RTSC Gala Reports

Saturday 21st March - Essex League Division 2 - Braintree Pool

Whilst Romford’s A Team were wrapping up the League Division 1 Title, the B Team were busy consolidating their place in League Division 2, with a solid 3rd place on the night and 3rd place in the league overall.

The evening kicked off with a flurry of 3rd placed finishes, the first coming in the opening girls U/11 Freestyle Relay, with Bethany Moore, Sophie Ward, Hannah Binning and Chloe Thompson. They were also 3rd in the Medley event later in the evening. There were also 3rd places for Andrew Ward in the Boys Open 50 metres Butterfly, for William Harding in the boys U/13 50 metres Backstroke, for Isabel Allsop (who set a two seconds PB) in the girls U/15 100 metres Breaststroke and for her brother Sam Allsop in the boys U/11 50 metres Freestyle.

This sequence of 3rd places was broken by the boys Open Medley Relay Team of Sam Whitehead, David Ward, Andrew Ward and Jamie Harrington, who were unlucky not to notch up Town’s first win, taking 2nd in a close finish. The same four boys later picked up 2nd place in their Freestyle Relay event.

Romford supporters didn’t have to wait long though for their first victory of the evening as the next boy’s team event, the U/13 years Freestyle relay, produced the goods. The quartet of Joshua Rogers, Oliver Applebee, Conor Toolis and William Harding won with some to spare. They didn’t get it all their own way, however, as later in the evening, after a close tussle, they had to be satisfied with 2nd place in the Medley event.

14 years old Louise Harrington set a PB time of 1min 05.50secs to take the runner up spot in the girls U/15 100 metres Freestyle before Town again had to settle for another run of 3rd places. First up was 10 years old Sophie Ward in the U/11 years Butterfly, then Sam Whitehead in the boys Open 100 metres Backstroke, Shara Islam with a PB in the girls U/13 50 metres Breaststroke, Isabel Allsop and David Ward, both in the Open 100 metres Breaststroke events and Joshua Rogers in the boys U/13 50 metres Freestyle, all secured 3rd places.

Louise Harrington followed her earlier 2nd place finish with Romford’s next win on her more favoured Butterfly stroke. Though pushed in the closing stages, she had done enough to hold her lead to the end in the girls U/15 50 metres event. Conor Toolis, who continues to raise his game each time out, had to settle for 2nd spot in his U/15 Butterfly event, with a PB time of 33.21secs.

10 years old Bethany Moore put in a strong backstroke time of 37.53secs to record Romford’s next win, later doubling this with victory in the U/11 50 metres Breaststroke too.

The U/15 girls Medley Relay Team of Jodie Ward, Hannah Coles, Louise Harrington and Sophie Thompson finished 3rd and the result was the same when Alex Rose replaced Thompson in the Freestyle event. The boys U/15 relay teams of Michael Fearon, Thomas Benson, Billy Bass, Conor Toolis (Medley) and William Harding (Freestyle) were also 3rd in each of their swims.

17 years old Jamie Harrington had arguably the swim of the night as he again lowered his best 100 metres Freestyle time to 54.65secs to take 1st place in the Open Boy’s event, nearly two seconds clear of his nearest rival.

There were four more individual 3rd places to round off the gala, from Hannah Coles and Conor Toolis in the U/13 Butterfly events and Jodie Ward and Joshua Rogers in the U/15 100 metres Backstroke.

Final Result:

1. Rochford 240
2. Braintree 216
3. Romford Town 185
4. Canvey Island 181
5. Harwich 142

Well done to all.