Back at the county championships in May, Horsham sprint hurdler Clare Milborrow was aiming for another sub 14.0sec. 100m hurdles before the season was out.

Since then, conditions and competition have ruled against her.

It all came good for her, however, in the Bedford International Games.

In a high-class international field, the Brighton City primary school teacher not only cracked the 14.0sec. barrier but also came within one hundredth of a second of her own county record.

Placing third in an event that was won by national champion Diane Allahgreen, Milborrow clocked 13.90sec. and the following wind was well within limits.

County 400m hurdles champion Leanne Buxton, from Southwick, did not take so kindly to the conditions.

She still managed second in her event, however, in 62.84sec., two places ahead of Crawley's Natalie Christmas, who clocked 65.13sec.

There was a one, two, three for Sussex runners in a good-class Open 3,000m at Watford with all three setting personal bests.

Crawley's Paul Rodgers and Louis Jones, the silver medallist in the Sussex 5,000m championship back in May, took it upon themselves to set the pace.

Brighton & Hove's Jack Vail, who is still in the under-20 age group, was quite happy to keep them company. Rodgers split the group up over the final couple of laps to win in 8min. 35.89sec., eight seconds inside his previous best, while Jones chopped one second off his best when clocking 8min. 40.63sec.

Vail, who has been struggling to return to his best after a winter and spring of niggling injuries, could not hold on to his senior rivals over the second half of the race.

He kept up a brisk pace, however, and chopped some seven seconds off his previous best, taking third spot in 8min. 53.09sec.

Andrew Dean, from Chichester, chopped more than one second off his previous best time when winning the British Milers' Club 800m race at the Crawley track.

These races are graded by ability rather than age, and Dean, who is only in his first year in the under-20 group, had to face some strong competition.

In a neck and neck finish, he got the nod from the judges, clocking 1min. 55.3sec.

Matthew Furber, from Worthing, who is still in the under-17 age group, just missed the medals, placing fourth in 1min. 58.7sec., one tenth of a second faster than his previous best.

Charlotte Browning, from Chichester, and Hannah Bates (Phoenix) starred in the women's 800m.

Browning, the silver medallist in the recent English Schools' under-15 800m, improved her best to date when clocking 2min. 18.5sec. in third place, one place ahead of Bates, who clocked 2min. 20.7sec.

In the 1,500m, Lizzie Austen (Phoenix), who is a senior, clocked her fastest-ever time of 4min. 56.4sec. when filling fourth place.