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Wheelchair tennis ace triumphs at Sussex Sports Awards

Lauren Jones receives her award from Cllr Peter Newnham and four-time Paralympian Richard Schabel

Worthing wheelchair tennis player Lauren Jones topped a successful year by winning the Cllr Niki Oakes Disabled Sports Personality of the Year at the 2011 Sussex Sports Awards.

The 16 year-old GB junior No.1 was chosen ahead of judoka James Everest and World Champion triathlete Faye McClelland.

Worthing teenager Lauren broke her back in the summer of 2009 and was paralysed from the waist down. While receiving treatment in Stoke Mandeville hospital she started to play wheelchair tennis and was singled out as having a particular talent. In little more than a year, she progressed through the ranks and is now GB junior No.1 and No.6 in the world junior rankings.

A student of Worthing Sixth Form College, Lauren won her first senior title in October 2011 at the Esporta Cardiff Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, where she won the ladies doubles with partner Louise Hunt. Lauren is now training for the Paralympics and is competing throughout the UK and Europe to secure enough ranking points to qualify.

"I have just heard I've qualified for another big competition, so I'm really excited about the future," Lauren told Active Sussex after winning her award.

The award was presented by Heathfield District Councillor Peter Newnham, on behalf of award sponsors Wealden District Council.

"Lauren has shown tremendous courage and dedication in becoming the junior wheelchair tennis number one," said Cllr Newnham. "We wish her ever success in her bid to represent Great Britain at next year's Paralympics."

Video interview by Jay Legate

More Sussex Sports Awards winners for 2011

30 November 2011 09:45

Brighton's Quilter takes gold at European Championships

quilter competition

Visually Impaired (VI) judo world champion Ben Quilter added European gold to his impressive tally of titles on Friday, when he won the 2011 VI European Championships at K2, Crawley.

After beating Russia's Artem Merkulov in the final of the -60kg category, the 30 year old from Brighton admitted he'd been nervous about fighting in front of his home crowd.

“I felt pressure coming into the event. I had a lot of family and friends at the venue to support me, and so I’m delighted to win and quite relieved at the same time.”

Ben, who was awarded Sports Personality of the Year at the 2010 Sussex Sports Awards, now has his sights firmly set on a Paralympic gold medal at London 2012.

Read on

21 November 2011 10:11

Street20 cricket comes to Crawley youth project

street20 cricket

An award winning social inclusion programme – the K2 Crawley Friday Night Project – is to add Street20 cricket to its activities for young people from 25 November.

Young people aged 11-19 years attending the Project will be able to take part in Street20 between 8-10pm every Friday. Other activities already on offer at the Project include climbing, badminton, football, basketball, trampolining and streetdance.

Street20 – an increasingly popular short form of the game – has been added to the Friday Night Project thanks to a £1,000 grant from the Lord’s Taverner’s charity and Cricket4Change to the Sussex Cricket Board. The funding will enable K2 and Broadfield Youth Centre, also in Crawley, to run 40 cricket sessions over the next year.

Bill Friggens, Sussex Cricket Board Street20 Coordinator said: "The great thing about Street20 is anyone can play. Games are quick – lasting just 20 balls per team, and rules and scoring have been adapted to make it easy to understand. Each team has six players and games last just 20 minutes, so there is no time for players to get bored or not be involved."

The Friday Night Project was set up in 2009 by Freedom Leisure in partnership with Crawley Borough Council and Sussex Police Authority to offer a safe and secure environment for young people to play sport and socialise. In addition to the sessions at K2, coaches from Serendib Cricket Club will be running Street20 for young people on Monday nights at Broadfield Youth Centre, Crawley.

Street20 sessions will take place at K2 Crawley in the main sports hall from 25 November as part of the Friday Night Project. Entry £3. www.freedom-leisure.co.uk Monday night sessions will start at Broadfield Youth Centre on 28 November. Contact Azam Riyard on 07955 333 100 for more information. Minimum age for all sessions is 11.

21 November 2011 00:00

Quilter to compete at VI European Championships in Crawley

quilter competition

Brighton's Ben Quilter joins a five-strong Visually Impaired British team to take on Europe’s finest judoka at the 2011 VI European Championships on home soil at K2 Crawley on 18-20 November.

VI World Champion and IBSA World Games gold medallist Quilter will look to add a European title to his international success as he sees action in the -60kg category.

Quilter, Sussex Sports Awards Sports Personality of the Year 2010, will fight on Friday, with Repechage fights starting at 10am and the finals and medal ceremonies from 4pm.

