Katherine Stevens retained her supreme champion title at the Sussex Championships.

She was first in the floor, vault, beam and bar events during the artistic competition at Crawley Leisure Centre.

Uckfield hogged the podium. Katherine's clubmates Amy Battell, 14, was second and Alanna Orpen, 12, third.

Coach Janice Binder said: "I am very pleased for Katherine. She went in as favourite because she is a national squad gymnast.

"She is rated in the top eight for her age in the country and reckoned by the British Association to have world class potential.

"That is all very well but you have to perform on the day and that is what she did.

"Katherine has determination and talent. It was a useful competition for her because she was able to develop new routines."

Katherine, from Crowborough, said: "I like performing in front of a crowd. I am a bit of a show off. I was pleased with my displays, especially on the bars. It was a new routine but I managed to do it cleanly.

"I also got an award for being Sussex's most outstanding prospect which was a nice surprise."

Hannah Taylor, 11, from Uckfield, won the level two title and team-mate Katlyn Birchmore the level three award.

Uckfield also enjoyed success in the sports acrobatics section when Alison Novis and Becci Healey (open FIG pairs), Matt Bennett and Holly Freeman (FIG mixed pairs) and Kate Nottidge and Isis Clegg-Vinell (Talent Development Programme level two) retained their titles.

Clubmates Chloe Ticehurst and Leanne Cracknell took the junior FIG pairs on their competition debuts.

All four successful pairs will compete in the British tournament in Stoke in November.

Heather Mann, Kirstie Jarvis, Tessa Vanderkleij and Kerry Denton completed a rhythmic gymnastics hat-trick for Wickers (Shoreham) and The Hawth (Crawley) were team gymnastics champions.

Rebecca Owen (Hawth), Tyler Hand (Angmering) and Andrea Street (Pyramid, Burgess Hill) were tumbling champions.

Brighton and Hove pair Anthony O'Donnell (under-12s) and Robert Hempenstall (under-14s) were winners in the boys' championships. Competitors had to complete in the floor, vault, high bar, parellel bars, pummel and rings. Sussex chairman Derek Ashdown was delighted with the record entry.

He said: "The championships have gone from strength to strength since we combined the different elements into one big event. It was exhausting but the centre was packed with spectators and the competition was good."