Sussex Commonwealth Games medal winners are getting little time to rest on their laurels.

Shooter Charlotte Kerwood and hockey defender Frances Houslop, from villages four miles apart, are ready for a return to action.

On Sunday Charlotte returns to the layout at Bisley from which she sealed her double-trap gold to practise for a selection trial this month.

The trial will be a step towards securing a spot in the England team for next year when there are three World Cups, the World Championship and the European Championships.

The 15-year-old, from Fletching, can then, if all goes well, aim for Olympic glory in Athens 2004.

She said: "I'm going with a friend to Bisley to spend the day. I am chilling out this week, seeing friends, playing my Destiny's Child CDs and watching EastEnders, but I want to find time to have a shoot. I don't mind going straight back into shooting because I enjoy it.

"I was tired when I got home from Bisley but I got a great welcome from my village. It was cool. I never expected to win gold, but now I hope I can go on, have a good 2003 and make it to Athens."

Houslop, 20, from Horsted Keynes, is busy preparing for this month's Champion Trophy in Macau, China, after helping England win a silver medal in Manchester.

"I'm relaxing a little but hockey requires a high level of fitness so I've been doing weights and exercises to keep myself ticking over before I go to China.

"I found the fitness regime, part of which were week-long sessions we called ' gut-busters', stood us in good stead at the Games."

England were involved in a row over India's golden goal winner in the final which came after the hooter had sounded for the end of play.

Houslop said: "It was a wrong decision but I'm not dwelling on that because we couldn't do anything about it. What we were able to do something about was our own performance and I thought it was good. That gives me and the rest of the squad confidence going into the Champions Trophy and the World Cup later this year."

Karen Pickering, the double gold swimming medallist from Hove, dived back into the pool at the Greek Championships in Salonika this week.

Pickering, 30, claimed victories in the 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay, plus a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Then the former Shiverer led the entire England team, holding the flag of St George's, at the closing ceremony.

She snatched a few minutes sleep on the bus from the Games village to the airport bound for the Aegean on a trip that also includes a two-week training camp in Cyprus and a journey to Athens to view the Olympic site.

She said: "It's the way the current regime works. You have to be disciplined to deal with it but the director of coaching Bill Sweetenham expects a professional approach. He has helped turn me and others around by simply believing in us and being positive unlike the previous regime which thought I was too old."

Pickering's mother, Dee Dee, is Sussex ASA president.

Crawley hammer thrower Mick Jones, the gold medal winner at Manchester, missed qualifying for this week's European Athletics Championships.

Hastings' Sean Baldock, who won gold in the 4x400m relay, has competed but failed to get through his heats in the individual event.

Linda Charman, who struck a squash bronze medal in the ladies doubles at the Games with Fiona Geaves, competes again in Antibes next month.

Charman said: "I'm glad I've got a bit of breathing space to wind down from my first Games medal.

"I was able to train fully fit for the couple of months leading up to Manchester after a year of niggling injuries. It made a big difference. I'd have liked to have got an individual medal but I played well in my quarter-final."