Pershore swimmers in the 1,500m County Champs.
22 Feb 2012
Pershore swimmers in the 1,500m County Champs.
In the second event of this years Hereford and Worcester County swimming championships the longest of the races the 1500m freestyle was being fought out with three Pershore swimmers competing twenty two of their members having qualified for the last four days of the championships, the next one coming up this weekend coming..
First to swim in the 1,500m (60 lengths) event was 12 yr old Drew Jones who set about his task steadily recording an average of 1:24.00sec 100m splits throughout but never able to make headway on his qualifying entry time of 20:51.00 eventually coming home in 21:03.81 but still taking a creditable 4th place. Pershore's other 12 yr old swimmer came in the shape of Tazmin Pugh who had taken the previous week's 800m title and had set a county record in the 1,500m for 11 yr olds last year. Tables were turned this year, however, with her nemesis from Wyre Forest Club going in a later heat thereby able to see what she had to beat.
Pugh set out in fine style once again and by the quarter stage was well up on her qualifying entry time of 20:35.40. Finding it difficult to sustain her promising start, however, found Pugh settling back down into 1:19.50 second 100m splits and although finishing with a new personal best of 19:40.75 being a 55 second pb in the last 12 months never looked likely to be fast enough to challenge the Wyre Forest girl who went on to record 19:33.58 and taking the title by 7 seconds with Pugh having to settle for the silver medal.
Nevertheless Pugh's time puts her 1stin the UK for the 12yr old end of year rankings with the winner turning thirteen in May.
The third member of the Pershore club's swimmers was Drew's elder brother 14yr old Angus Jones. Angus went out like a steam train but self preservation eventually forced Jones to rein in his challenge for the title unable to increase his pace in the second half of the race to eventually finish with a 3 second pb on 19:35.88 his previous best time only being set just over a month ago, and take a well earned 7th place.
Ian