07 Feb 2013

PERSHORE SWIMMING CLUB ENJOYS STRONG START TO THE YEAR

A young Pershore team showed much promise at the weekend competing at Redditch in a development gala against much bigger clubs from Redditch, Worcester and Bromsgrove, finishing an excellent third place and just missing out on second by a mere nine points.

Pershore gave some of the younger swimmers in the club their first taste of competition, with the team proving they are more than capable of competing against the strongest opposition in the region. The young squad, which including swimmers as young as eight years old, managed 48 personal bests, 12 first places and 11 seconds.

Star performance at the event for Pershore went to Hannah Woodcock (8) who managed two excellent first places in the Girls 9 years 25m breaststroke in 22.80 seconds and Girls 9 years 25m fly in 27.10 in her first ever competition. Hannah also swam extremely well in the relay races, showing her potential in the freestyle relays and proving that she's going to be one to watch in the future.

Hannah's older sister, Isabella Woodcock (10) not to be out done by her younger sibling, put in a dominant performance in the Girls 11 year 50m breaststroke, winning easily with an excellent time of 42.50.

Cameron Leech (8) competing in his first gala also managed a superb first place in the Boys 9 years 25m backstroke in a time of 24.41. Cameron also put in excellent swims in the Boys 9 year old 4 x 1L Medley and 4 x 1L freestyle relays.

William Gearey (10) managed another couple of wins for Pershore, powering to an easy victory in the Boys 10 year old 50m freestyle in a new PB of 32.27 seconds and also taking first place in a close finish in the Boys 10 year old 25m fly in 18.07 (pb).

Simon Sweatman (10) also bagged two first places for Pershore, clocking 30.72 seconds in the Boys 11 year old 50m freestyle and also an impressive 34.13 seconds in the 50m fly.

Josh Sharratt (11) produced an excellent swim and first place in the Boys 50m backstroke in a time of 41.69.

And final victories went to the Boys 11 and under Freestyle and Medley Relay teams. Patrick Heeks (9), Chris Vizard (10), Simon Sweatman (10) and Josh Sharratt (11) took victory in the 4 x 1L freestyle and William Gearey (10) replaced Heeks to secure victory in the 4 x 1L Medley relay.

Pershore handed debuts to several young swimmers including Leo Rendal-Baker (8), William Mullen (8), E Christod, A Du Toit, J Franksà

Commenting on the team's performance, Pershore's head coach, Tom Naughton, said: "Development galas such as these provide young swimmers with much need competitive experience. The whole team stepped up and delivered on the night and our youngsters have shown that they can compete against much bigger clubs. Hannah Woodcock and Cameron Leech's performance were exceptional. 2012 was a great year for the club and we'll be hoping for an even better 2013!"

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