Young Chichester athletes rack up points in league meeting

With league champions Winchester well clear, a mere 30 points separated the other five clubs – Chichester finishing in front of Bournemouth and Team Dorset and just behind Portsmouth and Southampton.

It was again a dominant display from the U15 boys which did much to keep Chi in contention. A well balanced squad meant the 100m B string was the only gap in the six track and six field events contested.

In-form Ivo Edgar shone once again with a 300m and 800m double, the latter following a new personal best of 2.04 in Winchester a few days earlier.

Joe Stewart almost made it a double win but took runners-up spot in the B string while twins Albie and Jacques Dormer showed good speed in the non-scoring race and picked up good team points in hurdles, long jump and javelin.

Top Sussex multi-eventer Reuben Shewan showed his mettle in 200 and javelin before notching a double win with Stewart in the high jump.

Oisan Landstrom battle well over 100 and 300m while Max Gayle notched up another 1500m victory, partnered to good effect by Freddie Gay, the latter then teaming up with Frank James for an effective throwing partnership in discus and hammer.

The match ended on a high for Chichester who maintained their unbeaten run in the 4x300m relay with another sub 2.50 clocking.

The U15 girls were lacking in numbers but the quartet in action were all on fine form.

Anna Wyatt again went beyond the 30m mark in the hammer – and emerged as an unexpected winner in the discus. On the track Isla Pearson was involved is close battles over both 200 and 300m but had to settle for two runners-up spots, albeit behind two county champions.

Maya Stair showed speed over 200m as well as endurance in her more usual 1500m while the final member of the quartet, Rebekah Jolly showed versatllity by picking up useful points in 800m, hurdles and shot.

A good squad of ten U13 boys again battled hard against some of the best athletes in their age group in the south.

Isaac Page showed a clean pair of heels to the rest of the field in the hurdles to win by over two seconds with Jack Ford running a good B strring for near maximum points. That pair also combined well in the high jump.

There was a quartet in action in the sprints with Maddox Matthews and Ethan Cowell in the 75m joined by Harrisnon Sopp and Hugo Squires in the 150m.

Cowell joined up with Alfie Luxford for the 800m while Matthews joined up with Rafferety Hinton for the longer 1200m.

Nathaniel Jolly and Fraser Boden completed the squad and kept the scoreboard ticking with a good pairing in the shot as well as long jump.

Just three girls in this age group were able to make the match which meant Chichester did not contest a number of events. However the trio in action gave a good account of themselves with Emmy Pemberton a close second in the 1200m while Olivia Pearson ran well in the 800 while Ella Ford teamed up with Pemberton in the long jump and Pearson in the javelin.

There is a gap in team competition for the juniors but the two Sussex Grand Finals take place in early September, with the U15s in action on Friday 5 at the Withdean, Brighton, while the U13s travel to Crawley for their final on Sunday.