Darryl Hards (Phoenix) has became the youngest ever winner of the Sussex 10km road title at 18.

Hards won the men's county crown in 32min. 58sec in an event held in conjunction with the Hastings Open. He was ninth in the open race which had an international field and was the first under-20 runner to finish.

Hards, with leading Sussex runners unavailable, was more than 30 seconds ahead of Hastings' Henry Mountcastle, who had forgotten to enter the county race.

Clubmate Dan Anderson took the Sussex silver medal in 33min.45sec, and Hastings' Daniel Wicks the bronze medal in 34min.10sec.

Mountcastle's failure to enter the county event meant Hailsham Harriers took the Sussex team title, while Arena 80 won the women's crown.

There was a strong field for the women's Sussex title won by Caroline Hoyte (Arena 80).

She had a fine battle with British international Birhan Dagne (Belgrave) in the open race. Dagne pipped her for fourth, both clocked at 36min.32sec.

Jo Hinde, from Hastings, who missed the Sussex Cross Country Championship through illness, showed she is back to her best, taking second place in the Sussex event in 38min.12sec, ahead of Hailsham's Samantha Baines.

Kenyan pair Joseph Riri and Sally Borosio won the open events and set new course records in perfect conditions.

But they were not fast enough to claim the prize of a car offered to athletes who produced a certain time.

Paul Rodgers (Crawley) finished fourth in the South of Thames Senior Cross Country Championship at Wimbledon.

Crawley were without Kevin Holland, second last year but resting for next weekend's Area Championships, as they flew the Sussex flag because Brighton and Hove were absent through injury and illness.

But Rodgers produced his best ever cross country run for a position few county runners have matched.

Rodgers, runner-up to Holland in the Sussex League event at Brinsbury in November, was unable to keep pace with the medallists but led the chasing group for much of the seven-mile race.

Andy McDermott was seventh and Tim Kimber 17th. Jeremy Mortimer finished 60th, Jeremy Carmichael 129th and Jim Dutch 163rd.

Crawley were seventh in the team event.

Sussex high hurdles record holder Duncan Malins (Haywards Heath) was fourth in the 60m event in 8.07sec at the Birmingham Indoor Games.

In the 1,500m final, Patrick Davoren (Phoenix) was also fourth in 3min. 55.3sec.

Stephen Rees-Jones (Brighton and Hove), who had taken the silver medal at Lancing recently just two seconds behind winner Gavin Thompson, was squeezed into sixth place in the 3,000m in 8min. 24.81sec.