RTSC Gala Reports

Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th March - Essex Championships 2010 - Blackshots

Romford Town swimmers pulled out all the stops this weekend in an effort to prize the County Club age group trophy away from holders Thurrock. They were in spectacular form as they took seventeen County titles from their forty-six medal haul, with the other medals coming from fourteen runner-up places and fifteen 3rd place finishes. Despite Sean Houlihan securing the Captains Trophy as the Top performer of the Championships and Elena Sheridan, Holly Hildrew and Daniel Stepton each taking the honours as top performers in their respective age groups, Romford still came up just short of their top club goal.

Having been a little out of sorts in the previous rounds of competition, 18 years old Daniel Stepton returned to stunning form. A PB in the heats of the 100 metres Butterfly brought an unexpected final in which he later improved his best again for his first medal of the weekend, a bronze. This was quickly followed by a silver in the 200 metres Freestyle and swim number three brought his first Gold over 200 metres Backstroke. With a growing confidence he again went close with silver in the 100 metres IM, before dominating the 200 IM metres event for win number two. Stepton saved his best for last. Having qualified as 5th fastest to the final of the 100 metres Freestyle he set about making it gold number three. Up with the pace setters at the mid-turn, he lit the burners to take the advantage going into the home straight. He would not be caught, taking the victory in a PB time of 52.80secs.

14 years old Sean Houlihan also added a hat-trick of golds to his collection. First up was his main event, the 200 metres Breaststroke. He led from start to finish taking an emphatic win with a time of 2mins 34.10secs. PBs over 200 metres Butterfly and 100 metres Backstroke brought bronze then silver respectively, before he brought the spectators to their feet with a winning 200 metres Freestyle swim. Having controlled the first 100 metres, he made his move at half way, pulling up on the shoulder of the favourite, Epping’s Lee Baker. Each swimmer went stroke for stroke over the closing stages with Houlihan taking the verdict by less than 0.10secs. The game plan was much the same for the 400 metres Freestyle. A decisive move over the second half this time though put daylight between him and his nearest rival as he went on to take a fine win by five metres.

In the 200 metres Butterfly, team mate Harry Coker came close to causing an upset. Whilst on paper he and Houlihan were some way behind the top seed, Coker came within one stroke of a shock win as he smashed his best by more than five seconds. He had to be content with silver in a time of 2mins 19.04secs. In the same age group George Foley set PBs in each of his swims to come away with bronze medals in both the 200 and 400 metres Freestyle and was 5th in the 200 metres Butterfly.

Elena Sheridan, who has been nursing a shoulder injury, found that resting it over the last couple of weeks had paid dividends, but she was clearly cautious in her approach to each swim. Whilst some way short of her best in her opening 400 metres IM event, she did enough to clock up her first win of the weekend. She had a comfortable victory in her main 200 metres Butterfly event where her 2mins 20.12secs swim was an Event Best Time. Clearly feeling a little more reassured she raised her game for a third win in the girls 14 years 100 metres Freestyle., but the caution returned for the longer 400 metres Freestyle event were she finished in 4th place. More confident with her IM events she secured her top category title with a fourth win and another EBT of 2mins 24.42 over the 200 metres distance. 14 years old Betheney Hall had mixed fortunes with her best results coming from 3rd place finishes in the 400 metres IM and 100 metres Freestyle. 10 years old Holly Hildrew tied up her girls top performance award with wins in each of her three swims. She was in complete control in her 400 metres Freestyle having opened up a lead over the first 100 metres. She hit the front with a very strong Breaststroke lap in the 200 metres IM and from there was not troubled through to the finish. With probably her best swim of the Championships, she went to the front from the dive in her 200 metres Butterfly, extending her lead on each of the eight lengths to take the clear win with a time of 2mins 50.64secs.

In the boys 10 years age group, Sam Ellis was the surprise package over 200 metres Breaststroke. Having secured a top six finish in the 200 metres IM, another top six finish seemed on the cards in the Breaststroke event. He, though, had his sights set higher as he eased his way through the field to snatch his first County Gold. He also finished in 4th place in the 200 metres Backstroke. Town had two other top six finishers in the 200 metres Breaststroke as Aiden Jackson came through to grab 3rd and Mitchell Wilson 4th. Wilson was also 4th in his 200 metres IM swim.

