WINTER'S DIVIDEND IS SOUTHERN TITLES

Exemplifying the sudden progress possible, Dan Dunscombe took the high jump title on his regional competitive debut. His personal-best 1.78m equalled Harriers' six-year-old club record, set by Ian Fenn, and automatically qualified him for the English Schools Championships at Gateshead in July. Dunscombe had become the Sussex silver medallist at Crawley last month. Less unheralded but no less satisfying for local athletics was Kayley Alcorn's confirmation of her Sussex high jump title and No 2 English ranking when she took the girls' crown at Watford. Having already made her mark indoors this winter with a National Indoor Championships silver medal at Birmingham in February, she grabbed the Southern title on countback because her clearances, on the way to winning with 1.55m, were all first-time. Also on 1.55m but with a failure that cost her the gold and silver was Harriers' bronze medallist Laura Duke '” herself ranked in the England top 10 at Under-15. Possibly the inspiration behind the rise of Alcorn and Duke is the more senior Emma Perkins, Worthing's former National junior champion. After an injury-limited 2003, Perkins was also at Watford and showing she is on the way back. She is now trying to combine triple jump, however, and aggravated a back injury in finishing fourth in that. Even so, she tied for first place in the Under-20 high jump with 1.70 but could not manage the 1.71m in the jump-off and was left with the silver. Laura Duke is also the Sussex Under-15 pole vault champion (a fact omitted from our report last week). She won it with a championship-best 2.50m, a new Sussex record) and she took the Southern silver at Watford. She was beaten only by UK No 1, Katherine Ogden but the versatile Duke's personal-best 2.70m puts her third in the outdoor ranking for this year. Worthing had never before won two golds at these championships, nor as many as four of any colour. And Duke became their first double medal winner.