The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
An amazing 125 medals were won and 19 club records smashed as South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club starred at the City of Leicester Open Meet.
A 33-strong squad from the Spalding-based club enjoyed one of their best-ever outings, with numerous personal best (PB) times also clocked.
The team was led by senior swimmers Rico Bringeman, Ellisha Cookson and Emma Croker – who between them claimed 15 new club records.
Bringeman produced outstanding performances in some of the toughest events in the pool.
He claimed gold medals in the 200m butterfly in a new PB and club record time of 2.05.88mins – and matched this achievement over half the distance in the 100m butterfly with a time of 57.93secs.
Bringeman also set a new club record in the 200m freestyle in a big new PB (1.55.35mins), which was inside the qualifying standard for the National Winter Championships.
Cookson also had a record breaking weekend in the breaststroke events, smashing her own records across all the distances.
In the 50m breaststroke she claimed gold medal in a new PB of 33.40secs, before completing the double in the 100m breaststroke with another gold in a brilliant swim of 1.11.25mins to set her second club record.
The final day of competition saw Cookson claim silver in the 200m breaststroke in another all-club record of 2.38.49mins.
Croker, meanwhile, collected six gold medals from six swims.
A club record came in her first event of the competition, the 50m butterfly (28.95secs).
She then turned her attention to her favoured freestyle events and saw her dominate the 50m, 100m and 200m distances.
Fine PB times came in all three events on her way to gold (50m – 26.41secs, 100m – 56.91secs, 200m – 2.03.06mins).
In the ten years age group both Kitty Lamb and Charlie Bisby made their mark.
Lamb finished the meet with nine gold medals and two silvers across a range of distances and strokes.
She topped the podium in the 200m IM, the 200m backstroke and the 200m breaststroke, then set a club record in the 100m breaststroke en-route to another gold (1.32.91mins).
Bisby also collected nine gold medals from as many races, including his preferred freestyle events and his less preferred butterfly events. His outstanding swim came in the 200m backstroke in a PB of 2.54.44mins.
Isobel Gosling was on fine form as she struck gold in the girls’ 200m butterfly (13/14 years) in a new PB of 2.37.59mins.
She went into the junior final as the fastest qualifier and claimed a second gold medal for this event, before adding to her collection with a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly.
Alfie Bisby was on gold medal winning form over the weekend as he claimed top spot in the boys’ 13/14 years age group in the 200m backstroke in a PB of 2.22.76mins.
He also won the 400m IM in a club age group record and a new PB of 5.07.49mins.
He set another club age group record in the 200m freestyle in yet another PB of 2.07.90mins.
Also topping the podium was 12-year-old Sigourney Bolton. She posted a new PB in the 100m breaststroke to claim gold in the girls’ 11/12 years group. Another gold came in the 200m breaststroke in a PB of 3.08.66mins.
Another gold medallist and record breaker was Oscar Goldmsith in the boys’ 13/14 years group 200m butterfly (2.25.28mins).
That qualified him for the junior final, where he took bronze. He also collected a silver medal in the 400m IM and bronze medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.
In the girls’ 15/16 years group, Mollie Briggs collected medals of every colour.
She collected gold in both the 100m and 200m butterfly, achieving a place in the senior final of both events. Briggs went on to take a bronze and a further gold respectively, before added a silver in the 400m freestyle.
Daisy Rummery had plenty to celebrate in the girls’ 17 years and over group, sweeping to gold in the 200m backstroke in a PB of 2.24.47mins – and took gold in the senior final too. She also set new PB times in the 200m freestyle (2.12.05mins) where she claimed a bronze medal and in the shorter 100m backstroke (1.07.70mins), where she took silver.
Elsewhere, Alfie Robinson starred with gold in the boys’ junior final of the 200m backstroke.
He went on to make more junior finals and collected bronzes and PBs in the 100m (1.04.83mins) and 200m breaststroke (2.42.34mins).
Nine-year-old Francesco Monaco was the youngest swimmer at the meet and took gold in the 100m backstroke in a PB of 1.33.72mins.
Older brother Matteo Monaco collected three silver and five bronze medals. His outstanding swim was in the 200m breaststroke (PB of 3.05.35mins) in the 11/12 years age group.
Daniela Bringeman struck bronze in the girls’ 13/14 years age group 200m a PB of 2.48.85mins, while Hannah Bruce (girls’ 11/12 years’ group) also took a bronze in the 200m freestyle with a PB of 2.27.37mins.
Hannah’s older brother Thomas Bruce also starred, claiming bronze medals and PBs in the junior finals of the 100m freestyle (56.46secs) and 100m butterfly (1.03.75mins).
Meanwhile, Beatrice Finch (15 years) took bronze in the 200m IM and the 200m backstroke before adding silver in the 200m freestyle in a PB of 2.14.40mins.
Frank Lamb racked up the medals over the course of the weekend claiming four gold (all in new PB times) and eight silvers.
He topped the podium in the boys’ 11/12 years age group 200m IM, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Jess O’Herlihy (15/16 years) made it double bronze in the 100m butterfly – with a new best of 1.11.65mins coming in the junior final.
Alex Sadler (13/14 years) also starred in the butterfly, taking gold medal in the 100m in a PB of 1.04.77mins and bronze medal in the 50m butterfly.
In the same age group, Oliver Sorrell collected a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle with a PB of 4.40.46mins.
Finally, Anya Strickland (girls’ 15/16 years) bagged bronze with a PB swim in the 400m freestyle (4.45.83mins) and 200m butterfly, before setting a PB in the 200m butterfly junior final (2.40.69mins).
