Steyning walkers Sophie Hales, Nick Ball and Derry Brown won their races and helped the South win the National Area Age Group Championships at Birmingham.

Hales claimed the under-17s crown with a personal best 25min.31.5sec over 5,000m, overcoming rival Katie Stones. She pipped Stones (Hull) for the All-England Schools' 3,000m title recently and pushed the pace at Birmingham to win by more than a minute.

She finished more than two minutes clear of the under-20 athletes in a race that combined two age groups.

Ball, who also won an All England Schools title, was in a class of his own in the under-15s' 3,000m, easing home in 16min.11.9sec.

In the under-13s' 2km race, Brown battled against Louis Hayden (Midlands) before snatching victory by ten metres in a personal best 10min.11.6sec.

FIVE Sussex teams gained top ten places in the South of England Young Athletes Road Relay Championships at the Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot.

Phoenix finished fifth in the under-13s' 4x2.3km race through Joe Stewart, Owen Lingwood, Sam Rigby and Calum Morrison.

Hastings were sixth in the under-17s race of four 3km legs.

Lee Emanuel, the Sussex Schools' 1,500m champion who finished fifth in the All England Schools' Championships at Exeter in July, took his team into the lead with the second fastest lap of the day, 12min.05sec.

After battling through the wind and rain, he handed over to Mark Barham 30m clear of Ipswich.

Barham and James Mountford maintained the lead but Paul Wilson slipped back on the final leg.

Crawley were tenth in the under-17 and under-13 girls' races and the club's under-15 girls were eighth.

In the under-15 girls' event, Charlotte Browning, from Chichester, finished with the fastest lap of the day on the second of three 3km laps for Aldershot.

Charlotte, in her first year in the age group, clocking 10min.44sec, two seconds faster than club-mate Hannah Jones.