Pershore take on the Big Clubs.
23 Oct 2011
Pershore take on the Big Clubs.
Eighteen members of Pershore Swimming Club competed in the Worcester S.C. 15th Open Meet taking on twenty two bigger clubs some with nearly ten times the swim time available to them as Pershore's swimmers who went on to finish 4th visiting club together with 2nd top girl and 7th top boy from about 240 competitors. With so many swimmers and events, this first report covers the first evening and second full day with the concluding day next week.
In the medal haul for the girls was once again 11 yr old Tazmin Pugh taking on girls sometimes fifteen months older in the combined 11/12 year age group. Taking the silver medal in the 400m freestyle by just over a tenth of a second to Worcester's own Francesca Daniels (12 yr) Pugh knew she was in for a battle. She followed this with another 2nd place in the 200m Individual Medley (IM) with 2:41.87 but with a 7 sec personal best she climbs to 6th place in the UK's end of year's rankingfrom over 2,000 girls in her age. Pugh touched 2nd again in the 100m backstroke whilst a 1 sec pb in the 200m free saw her climb the UK rankings again to 6th place. Possibly her best swim of the day was in her less favoured event with a 5 sec pb in the 100m breaststroke recording 1:30.62. Pugh easily qualified for the finals in the sprint events where she swam two great new pb's, taking the gold medal in the 50m butterfly with 33.27 (4th in the UK from 2,371 girls)) and silver in the 50m backstroke with 33.65 (5th in the UK from 3,065 girls)). With her five medals from the first three sessions she was listed 2nd in the individual top girl competition with 31 pts from all the 150 girls present and yet better was still to come.
Lizzie Vizard had an even tougher job with her 13/14 yr age group as she was only celebrating her thirteenth birthday at the start of the competition, nevertheless a 15 sec pb in the 400m free (5:29.73), a 17 sec pb in the 200m IM (2:53.59) and a 1sec pb in the 100m breast (1:31.40) showed she was hitting the mark. Twelve year old Alison Seward continued her recent good form swimming in the 11/12 yr age group with a 3sec pb in the 200m IM with 2:56.91 and a 21 sec pb in the 200m free with 2:35.96.
Maisy Robertson (age 9) recorded two new fine pb's with 6 secs in the 50m fly (44.14) and 9 secs in 100m breast (1:46.10). Daisy Tolley (9) set a 3 sec pb in the 50m back with 46.47 as too did Jasmine Taite (10) in the same event by 2 sec (48.15). Laura Snape set a 1 sec pb in the 200m free whilst her swim of the day came in the 100m breast with 1:39.45 being a 4sec pb. Makenzie Christys enjoyed setting three new pbs on the first day with 44.14 in the 50m fly making second reserve for the final, a magnificent 8 sec pb in the 200m free with 3:11.93, and a 5 sec one in the 50m back with 44.01.
For the boys the day belonged to Drew Jones (11) winning four medals and also competing in the tough 11/12 age group. In fact Jones was going to try and compete in every event so the schedule was grueling starting on Friday evening with his first two events where in the 400m free he swam a 3 sec pb with 5:16.96 following with the 400m IM setting a 2 sec pb with 6:04.86. On Saturday Jones started with the 200m IM recording a 3sec pb in a time of 2:55.93 whilst a time of 37.65 qualified him for the 50m fly finals taking the bronze medal. In his 200m free Jones recorded a time of 2:31.49 yet another 3 sec pb and finishing the first two days on his sixth pb with 1:31.80 in the 100m breast.
Not far behind and recording five pbs adding up to 40 sec was 9 yr old Simon Sweatman competing in the 9/10 division. In the 400m free Sweatman recorded 5:56.55 (13 sec pb 6th UK from 67 boys)) following this with a 9sec pb in the 200m IM (11th Uk from 125 boys). An unbelievable 5 sec pb for 41.19 in the 50m fly found him making the sprint finals where he went even quicker with 40.57 (7th Uk from 357 boys) finishing in 5th place all his competition being between six and ten months older. In the afternoon Sweatman continued his fine form with a 9 sec pb in the 200m free swimming 2:48.85 (8th UK from 369 boys) and another great 4 sec one in the 50m back with 41.64 (17th Uk 676 boys) and first reserve for the final.
Christopher Vizard (9) competed in three events and accumulated 72 sec worth of pbs with the major one of 46 secs coming the 400m free finishing with 6:24.22 which puts him 12th in the UK rankings another 19 secs in the 200m IM with 3:34.18 finishing with 3:09.88. In the same age grouping Josh Sharratt swam two pbs with 44.53 in the 50m fly whilst a 5 sec pb in the 100m back recorded 1:39.54. Vizard now lies in the top five of the county rankings in six events.
Jack Betteridge (11) set a great new 400m free with a 14 sec pb with 5:32.83 and finishing in 5th place. Coming home one place ahead in the same event was Joseph Doyle (12) recorded 5:32.11, whilst in the 200m IM Doyle swam a time of 3:02.16 following this with a 2 sec pb in the 50m fly with 39.07 and a another 2 sec pb in the 200m free with 2:37.38. With 38.83 in the 50m fly and becoming 1st reserve for the final Owen Leeks (11) was hitting a rich veine of form continuing with 1:26.32 in the 100m back and a 3 sec pb in the 50m back with 38.61 and qualifying for the final in 5th place........ to be cont
Ian