RTSC Gala Reports

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th January - Essex Championships 2009 - Blackshots

Romford Town Swimming Club made a strong start to the first of the four County Age Group Championship weekends for 2009. This opening weekend comprised of the 50 metres sprint events for each of the Age Groups, together with the Junior and Senior relays.

In the relay team events Romford Town came away with nine medals from the ten events. A spirited opening performance by the Ladies Open 4 X 200 metres Freestyle team was the only event that Romford finished outside of the medals. Their 4th place showed the fighting spirit that set the tone for the weekend.

The Junior Girls 4 X 50 metres Medley team of Rachel Welsh, Bethaney Hall, Elena Sheridan and Nicole Raymond powered to Town’s first Gold in a time of 2mins 09.21secs. This was followed by silver in an exciting encounter in the Mens 4 X 100 metres Freestyle relay as Jamie Harrington, Jake Harrison, James Davis and Daniel Stepton just lost out in a close tussle with the men from the Borough of Waltham Forest.

Romford pocketed two more bronze medals in the Mens Medley and Junior Girls Freestyle events. The Mens team of Daniel Stepton, Jake Harrison, Tom Toolis and Jamie Harrington were unable to quite match the time set in the heats and were disappointed not to have won this one. The girls team of Rachel Welsh, Harriette Davis, Louise Harrington and Nicole Raymond were all at their best and came within a couple of strokes of a second gold.

Day 2 kicked off in the best possible way, as the Mens 4 X 200 Freestyle Team of Jamie Harrington, James Davis, Tom Toolis and Daniel Stepton this time got the better of the Waltham Forest quartet to chalk up Town’s second relay Title. There was more excitement in the Women’s 4 X 100 Freestyle relay final where the first three teams all finished within a metre of each other. Again Romford came so close, but had to settle for a share of 2nd place.

The Junior Boys 4 X 50 metres Medley Team of Tom Toolis, Sean Houlihan, James Davis and Alfie Burr took 3rd spot and when Tom Clark stepped in for Burr in the afternoon Freestyle event they were involved in the closest finish of all, taking silver less than 0.2secs behind their Redbridge rivals.

Romford had two teams qualify for the Ladies Open Medley Relay final where Harriette Davis, Jessica Coles, Elena Sheridan and Nicole Raymond secured 2nd place and Rachel Welsh, Bethaney Hall, Louise Harrington and Kira Fawke did well to finish 5th.

In the individual sprint events, Romford swimmers notched up eleven titles and set six Event Best Times (EBT). 13 years old Sean Houlihan was first to rewrite the record books setting a new Event Best Time in the heats of the 50 metres Backstroke. He improved on this again in the final to set another new mark at 30.65secs. He then set about taking nearly half a second off the previous Event Best Time over 50 metres Butterfly to finish with a time of 29.35secs. Romford swimmers made up three of the top four places here. There were also dazzling swims from Harry Coker and Joseph Stamp who finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Stamp's best result came in the Backstroke where he took the bronze in a time of 32.93secs. For Houlihan the Breaststroke event was next up and his winning time of 33.43secs was also an EBT. In the weakest of his four strokes, the Freestyle, Houlihan missed out on another record, but still did enough to make it win number four.

13 years old Elena Sheridan was also in sparkling form setting PB times with every relay swim and she took this form into her individual events too. She left her rivals in her wake over 50 metres Buterfly as she flew to an EBT and the gold with 30.79secs. Sheridan did well to take silver behind team mate Bethaney Hall in the 50 metres Breaststroke. Hall’s recent stroke improvement continued to pay dividends as she stretched away over the first 25 metres for a lead that proved decisive. Despite Sheridan's gritty finishing burst Hall held her nerve and her lead to win with a time of 37.79secs. Sheridan later set a PB to take her into the final of the 50 metres Freestyle where she finished 6th.

17 years old Daniel Stepton set the other EBT of the weekend, lowering the 50 metres Backstroke best in the open age group by 0.6secs, to a time of 27.51secs. He was involved in another thriller in the 50 metres Butterfly where a poor turn looked to have put paid to his second title. A strong second lap, however, brought him through to a share of the Gold as he and Waltham Forest's Alex Jameson could not be separated, both finishing with a time of 26.76secs. Jameson did however get the verdict by 0.1secs in the 50 metres Freestyle and Stepton had to be happy with silver. Stepton’s training partner, 17 years old Jamie Harrington, who had much of last season written off through illness, put all of that behind him as he swam to a PB and his first National Qualifying Time of 24.89secs in the Freestyle heats. He put in another great swim to take the bronze medal in the final. Stepton went on to improve on his best times in the heat and final in his less favoured Breaststroke event, coming in 4th.

10 years old Bethany Moore turned much of her promise into results as she came away with a medal of each colour. She came close over 50 metres Breaststroke finishing in 2nd spot with a time of 42.45secs before adding a respectable 5th place in the Freestyle event. Her second medal, a bronze, came in the 50 metres Butterfly with team mate Sophie Ward not far behind in 5th. Moore saved her best for last as her time of 38.11secs secured her gold in the Backstroke.

In the 11 years age group, Megan McAuliffe finished strongly to take gold in the 50 metres Breaststroke with a PB time of 41.27secs. In the same age group, Victoria Christmas put in some strong performances to get into three finals. She finished 5th in both the 50 metres Butterfly and Freestyle, but her best swim came in the Backstroke where she snatched 2nd place. 11 years old Sam Bishop, who had been ill for some time leading up to these Championships, improved with each swim, finishing his day with a bronze medal and a PB time of 43.52secs over 50 metres Breaststroke.

In the 14 years age group Harriette Davis added to her relay medals with a couple of individual successes. The most improved of her strokes more recently, her Breaststroke, produced a silver medal and so nearly the gold as the score board revealed that she came within 0.02secs of a win. Looking more confident with every swim, she rounded off her weekend with the gold and another PB over 50 metres Backstroke, just edging out team mate Rachel Welsh who took the silver.

There were silver medals for 16 years olds Nicole Raymond and Jessica Coles too. Raymond's best result from her three finals came over 50 metres Freestyle where she set a time of 28.31secs to grab the silver. She also finished 4th in the Backstroke and 5th in the Butterfly. Coles, who finished 4th just ahead of Raymond in the Butterfly, seemed to have the 50 metres Breaststroke sown up with only a couple of metres to go' but was touched out into 2nd place at the finish.

Other medals came from 12 years old George Ellis who improved on his previous best to take bronze in the 50 metres Backstroke. In the 16 years age group James Davis, more at home over the longer events, showed that he also has a turn of speed over the shorter distances as he came from some way down the programme to steal 3rd place. Another powerful swim in the Breaststroke brought him 4th place. Just ahead of Davis in 3rd place in this event was Jake Harrison. Having edged in front down the closing straight he, like Coles, looked to have victory in the bag, only to give it up with an indecisive finish.

There were many more outstanding swims from Romford Town swimmers. Those that finished just outside the medals but collected points towards the overall championship title by reaching the final were:-

• Toby Mascall - 5th - Boys 10 years Butterfly
• Rosie Webber - 6th - Girls 12 years Butterfly
• Brock Whiston - 5th - Girls 12 years Breaststroke
• James Kidd - 6th - Boys 12 years Butterfly
• Louise Harrington - 4th - Girls 14 years Butterfly
• Tom Clark - 4th - Boys 14 years Breaststroke
• Nicola Rees - 5th - Girls 17+ years Butterfly

Well done to all.