VI Judo European Championships 18-20 November, K2, Crawley. Tickets available on the day at K2. £5 per day or £10 three days. U16 ticketes £2.50 or £5 for three days

IBSA Judo European Championships website

16 November 2011 09:24

Final week for to apply for Sportivate grants of up to £10,000

climber

Applications close on Saturday 19 November for Year Two of Active Sussex's Sportivate fund.

Organisations and sports clubs can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to run sports projects for young people in the county. This tranche of funding is for programmes that take place in the year April 2012 to March 2013.

Sportivate targets 14-25 year olds who may not seek out sporting opportunities themselves or those who are doing sport for a very limited amount of time.

Examples of successful bids can be found on the Active Sussex case study database. Search on keyword 'Sportivate'.

For more details about the fund and eligibility, contact Gemma Finlay on 01273 643838 or gfinlay@activesussex.org

Closing date is 19 November.

Read on and apply

14 November 2011 13:40

Olympic torch route for Sussex

brighton torch

The route of the Olympic torch relay for Sussex has been confirmed, with the itinerary for the flame's torchbearers in the South East announced today by LOCOG, the Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for London 2012.

The Sussex leg of the relay will start in Rogate, West Sussex, on 16 July, and travel west to east, leaving the county at Rye, East Sussex, on the morning of 18 July.

On its journey the torch will visit 30 official locations, incorporating two overnight celebrations at Brighton & Hove (Monday 16 July) and Hastings (Tuesday 17 July).

The torch will pass a number of historic landmarks on its journey through the county, including Petworth House and Battle Abbey.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said: "I'm delighted that we have achieved our ambition to take the Flame to within an hour's journey of 95 per cent of the population. Now everyone is invited to plan their welcome and find out where they can go to be part of this historic occasion."

Below is the map of the route, with full list of towns and villages visited in East and West Sussex.

Map 1 – Rogate to Brighton

View Larger Map

Map 2 – Brighton to Rye

View Larger Map

The full list of Sussex locations is as follows:

Monday 16 July

Rogate
Midhurst
Easebourne
Tillington
Petworth
Duncton
Chichester
North Bersted
South Bersted
Bognor Regis
Woodgate
Westergate
Arundel
Worthing
Lancing
West Blatchington
Brighton & Hove (Evening celebration)

Tuesday 17 July

Brighton & Hove
Crawley
Copthorne
Felbridge
East Grinstead
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Crowborough
Lewes
Eastbourne
Pevensey Bay
Pevensey
Bexhill-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
Hastings (Evening celebration)

Wednesday 18 July
Hastings
Rye

07 November 2011 09:17

England youth player helps launch disability games

horsham cricket

The inaugural Sussex Reaching Higher Games took part in October at Christ's Hostpital School near Horsham, offering a day of sports competitions and non-competitive events for young people with disabilities.

horsham tyler paul

England wheelchair table tennis player Tyler Paul (pictured above right, playing Aaron Dawson) joined Paul Nash, Cameron Parfitt and Stuart Cutler in the final group shootout of the table tennis tourney, with Tyler Paul narrowly squeaking victory.

Elsewhere, over 80 young people competed in nine sports, including athletics, football, cricket, tennis, trampolining and badminton tournaments.

"We look forward to repeating the games' success next year," said Horsham District Council's Ian Ford, whose Leisure Link team organised the event.

More details and gallery on Leisure Link website

02 November 2011 00:00

What's on

Sport Makers arrive in Brighton

sport makers brighton

Join England women's rugby star Danielle Waterman at the Brighton Centre in May, when Sport Makers arrives in Brighton for two special workshops, led by two very special sports performers.

Danielle, the youngest ever player to be picked for England women's team, will lead the workshop on 27 May, while former world indoor 400m champion Daniel Caines will take charge at the Jubilee Library on 25 May.

Sport Makers is a new programme to make it easy for you to make sport happen in your local area. As a Brighton Sport Maker you'll get close to the city's most exciting sporting events, whether it's encouraging people to take part in Paddle Round the Pier, helping out at TAKEPART festival of sport or at the city's Olympic Torch Relay celebrations.

To find out more, receive free Adidas kit and be in with a chance of winning an iPad 2 in our fantastic competition run in conjunction with Brighton & Hove City Council, just come along to one of the two free workshops in Brighton.

Both events are free of charge. To book your place, sign up at www.sportmakers.co.uk and then choose either:

Friday 25 May - Jubilee Library, Brighton

Sunday 27 May - Brighton Centre