Worcester Open 26/27 Oct 2013
26 Oct 2013
Pershore grab record medal haul at Worcester
Youngsters from Pershore Swimming
Club grabbed a staggering 64 medals including 29 golds and smashed 120 personal
bests at the Worcester Open Meet (Level 3) at the weekend û one of the
strongest performances from the clubÆs swimmers for several years.
Competing against strong
opposition from top age-group swimmers from across the Midlands region
including the likes of Boldmere, Biddulph, Halesowen and Worcester, PershoreÆs
young team proved that they can mix it with the best delivering a record number
of podium finishes and dominant in the 9, 10 and 11 year old age categories.
Hannah Woodcock and Macey French
dominated the girls 9 year old category winning an incredible 15 medals between
them and notching up several new County Qualifying Times (CQT). Woodcock (9) won six gold medals in the 200IM
in 3.18.10 (cqt), 50m fly in 41.74 (cqt), 50m back in 4.32 (cqt), 50m breast in
47.75 (cqt), 200m breast in 3.41.65 (cqt), 50m freestyle in 35.44 (cqt) plus
silver in the 200m freestyle in 3.03.49 (cqt). French, who has recently joined Pershore from Evesham, also put together
several strong performances, winning gold in the 200m back in 3.18.97 (cqt),
silver medals in the 400m free in 6.28.05, 50m fly in 41.99 (cqt), the 50m back
in 42.90 (cqt), the 50m breast in 52.68, the 50m free in 37.08 (cqt) and bronze
medals in the 200m free in 3.07.43 (cqt) and 200IM in 3.26.59 (cqt). Sophie Thomas (9) also grabbed her first
podium finish for Pershore, with an excellent bronze medal in the girls 9 year
old 200m backstroke in 3.53.99 and a massive new personal best.
In the boys 9 year old category,
Cameron Leach bagged a couple of bronze medals, with third places in the 200m
backstroke in 3.26.46 and the 200m breast stroke in 4.18.38.
Megan Annis grabbed six medals in
the girls 10 year old age group. Annis gold
in the 50m free and 100m free in a massive new pbs of 33.58 (cqt) and 1.17.74
(cqt) respectively, silvers in the 50m fly in 40.10 (cqt), bronze in the 50m
back in 40.49 (cqt), 50m breast 45.73 (cqt) and 100m backstroke in 1.29.66
(cqt). Charlotte Downey (10) also took
bronze in the girls 10 year old 400m freestyle touching home in 6.04.32 and
achieving her CQT in the longer distance event.
William Gearey put another
dominant performance in the boys 10 year old category, winning 11 medals and recording
11 pbs across the weekend. Gearey took
seven gold medals total, winning the 400m free in 5.29.12 (cqt), the 200IM in
2.55.22 (cqt), the 200m back in 2.50.18 (Midland Qualifying Time), the 50m fly
in 35.90 (cqt), the 100m breast in 1.37.32 (cqt) and the 100m free 1.08.12
(MQT). Gearey also won silvers in the
50m back in 37.49 (cqt) 100m back in 1.21.37 (cqt), 200m breast in 3.25.50
(cqt) and a bronze in the 100m fly in 1.30.15.
Ronan Williams (10) also reached
his first competitive final, finishing a very credible sixth place in the 50m
back in 42.71 and achieving his first CQT as well.
In the boys 11 year old category,
Chris Vizard and Simon Sweatman were amongst the medals and between them
dominated the age group.
Vizard qualified for the 50m free
style final in second place, saving his best performance for the final itself,
storming to victory in a massive new pb of 31.52 (cqt) and taking gold in the
final five metres against his Boldmere rival. Vizard also took silvers in the 400m free in 5.40.97, the 200m IM in
3.00.92 (cqt), the 100m back in 1.23.36, the 200m fly in 3.29.59 and bronze medals
in the 100m free in 1.15.35, the 200m breast in 3.36.11, the 100m fly in
1.37.60 and the 400IM in 6.27.93.
Sweatman added to PershoreÆs medal
haul winning an amazing 9 golds in the 400m free in 5.01.16 (MQT), the 400IM in
5.47.82 (cqt), the 200IM in 2.44.21 (cqt), the 100m back in 1.14.20 (MQT), 200m
back in 2.36.85 (MQT), the 100m breast in 1.30.90 (cqt), the 200m fly in
3.00.95 (cqt), the 200m breast in 3.14.39 (cqt) and the 100m fly in 1.17.69
(cqt) and silver in the 50m breast in 41.80 (cqt).
Naomi Marsden, Isobel Cumming and
Isabella Woodcock were amongst the medals for Pershore in the girls 11 year old
age group. Marsden dominated in her
favoured backstroke, easily winning golds in both the 100m back in 1.18.80
(cqt) and 200m back in 2.48.56 (cqt) and picking up a silver in the 50m back
final just beaten on the touch in 36.83 (cqt). Cumming took gold in the 11 year old 200m butterfly winning in 3.44.47
and also secured bronze medals in the 400m free in 5.54.92 and the 400IM in
7.00.42. Woodcock grabbed silver medal
in the 50m breast stroke in 40.60 (cqt).
Owen Leeks, competing in the boys
13 year category, came away with three medals. Leeks took silver in the 400m free in 5.06.98 and bronze in the 200m
back in 2.35.78 (cqt). He also qualified
for the 50m back final in third position, before pulling out a superb
performance in the final with a 34.28 to grab silver medal and another CQT.
Other swimmers putting in some
excellent performances and clocking massive pbs during the weekend included Amelia
Gearey (9), Rebecca Phillips (11), Patrick Heeks (10), Josh Sharratt (12),
Jasmine Taite (12), Hannah Simister (12), Helen Annis and Daisy Tolley (11),
with Heeks, Sharratt, Taite, Simister and Annis all making finals in several of
the 50m age group events.
Tom Naughton,
PershoreÆs head coach, said: "A
fantastic performance from all our swimmers over the weekend and probably the
best since IÆve taken over as coach. There were so many excellent swims that it is difficult to single out
individuals. For a smaller club like
Pershore to finish fourth overall behind some of the really big clubs in the
Midlands, it really shows you what a bright future this club has.ö
Ends.