by Under 15 Team Manager Sean Dunford
It was a fantastic track and field season for Brighton & Hove AC’s Under 15s. They won the Sussex U15 League for the first time since 2009 and secured a strong second place in a competitive YDL league against some top London clubs.
Fixtures came thick and fast, requiring the use of a full squad of 43 athletes who competed through the scorching June heat and some torrential rain in July. All the athletes performed brilliantly, handling early morning trips for the YDL and fixture congestion when multiple school events meant several competitions a week.
What was most pleasing was the support they gave each other and their ability to adapt to fill in events at the last minute or be in two places at once. The individual matches were so close, and the ability to cover nearly every event made all the difference. Special mention to Saul Bennett, who, in the Sussex League finale, ran a personal best (PB) and a league record of 2:04.3 over 800m.
Thanks to the parents for their help in officiating and ensuring the athletes made it to their events on time
by Under 13 Team Manager Samantha Koloutsos
Brighton’s U13 team has had an incredible season, with approximately 40 young athletes displaying tremendous commitment to the club. Whether it was traipsing around Sussex on a Friday night after a hard week at school or their dedication to training, they have all been brilliant.
The season saw six club records broken: Seren Rowe set a new mark in the girls’ 800m of 2:22.35, Louis Ashworth Long Jumped 5.06m and Triple Jumped out to 10.03m. In July Alexandra Koloutsos set a club record of 9.02m in the Triple Jump to move into the Top 10 of the UK All-time U13 Girl rankings. In September Klara Novak-Wightman improved this club record by three centimetres, with a leap of 9.05m. Klara is now sixth on the All-Time rankings, and Alex is 8th. The final record was broken by the boys’ relay team, consisting of Louis Ashworth, Eddie Sullivan, Thomas Campbell, and Matthew Reid, with a fine time of 54.39.
The under 13 League final on Sunday 3rd September was the icing on the cake. In the blazing sunshine, the athletes came together and achieved 24 first-place finishes across various events, along with several personal bests. They absolutely deserved to come home as winners. We have had a season of mostly highs, but if there were any moments of tears or disappointment, then all the team pulled together and lifted each other. I witnessed the most incredible sportsmanship and kindness, and they took the knocks as a team and celebrated together each individual achievement. I could not be prouder of each and every sportsman.
As I like to say, they are ALL LEGENDS. I’ll be sad to say goodbye to the older ones as they move up to the U15s category, but I have no doubt they will continue to develop further. After witnessing the U11s’ performance on Sunday, I’m excited about the competitions in the following years.
GO BRIGHTON!