Pershore Swimmers hit Coventry

26 Sep 2011

Pershore Quad make Coventry finals

In the new swimming season's first meet six members from Pershore's club (PSC) made their way to Coventry's Olympic pool to compete in their Sprint Open Meet with the cumulative times of the four strokes going forward for the top eight swimmers of each age group to compete in the 200m Individual Medley (IM) final.

This marked the inaugural Open Meet for their promising 9 year old Simon Sweatman and he didn't disappoint. In his weakest event the 50m breast he came in 7^th but then steadily improved thereafter taking the 3^rd place silver medal in the 50m fly (5^th quickest in UK), and also 3^rd place bronze in the 50 free (6^th in the UK) and 4^th in the 50m back.

Eleven year old Joseph Doyle set a long course personal best (pb) in the 50m breast with 48.36; coming 4^th in the 50m fly with 40.28 (pb); 34.79 (50m free); and a magnificent 3^rd place medal in the 50m back with 41.07. Thirteen year old Angus Jones made up the Pershore boys trio with superb new long course pbs in the 50m fly with 38.19, 33.06 in the 50m in free; 36.71 in 50m back; 46.17 in 50m breast.

Three PSC girls competed with ten year old Makenzie Christys starting them off setting four new pbs in each of her events 53.47 in the breast; 49.25 in the fly; 40.80 in the free; 48.08 in the back; showing a determination in her afternoon session which bodes well for the future. Eleven year old Tazmin Pugh was determined to make an early impression in her new season and recorded her first medal with 3^rd place in her weakest event the 50m breaststroke with 42.69. Pugh enjoyed a hard fought battle throughout the whole day with Yasmin Boff swimming for the City of Coventry with Pugh just winning on the touch in the 50m fly with 33.22 (2^nd quickest in the UK from 600+ competing 11 year olds).

In the 50m free Boff came out the victor in their 3^rd event with another finger tip finish but with Pugh taking her revenge again in the last 50m backstroke sprint in a time of 35.00 (2^nd in the UK from 800+ girls countrywide) made it a tally of two gold, one silver and one bronze medal from the 36 girls aged 11 swimming on the day. Lizzie Vizard (12) set new pbs throughout with 41.05 in the first event in the 50m breaststroke taking a magnificent silver medal placing. With a 41.85 in the 50m fly and a new pb in the 50m free in 34.91 and 40.36 in the final sprint of 50 back she together with her Pershore club mates waited pensively to see who had made the 200m IM finals.

When it was announced four swimmers had made it through to the finals Head Coach Tom Naughton was delighted and set about preparing his swimmers. First up was Abbey Park Middle School pupil Sweatman having only recently celebrated his ninth birthday making him the youngest of the competitors qualifying in 4^th place. The order of strokes being fly, back, breast, free Sweatman actually set off in great style in the fly going quicker even than in his individual 50m fly event earlier. This gamble of staying with the leaders looked as though it was going to pay off with Sweatman managing to hold on to 2^nd place up until the end of the third length finally coming in a close 4^th in 3:21.81 (5^th in UK).

Next up was fellow Abbey Park pupil Pugh level with Boff at the end of the first fly leg but with Pugh coming through on the backstroke and turning superbly into the breaststroke leg steadily increased her lead to win by over 5m in the end in 2:44.77,being the 8^th best long course time in the UK from nearly 600 girls. Tazmin's time would have even placed her 2^nd in the 15 & over age group on the day.

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