Pershore win GOLD and take County Records
24 Feb 2012
Pershore win GOLD and take County Records
On the first day of the third weekend of the County Championships Pershore Swimming Club were once again in winning form taking home ten medals with five of them gold.
Nine year old Simon Sweatman was making his County Champs debut and again was the pick of Pershore's stars taking a comfortable 1st place in the 100m Individual Medley (IM) with a new 4 secs personal best (pb) of 1:25.82 in a new county record 9yr boys time and taking him to 1st in the UK end of his year ranking (e.y.r.). Coming home in 3rd place in the same event were 9 yr old Christopher Vizard with 1:35.00 being a 3 secs pb and in the 13yr age division Harry Sykes setting 1:11.58 setting a new 1 sec pb. Another pb's for Sykes came in the 200m free with 2:21.27 when coming home in 5th place, whilst another bronze came his way in the 50m back with yet another pb of 33.35.
Sweatman collected his second gold medal in the 200m free with a 10 secs pb recording 2:38.91 in his second county record time and taking him to 2ndin the UK e.y.r.. With this time Sweatman comfortably achieved his first Midland district time of 2012 for 10 yr olds, competed for in June. Chris Vizard finished on 2:57.82 a superb 12 secs pb. Also setting pbs in the 200m free and 100m IM was Joseph Doyle (age 12yr) with 2:36.51 and 1:24.07 respectively. Owen Leeks (age 12) set a new pb in the 100m IM with 1:24.39 and 37.71 in the 50m back.
Possibly for the first time ever since its founding 40 years ago the Pershore club sported four nine year old boys in the 50m backstroke finals with Sweatman leading the field home with ease in 37.76 the distance increasing with every one of his majestic strokes. Setting his third county record of the meet this was Sweatman's third gold medal of the meet and consolidates his No 1 UK end of year ranking whilst William Gearey from Harvington rose to 4th place in the UK e.y.r. and 1st in the Region when nailing a hard fought 3rd place with 43.22.
For the girls 9 year old Isobella Woodcock made her County Champs debut with a 2nd place in the 200m breastroke event with a massive 23 secs improvement to set 3:45.06 whilst 13 year old Lizzie Vizard swam to a 3 secs pb finishing on 3:06.70. Other Pershore girls making their debut were Maisy Robertson (42.79) and Naomi Marsden (42.86) and although both swam great times in the heats to finish 3rdand 4th neither could repeat this in the 50m back finals in the early evening. For the 10yr age group Amy Weston swam a 3 secs pb of 39.19 finishing in 5th place in the finals just a tad slower. In the older division Vizard swam to a 38.40 finish whilst Pugh secured prime 1st ranked position in lane four in the finals where she finished in a clear 1st place with a pb of 32.73.
Setting her tenth 2012 Midland District qualifying time but her first ever in breaststroke time was 12 year old Tazmin Pugh with a cracking 8 secs pb in the 200m breast recording 3:01.53 and 20th in the UK e.y.r. Pugh followed this success with an even bigger 17 secs pb in the grueling 400m IM (4 lengths of each of the four strokes) with 5:29.03 and Pugh more than pleased with 4th place and 4thin the UK e.y.r.
Making the finals of the 50m backstroke with ease Pugh converted this into gold wit a new County Record time of 32.73 climbing from 6th to 2nd in the UK e.y.r. Pugh took her second gold medal of the day and her fourth medal and third gold of the 2012 championships so far by swimming a stunning last length in the 100m butterfly to overhaul her close rival from Oldbury and finish with a new pb (a full 6 secs quicker than her entry time) on 1:10.69 and 2nd in the UK.
With the second day of the weekend cancelled due to damage to the pool following a break-in at Wolverhampton Central Baths there are still a three further days of competition left needing to be re-arranged.
Ian