Pershore Swimmers compete at Midlands Championship
06 Jun 2011
Pershore Swimmers impress at Midlands Championships.
At the first weekend of the Midland Age Group Championships four swimmers were involved swimming in Coventry's 50m (Long Course) Olympic Pool.
First off the mark was 11 year old Tazmin Pugh in the 200m free and although unable to make any headway on closing in on a National Qualifying time she did set a new long course personal best (pb) with 2:30.40. Her disappointment gave way to sheer determination in the following race taking gold in the 100m backstroke and setting a new 4 secs pb of 1:16.08 though agonisingly 0.44 secs outside a National time. Pugh's final swim on the first day was the 200m fly achieving first reserve for the final and improving her long course pb by 11 secs to 2:58.05.
Pershore's 13 year old Harry Sykes fresh from his Bowbrook School team's 2nd place in an ISA National Two Day Equestrian event was enlisted into his dual swim club of Worcester in their 4 x 100m Medley Team Relay with them climbing from a 10th place entry time to an impressive 5th place at the finish.
Meanwhile in his first year of being allowed to qualify at the Midlands District Champs Tyler McLean set about his task of converting his 1st place entry time of all the 10 year old boys in a hugely impressive fashion taking gold and recording his first long course 100m breaststroke time of 1:31.34. With two 1st place Championship victories on the first day from Pugh and McLean's four swims Pershore were once again 'punching above their weight' this time in gold.
On the second day Joseph Doyle (11) met a baptism if fire in his first long course meet with fortitude when joining his Pershore club mate in the 100m backstroke event setting a of 1:27.18 whilst McLean did likewise setting 1:28.89 for the first time.
Pugh was in action again in just one event on the second day being the grueling 400m Individual Medley. She paid the price at setting off at a blistering pace in the 100 fly leg but was then unable to punish her competitors in the 100m back leg recovering slightly at the start of the 100m breaststroke leg and with a decent 100m free was able to record a new 30 secs long course pb of 5:51.40 closing in to within 5 secs of this year's National time.
The Pershore duo of McLean and Pugh have also been called up by the County for their annual 'Three-Way Inter-County' match against Glos and Staffs later in the month, just one week after Sykes and Pugh have been invited to take part in a County Guinness World Record attempt when 100 swimmers will be trying to better 1hr 53.13 for 100 x 100m freestyle relay. All sponsorship to the Pershore swimmers will go to the Air Ambulance and Worcester Breast Cancer Unit. Thanks go to Severin Naraine presently studying at Kelly College, Devon, and one time swimmer at Pershore club in raising over £100 for the club after his 'Ten Tors Walk' in May.