Medals galore as youngsters shine (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Medals galore as youngsters shine

TEWKESBURY Swimming Club members have started 2006 as they mean to go on. Members were in action in the first block of the Gloucester County Championships when ten swimmers competed in the 1500m and 800m freestyle events bringing home six medals.

Results continue to be favourable after successes at a short course meet at Cambridge Parkside Pools. A team of nine boys swam 56 events and brought home 11 gold, 11 silver and six bronze medals with many others securing top eight finishes in new lifetime bests.

Christopher Yoxall (16) set the waves rolling with a silver medal in the mens open 200m IM with a stunning lifetime best of 2.15.28.

Lewis Cole (15) set a time of 2.24.57 to win the silver medal in the 15-year 200m IM with Phillip Bluck (15) winning the bronze (2.26.72). The latter also won silver in the 100m breaststroke (1.16.84).

Rising star Jack Laughland (11) touched for gold in the 11-year 100m breaststroke in a new lifetime best of 1.41.50.

In the 100m butterfly, Craig Skinner (11) knocked three seconds of his previous best time to set a new pb of 1.20.55 to win gold, a medal claimed by 15-year-old Lewis Cole in the 100m butterfly (1.03.60).

In the 400m freestyle, Skinner set a new lifetime in the boys 11 years event with a time of 5.24.32 and winning bronze in the process.

James Butler (13) knocked 7.5 seconds off his previous best time to win silver in a new lifetime best of 4.53.71. Bluck, meanwhile, knocked seven seconds off his previous best to win silver in 4.30.45.

An 11 seconds lifetime best and a well deserved silver medal went to Laughland in the 11-years 200m freestyle (2.38.02).

Cole took silver in the 15-year age group with a new lifetime best of 2.08.26 and Bluck also set a pb of 2.10.12 to win bronze.

In the mens open 200m freestyle another silver medal went to Yoxall in a new lifetime best of 2.01.43. Cole won gold in the 100m backstroke in a new lifetime best of 1.05.99.

The 400m IM saw three swimmers knock huge chunks off their previous times, Skinner and Bluck winning gold and Laughland claiming a silver medal.

Butler won gold in the 13-year age group in a new lifetime best of 29.09 and then added a silver medal in the 100m IM.

Cole set a time of 1.05.98 to win gold in the same event while, in the mens open, and Yoxall's time of 1.03.68 was good enough to win bronze.

Cole and Laughland added gold to their hauls in the 200m butterfly and breaststroke respectively, while there was more silver glory for Butler and Bluck in their respective breaststroke races.

In the 100m freestyle, Butler recorded an incredible performance to win gold in a new lifetime best of 1.02.96, while Cole set a new lifetime best of 58.69 to win silver in the 15-year age group.

"This is a terrific start to 2006," said the club's head coach Lee Mallinson.

"We've had some great performances at both competitions, but many at Cambridge from some of our youngest swimmers, to win overwhelming victories in the first competitions of the year looks very promising for the season ahead."