11 years old Calum Connelly had to battle for his first two gold medals taking the titles on both occasions following thrilling tussles. Like Hildrew, he went to the front in the Breaststroke lap of the 200 metres IM, holding off the late challenge of his Thurrock rival. It was neck and neck all the way over 200 metres Breaststroke with Connelly making the decisive lunge at the finish. He added 2nd places over 400 metres IM, where he achieved his first NQT of the campaign, and over 50 metres Breaststroke. He was just outside of the medals in his 200 metres Backstroke. In the same age group there were four top six places for team mate Jack Ayling. He came away with two bronze medals, finishing just behind Connelly in both of the IM swims.

Town’s future was also looking bright in the boys 9 years age group as three boys, Harry Taylor, David Brooks and Jack Rice notched up six top six finishes between them. The pick of these came from Taylor who finished 2nd in the 200 metres Breaststroke.

With her most successful Championships already achieved before this weekend, 13 years old Brock Whiston was not about to rest on her laurels. A silver medal and a PB in the 200 metres IM was followed with another in the 400 metres event. A ten seconds PB of 5mins 13.96secs brought her close to her first NQT. A stronger Backstroke lap next time out will surely see her achieve this. Recent improvements to her Butterfly stroke, coupled with her grit and determination, gave her a last gasp victory in the 100 metres Butterfly where she broke the 1min 10secs barrier for the first time. She nearly repeated the trick in the 100 metres Breaststroke, only to miss out on gold by 0.04secs in another scintillating finale.

11 years old Sophie Ward is getting closer to that elusive gold with every outing, this time pocketing silver from each of her 100 and 200 metres Butterfly swims. A strong opening Butterfly lap of her 400 metres IM had also set her up for a good 4th place in that event. Training partner Bethany Moore snatched a silver for herself in the 100 metres Freestyle and followed Ward home closely for bronze in the 100 metres Butterfly.

There was a bronze medal for Victoria Christmas in the girls 12 years old 100 metres Freestyle and she was unlucky not to add to this with 4th over 400 metres IM and 5th in her 100 metres Butterfly.

In the girls 15 years age group Harriette Davis finished 3rd in each of her IM events and Louise Harrington finished strongly to take silver over 200 metres Butterfly. Davis was also 4th in the 100 metres Freestyle and Harrington was 4th in her 400 metres Freestyle.

Like Davis, 17 years old Nicole Raymond also claimed two 3rd place finishes. Her bronze medals came from strong swims over 100 and 400 metres Freestyle. She was also 4th in the 200 metres IM.

There were a number of other swimmers that just missed out on medals, but turned in good top six performances, contributing to Romford’s overall points tally. These were:

• David Brooks - 4th - Boys 9 years 200 metres Breaststroke
• David Brooks - 4th - Boys 9 years 200 metres IM
• Jack Rice - 4th - Boys 9 years 200 metres Backstroke
• Jack Rice - 6th - Boys 9 years 200 metres IM
• Harry Taylor - 6th - Boys 9 years 200 metres Backstroke
• Anna Manning - 5th - Girls 10 years 200 metres Fly
• Anna Manning - 6th - Girls 10 years 200 metres IM
• Victoria Christmas - 4th - Girls 12 years 50 metres Freestyle
• Victoria Christmas - 5th - Girls 12 years 50 metres Backstroke
• Jodi Whitehead - 4th - Girls 12 years 100 metres Breaststroke
• Amy Harris - 5th - Girls 12 years 100 metres Breaststroke
• William Manning - 6th - Boys 12 years 200 metres Fly
• Luke Sheridan - 6th - Boys 12 years 200 metres Freestyle
• Sam Bishop - 4th - Boys 12 years 200 metres Breaststroke
• Sam Bishop - 4th - Boys 12 years 200 metres Freestyle
• Sam Bishop - 4th - Boys 12 years 400 metres Freestyle
• Amy Gore - 5th - Girls 13 years 200 metres Breaststroke
• Rosie Webber - 5th - Girls 13 years 200 metres IM
• Charles Sturley - 4th - Boys 13 years 200 metres Butterfly
• Amy Beardwell-Lacey - 4th - Girls 14 years 400 metres IM
• Amy Beardwell-Lacey - 5th - Girls 14 years 200 metres Fly
• Amy Beardwell-Lacey - 5th - Girls 14 years 200 metres IM
• Rachel Welsh - 5th - Girls 15 years 200 metres Freestyle
• Tom Clark - 6th - Boys 15 years 200 metres IM

Another really good weekend of swimming, well done to all. I hope I’ve picked up all the results, but apologise if I have missed anybody.