Pershore Swimmers secure prestigious promotion
11 Sep 2012
Pershore Swimmers secure prestigious promotion to Premier League.
In one of the most inspiring displays of local swimming talent being reflected in magnificent individual and unparalleled team swims Pershore Swimming Club gave a real vote of thanks to all the townsfolk of Pershore and its surrounding communities who made it their aim in raising funds to build a swimming pool just over 100 years ago but only coming to fruition in 1972 when the first pool was built.
The site of this awesome display came in Wolverhampton at the 38th Annual Nuneaton & District Junior Swimming League Finals and all supported and witnessed by the Mayor of Evesham Councillor Robert Raphael.
This road to success in the league began only three years ago when they entered the league in div 3 immediately winning promotion to division 2 at the first time of asking, consolidating their high ranking and only narrowly missing a place in last year's finals and then this year winning through to that coveted place in the finals and hoping to convert it to winning promotion. With the top three teams of Bilston SC; Cannock Pheonix SC and Pershore SC having won all their matches in the previous legs it looked like being an exciting contest.
The club won their first trophy before the racing had even begun by being awarded the best turned out team with thanks going to the organisers of the 'Pershore Olympic Ball' held at Deer Park Hall near Great Comberton and especially Richard and Emma Gill for putting the club's name in the raffle. First prize worth £500 went to Pershore SC and was spent on kitting out all the swimmers in the final in the club's new colours.
There were 51 events and Pershore did not have to wait long for their first win delivered from ten year old Abbey Park Middle School pupil Simon Sweatman in the boys 10yr and under (10/u) 50m freestyle breaking the championship league div 2 record with 31.15 beating the previous one by 1.61 seconds and a record sure to stand for many years to come. Pershore's next victory came from Isabella Woodcock in the girls 10/u 50m breaststroke in 44.74. With a well fought for 2nd place Sweatman added another 5pts in the boy's event together with another 2ndfrom the 9 yr Medley Relay Team (4 x 25m) of Sam Doyle; Luke Betteridge; William Gearey and Hamish Cross. At this stage Pershore were sitting in equal 3rdplace and work still needed to be done to secure a promotion place.
With another two 1st places coming from an impressive win by Tazmin Pugh in girls 12/u 50m Butterfly in 31.31 beating 2ndplace by 4 seconds setting a new div 2 record together with the girls 10/u Medley Relay team of Naomi Marsden; Woodcock; Maisy Robertson and Daisy Tolley coming home in 1:15.65 and although just 2 secs from setting yet another new record they were awarded with the relay trophy for that event. It at last looked as though Pershore club had struck a rich vein of form which the 10/u boys Medley team of Doyle; Sweatman; Josh Sharratt and Tom Bailey tapped into by gaining an invaluable 5pts and 2ndplace immediately afterwards.
Magnificent team work brought Pershore home in 1stplace in the boys 10/u Freestyle team of Tom Bailey: Chris Vizard; Sweatman and Gearey in 1:05.91 only 0.4 outside the div 2 record. This was followed in the girls 12/u 50m freestyle by another win for Tazmin Pugh and her second div 2 record of the day beating the previous record of 30.21 which had stood since 2004 in a time of 28.84. Ten year old Josh Sharrat gained two valuable 2nd place finishes in the 50m backstroke in 40.81 and the 25m butterfly in 18.00.
Also swimming in the ten year old age group Naomi Marsden fresh from a week long swim camp at the home of multi Olympians at the Kelly Collge swimming academy and put her recent coaching to good effect by taking 1stplace and setting a new 2 second pb in the girls 10/u 50m backstroke, whilst in the very next event William Gearey came home in 9yr 50m freestyle in 36.51 taking the maximum 6 pts only narrowly missing the league div 2 record. Another record and top podium was achieved, however, being Pershore's 4th record on the day and 10th win and came from nine year old William Gearey in the 25m freestyle in a time of 16.51.
A further win came from the 12/u Freestyle team of Sweatman; Joseph Doyle; Jack Betteridge and Drew Jones with Sweatman gaing maximum points again in the individual 11/u 50m free the club. By the two thirds stage of the final the club had climbed to 2ndplace but with the gap to 3rd place being only a few points the club had to fight to the very end. A tight finish in the 9 yrs 25m backstroke saw Sam Doyle adding to the points with a 2ndplace.
With just three team rtelay events left Pershore's swimmers came through and delivered 2nd placed finishes in each featuring Marsden; Hannah Kenwright; Pugh and Louise Hird in the girls 12/u 4 x 25m Medley and in the equivalent boys team race Owen Leeks; Betteridge; Jones and Doyle. The final event was the 8x25m freestyle relay made up of one girl and one boy from each of the 9, 10, 11, 12 age groups made up of Megan Annis (9) Gearey (9); Tolley (10) Sweatman (10); Jasmine Taite (11) Sammy Whitehill (11); Pugh (12) Leeks (12).
With Isobel Cumming; Amy Weston; Rebecca Phillips; Charlotte Downey; Kate Sanderson; Jasmin Taite; Hannah Simister; Ollie Cross and Sammy Whitehill all playing their valuable part in accumulating points individually and in the relays it was once again a true team effort from Pershore Swimming Club with Pershore finishing 2ndon the day on a total of 199. .
The strong Bilston team (Staffs) drawing from a well populated hinterland and benefiting from plenty of swim time finished on top with 241 pts with Cannock Pheonix (Staffs) in 3rd with 195 followed by Northgate (Shrops) Welshpool (Powys, Wales) and Coalville (Leics). After the first three rounds were added to the final's total Bilston on 24 pts took top place again followed by Pershore just behind on 23pts and Cannock on 22 and Northgate taking the fourth promotion spot to division one and the Premier League on 20pts with Welshpool Sharks 5th on 18pts and Coalville 6th on 16pts.
Pershore achieved 10 pb's; 10 first; 11 second and 11 fourth placed finishing positions and during the presentations were awarded with their runners up trophy, the best turned out team trophy, a relay trophy, a special mention of Tazmin Pugh's two league div 2 records which could well be around for years to come together and with William Geareys 9yr 25m freestyle and Simon Sweatman's 50m freestyle record who also collected the league div 2 record trophy having made the greatest improvement on the previous record, the records numbered four for the club on the day.
For the Pershore club their swimmers truly reflect all the Olympic spirit of excellence, some living it, some tasting it, some aspiring to it but all justifiably proud, enjoying and feel as though they truly belong to this overwhelming summer of sporting success.
Ian P photo