Swimmers do town proud (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Swimmers do town proud

THE people of Tewkesbury should be proud of its swimming club which excelled at the Gloucestershire County Championships.

Even after the loss of its head coach and some of its senior swimmers, the club is still going from strength to strength thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteer coaches both at the poolside and in the gym!

Sessions one and two took place at GL1 in Gloucester with six swimmers representing the club in the long distance events.

In the boys 12-year age group, 800m freestylers Craig Skinner (10.16.62) and Jack Laughland (10.18.51) took gold and silver medals.

In the 1500m freestyle 15-year age group, James Butler (17.56.45) added to the medal tally with a third place bronze and new personal best.

Will Gibney (18.24.24) finished in sixth place in the 14-year age group with a new pb, while 16-year competitor Phil Bluck (17.22.99) just missed out on a medal when touching in fourth.

Not prepared to let the boys have it all their own way, Harriet Parker took her place on the podium finishing third in the 17-year age group 800m freestyle.

For sessions four to six the Tewkesbury swimmers rolled their bandwagon to Bristol looking to take more bounty home.

First in the water was Russell Peek (5.09.29) in the 13-year age group and started the day off well with a bronze in the 400m freestyle.

Teammate Gibney (4.37.96) finished sixth in the 14-year event, while there was a reversal of fortunes for Butler (4.35.41) Phil Bluck (4.24.61) where this time the latter finished third and Butler fourth.

Handing the baton over to the younger swimmers, 17-year-old Parker (2.39.50) finished fourth in the 200m backstoke.

In the 11-year 200m fly, Alex Tailford recorded the first gold medal of the day in a time of 3.09.65 with Skinner (2.44.64) and Laughland (3.00.62) making the age group their own in the 12-year 200m with gold and silver medals respectively.

Skinner (4.59.13) and Laughland (5.06.92) both recorded personal best times in the 400m freestyle to again win gold and silver with Greg Baxter (5.47.46) and Tailford (5.52.66) finishing a respectable fourth and sixth in the 11-year category.

Club stalwart Lauren Blake (5.09.16) took bronze in the girls' 18-year 400m free with Parker (4.54.41) matching the achievement in her age group.

In the boys' 200m backstroke 13-year Russell Peek (2.41.53) was fourth, James Butler (2.29.50) fifth and Gibney (2.28.22) sixth.

Baxter (43.98), meanwhile, claimed gold in the 50m breaststroke with Tailford (45.86) fifth.

There were yet more medals in session five with gold in the 200m IM for Tailford (2.58.24) with Baxter (3.03.19) third.

Skinner (2.39.68) and Laughland (2.45.53) were still in no benevolent mood in the 200m race leaving rivals to fight it out for the third place position.

Sisters Charlotte (3.16.22) and Harriet Parker (3.10.45) finished fourth in their respective age groups with Gibney (2.39.80) sixth in the 200m backstroke.

James Partridge (15) swam a lifetime best (2.21.72) in the gruelling 200m fly to win gold and, with the fastest eight swimmers competing in the men's championship 200m fly final, he then bagged sixth spot in an even faster 2.21.51.

Ten-year-old Faye Jones (3.11.80) finished seventh in the 200m backstroke while Baxter (33.69) took silver in the 50m breaststroke with Tailford (34.61) eighth.

On the final day, after 11-year competitor Faye Jones (3.15.74) had finished seventh in the 200m IM, it was the turn of the boys' 200m breaststroke and Peek took silver (2.55.90) with Gibney (2.46.63) winning a 14-year bronze.

Butler, who had only turned 15 the previous week, finished fourth in a time of 2.46.63.

The medals were still to keep coming as 18-year Blake (2.55.44) won silver in the 200m butterfly with Parker (2.52.37) edged out for fourth.

Entering the closing stages of the competition, Tailford (3.00.50) finished third in the 200m backstroke to take bronze with Baxter (3.07.34) back in seventh.

The day wouldn't have been complete without one final curtain call for Skinner and Laughland who lined up in the 200m backstroke.

From the outset, Laughland (2.43.40) looked to seek revenge and it was a brave and valiant effort on his behalf but it was Skinner who again claimed gold in a time of 2.41.70.

Wrapping up the medal haul, Faye Jones finished sixth in the 50m freestyle in another new pb that also came the way of Sian Peek and Jessica Butler in the same event.