Lewes Pair Miss Out On Medals

The almost gale force winds played havoc with all the track races and neither were able to equal their season s best, but this was the same for all the athletes.

Racing in the 400 metres Tim, the Sussex senior 400 metres champion and championship record holder, was a little unlucky in the draw for the final.

After placing equal second in his heat Tim drew the short straw in the final and was allocated the outside lane with no one to chase.

In the wind Tim found it difficult to get his pace right and he lost out in the battle down the home straight, taking a nevertheless excellent fourth place in 48.1sec.

Joel was also to finish in fourth place in the 800 metres but this time his powerful finishing pace that has held him in such good stead this season was not quite good enough to get him on the medal podium.

His time of 1min. 54.74sec. was two seconds outside his season s best but nevertheless this was his best ever placing in a National championship.

Racing in the British Milers Club Open races at Watford Stephen Rees-Jones showed his best form of the season to date when he swept to a well-timed victory in the 800 metres.

Already the fastest Sussex 1,500 metre runner this season with a fine clocking of 3min. 44.04sec, Stephen powered away from his rival down the finishing straight to win in 1min. 51.03sec. which is the fastest time by any Sussex runner this season and indeed the fastest Sussex time since he broke 1min. 50sec. in 1997.

At the same meeting Lewes Tertiary s Darryl Hards was squeezed into tenth place in the 1,500 metres in 4min. 07.25sec.

Caroline Wilson from Crowborough made her final preparations for this weekend s All England Schools championships at Exeter with a useful double in the Southern Women s League match at Poole.

Caroline won the 100 metres in 13.1sec. and followed this with a comfortable victory over 400 metres in 62.0sec.

This weekend Caroline will be running in the Intermediate 300 metres but the standard is so high at these championships that she will do well to reach the semi-finals.

Higher hopes are expected of Lewes Tertiary s Andrew Bennett in the senior 400 metres hurdles.

Last year at Sheffield Andrew reached the final of this event but did not do himself justice. This year he will be disappointed if he does not get amongst the medals.

Published: 5.7.01 Sussex Newspapers Ltd