Daniel Stepney from Longhill and Jenny Bliss from Blatchington Mill were the star performers at the Brighton, Hove and Portslade Schools' Cross Country Championships. .

In the event which took place at Varndean College, they were up against older athletes with the groupings altered from non-school events.

Daniel, who has won all his under-13s Sussex league and championship races, triumphed in the boys' under-14s race from Tom Dreger and Joe Isherwood from the host school.

Jenny, despite a disappointing season at under-15s in the League and inter-county competition, claimed the girls' under-16s crown.

She pulled away from schoolmate Joanne Manser over the second half of the race. Jenny said: "I do not know whether I will do the Sussex Schools event next month.

My cross country season has not been good so far and I may well be looking to do some indoor racing and concentrating on the track season.

"I plan to race over 300m indoors at Birmingham at the end of the month and then decide what I will do for the rest of the season."

Jenny became the first Sussex athlete to qualify for Sussex Schools teams in national cross country, track and field and combined events last year.

But she may be better off looking to her first year as an under-17 on the track.

Patcham's Hannah Bates, the Sussex under-15 champion, cruised clear of schoolmate Keely Gunn to win the girls' under-14s and will be a hard nut to crack in the Sussex Schools Championships next month.

The boys' under 16 race saw Blatchington Mill's Steven Granger-Bevan a clear winner.

Varndean won the boys' under-14s and girls' under-16s events.