The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
GOLDEN GUYS: South Lincs swimmers show off their impressive medal haul. Photo supplied
Talented members of South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club smashed a host of records and claimed medals galore at the City of Peterborough open meet.
The Spalding-based club saw members set 21 new personal best times at the meet, while they also came home with nine gold medals.
The meet served as a ‘last chance’ event and was aimed to provide swimmers with the opportunity to gain Midland qualifying times (MQT).
In addition, this year’s competition provided the opportunity for younger swimmers to compete by using a two-tier entry time system.
The event ran over three days, with Emily McCann (12 years group), William Swain (14) and Ryan Horrocks (14) attending on the first evening for the 400m events.
All four events produced PBs for the trio, with silver medals for McCann in the 400m IM and Ryan Horrocks in the 400m freestyle. There was also two bronze medals for Swain in the 400m IM and 400m free to make it the perfect start.
A MQT produced by Horrocks in his 400m freestyle means he will be joining six others from the club to race in the Midland Age Group Championships in Coventry in June.
Over the course of the following two days McCann and Swain were back to race, – and they were joined by Dusty Saines, Millie Pinguenet, Molly Trevor, Matthew O’Reilly, Bailey Jackson-Chilvers, Alice Gowing, Libby Houghton, Lucy Houghton and Nathasha Berg.
Led by assistant coach Mandy Houghton, the gold medals flew in for South Lincs. Swain collected a hat-trick of wins in the 50m free, 100m free and 200m free, while McCann took top spot in the 100m fly.
Berg (50m free and 50m backstroke), Saines (50m fly) and Millie Pinguenet (50m breaststroke and 50m back) also toasted golds.
Nine silver medals were also won by Swain (50m back), Gowing (200m fly, 100m breast and 100m back), Berg (100m fly), Pinguenet (200m breast) and Houghton (50m back).
No less than 13 bronze medals were won by South Lincs too, achieved by Jackson-Chilvers (50m back and 50m free), Pinguenet (200m free and 50m fly), Trevor (200m free, 50m fly and 100m back), Houghton (50m breast and 100m breast), Gowing (100m fly), Berg, (100m free) and McCann (100m free).
That helped Swain place third in the top boy rankings, while young team-mate Matthew O’Reilly got two PBs.
- A team of eight from South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club returned home from the Lincoln Vulcans Long Course open meet at Ponds Forge with nine medals.
Coached and supported over the weekend by head coach Callum Lawson, the Spalding club won four silver and five bronze medals.
Gemma Baker, Olivia Harper (both 15 years group), Tim Wakefield (14), Luke Blanchard (13), Georgia Roberts, Lucy Baker (12) Amelia Fovargue and Samantha Millington (11) formed the South Lincs squad in Sheffield.
Baker picked up a silver medal in the 200m backstroke and bronze in the 200m IM, while Wakefield claimed a hat-trick of silvers in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and 50m free.
Wakefield also took bronze medals in the 200m back and 50m back.
Further medals went the way of Blanchard (bronze in 200m breast) and Amelia Fovargue (bronze in 50m back).
