Commonwealth Games thrower Claire Smithson has broken the Sussex Championship discus record.

She beat the record of Brighton and Hove clubmate, Suzanne Allday, which has stood since 1967, on the first day of the championships at Crawley Leisure Centre.

It was a foregone conclusion she would win because Smithson broke the under-20 record last year with a throw further than the senior best.

With her opening effort of 50.51m, Smithson added five metres to the previous best and topped the all-important 50m mark for the first time this season.

Smithson said: "It's early days for me. I threw 47m to win the Universities title last weekend and that was my first competition this season.

"There are several important competitions to come this season so I am pleased that I got over 50m with my first throw.

"Getting a good throw in the first round allows you to push a little harder. This is important because you relax a little and this will sometimes produce an even better throw.

"I'm quite happy, it is a reasonable start, but I now need to be looking for regular throws in excess of 55m."

In fact, it was Smithson's only legal throw of the competition as she stepped over the line deliberately with efforts she thought were below 50m.

Crawley's Candie Lintern made a fine return to the form she she showed two years ago by throwing 35.71m.

She squeezed out reigning champion Debbie Woolgar, from Worthing (34.59m), into third place.

Earlier, Smithson ended Woolgar's 20-year reign as shot-putt champion, but she put up a fight.

Smithson set 12.63m with her first effort, only for the champion to push one out to 12.70m.

She put it out of reach in the second round by throwing 13.23m, a distance she later increased to 13.76m, to bring to an end what must be one of the most remarkable records in British athletics.

Woolgar eventually responded with a fine 13.22m to take second place and bow out with grace.

Commonwealth Games hammer champion Mick Jones, who lives at Crawley, gave another fine display when he won his 17th Sussex senior hammer title.

Jones won his first Sussex championship in 1981, two years after Woolgar had started her remarkable run, but has missed the odd competition.

He opened with 71.19m, the 112th time he has has gone over 70m.

From then, it was a case of diminishing returns. Although he was over 70m again with his second throw, he then had a couple of high sixties and decided not to take his final two.

He said: "I have deliberately made a later start to my season as I have an eye on the World Championships later in the year and I need to be at my best in July and August.

"I am quite happy to top 70m so early as my training is not really that advanced."