept day at Horspath, Oxford, in the Southern U15 and U20 Inter-county match over the weekend.
Holiday’s played havoc with most County teams but the Sussex Under 15s excelled themselves with a brilliant second team spot scoring 123.5 points to the winning Kent team’s 124.5 while the decimated Under 20 squad, ably supplemented by some U17 athletes did exceptionally well to finish in sixth team place.
All in all it was a fine performance by the Sussex athletes many of whom had to battle with severe weather.
Ironically three of the winners came in the U20 match and each one was an U17 athlete.
Without doubt the star performer was Brighton’s Amber Anning who not only won the U20 100m in her one and only race over this distance this season. Her time into driving rain was a remarkable 11.79s which is an Under 17 county record and equalled the long standing former Sussex senior record by Carley Wenham.The time was also the second fastest by a British Under 17 this season.
Also in the U20 group Amber’s clubmate Rafe Brooks, who has certainly ended his season on a high again improved his personal best when winning with a leap of 6.68m a leap that is just two centimetres shy of the best leap by a Sussex senior athlete this season.
Winners however do not always win team events.
The Sussex success in the Under 15 Southern Championship, and this applies to both teams was based on the commitment of the whole team and there were a host of second and third places, including Lizzie Korczak who was squeezed into second in javelin with 38.02m.
Sixth team place would have been considered a good placing for the Under 20s in most years but this year it was outstanding and second for the Under 15 is probably the best ever team placing for Sussex at these championships.