by admin | Oct 29, 2011 | Latest News
THE recent Lincolnshire County Masters’ Championships saw 19 swimmers from Gainsborough Dolphins descend upon the Meridian Leisure Centre at Louth. From 56 events in which they competed they tallied a magnificent 40 medals claiming fourth overall in their bid for the Carol Patch Memorial Trophy for top club. Without question top performer was 52 year old Mike Sloan who was in outstanding form claiming two new County records on his way to winning five gold and one silver medal in the category F (50-54 years). Smashing nearly a full second off the previous record in the 50m butterfly he also broke the previous mark in the 100m freestyle by just under half a second whilst he was denied a hat-trick of records by two one hundredths of a second as he claimed the 50m backstroke title. Victories also came in the 100m Individual Medley (I/M) and 50m freestyle whilst his second place came in the 50m breaststroke. Recording a hat-trick of gold medals was 47 year old Mark Smith in category E (45-49 years) winning the 50m butterfly and both 50m and 100m freestyle events. Also competing in this category were 48 year old Jari Goddard and 49 year old Adrian Cawte. The former claimed a silver in the 50m backstroke whilst he was unlucky to just miss the medals in his three other events (50m butterfly, 50m and 100m freestyle) placing fourth. Adrian also won one medal from his four events finishing third in the 50m backstroke with fourth in the 50m breaststroke, fifth in the 50m butterfly and sixth in the 50m freestyle. The five female swimmers all had a fantastic championship with 22 year old Emily Wright securing gold in the 50m butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle whilst she had to settle for silver in the 100m freestyle and I/M of category L (18-24 years). In her first ever competition 30 year old Rachael Hughes beat the nerves to claim victory in the category B (30-34 years) 50m freestyle with a silver the reward in the 50m breaststroke. The same result was achieved by 41 year old Becky Hunt in category D (40-44 years) winning the 50m backstroke with second in the 50m freestyle whilst in category C (35-39 years) both Rachel Haldenby (39) and Jeanette Morris (36) claimed respective fifth places in the 50m freestyle and backstroke with Rachel placing second in the 50m breaststroke with Jeanette in third. In category A (25-29 years) 25 year old Adam Butters struck gold in the 100m I/M with silver in the 50m breaststroke with James Lugg (30) winning the category B 100m freestyle and placing second in the 50m freestyle. The category L for the men contained the most entrants proving it tough for both Pete Trickett (19) and another debutant Ian Hansford (24). Despite their best efforts Pete claimed one medal in the 100m freestyle with a fourth in the 50m backstroke and sixth in the 100m I/M whilst the reward for Ian was a very creditable sixth in the 50m breaststroke and ninth in the 50m freestyle. The men’s category C saw three representatives from Dolphins with 39 year old Chris Webster returning with a handful of silver medals from all of his four events (50m backstroke, freestyle and butterfly and 100m I/M) whilst Steve Morris (39) won bronze in the 50m backstroke with fourth in the 50m breaststroke and sixth in the 50m freestyle. Masters Team Manager for the Gainsborough club Nic Clover (37) also won four medals claiming gold in the 100m freestyle, silver in the 50m breaststroke and two bronze in the 50m freestyle and 100m I/M. The final events of the competition saw all the swimmers combine over six mixed relays of two male and two female in various age group categories with silver in the 120-159 years I/M relay as the quartet of Becky, Adam, Chris and Rachael were just beaten by the Louth team. In the 18-24 years two bronze medals were secured by Pete, Emily, Ian and Katie Blades (20) in both the I/M and freestyle relays whilst the four of James, Jeanette, Steve and Rachael just missed the medals placing fourth in the 120-159 years freestyle relay. The final two medals to be won came from the 160-199 years as Becky, Rachel, Geoff Huddart (41) and Mark claimed bronze in the I/M relay whilst Geoff and Rachel were joined by Jeanette and Adrian for the same result in the freestyle relay. The Masters section of Gainsborough Dolphins has its own identity and water time away from the main competitive squads. The Masters squad is looking to build on numbers for the New Year so any ex-swimmers who fancy getting back in and reliving their youth or anyone who wishes to attend to improve their fitness are more than welcome. For more information please visit the Club website – www.gainsboroughdolphins.co.uk or contact Nic Clover skip06@talktalk.net.
by admin | Oct 22, 2011 | Latest News
THE opening round of this year’s National Swimming League, sponsored by Arena, saw a depleted Gainsborough Dolphins squad travel to Wellingborough. Competing in the second division of the East Midlands region they arrived to find a change to the original opposition as withdrawals in both divisions saw Melton Mowbray promoted before the start of the first round with Maxwell Swimming Club unable to raise a team. This resulted in a five team gala with Dolphins facing host club Wellingborough, Great Yarmouth, Thetford and Corby in what proved to be a very competitive and thrilling encounter. With several swimmers missing for the Gainsborough club it resulted in a busy night for those who travelled with some competing in six events as Dolphins tallied 31 top three places from the 50 races. The first victory of the night came from 16 year old David Trickett in the Mens Open 100m Individual Medley (I/M) who later secured a double victory as he stormed home in the 100m breaststroke. In the same age group James Smith exploded out of the blocks to lead all the way taking maximum points in the 100m freestyle whilst he was just edged into third in the 100m butterfly. Will Cawte made it a good night for the eldest age group as he recorded second place in the 100m backstroke and this trio alongside 47 year old Mark Smith finished second in both the freestyle and medley relays. In the boys 13/U age group both Henry Cawte and Aarron Smith secured victories in the 100m breaststroke and butterfly respectively whilst they both placed second in the 100m backstroke and freestyle events. Alongside Aidan Clover and Will Walmsley they came second in the medley relay with third place in the freestyle relay as Ewan McKay replaced Will. Both Henry (100m breaststroke) and Aarron (100m butterfly) claimed excellent third places as they both swam against competitors three years older in the boys 15/U age group. Also finishing third in this age group was Jack Boulton in the 100m freestyle whilst Harriett Baird capped a fine night with victory in the girls equivalent as she also produced excellent swims for second places in both the girls 15/U and Ladies Open 100m backstroke. The Ladies Open freestyle relay quartet of Harriett, Emily Wright, Sophie Blades and Lauren Zaitschenko produced a battling performance to place third with Emily in fine form to win her individual 100m breaststroke and Sophie third in the 100m freestyle. Dolphins final victory on the night came from Ewan McKay in the boys 10-11 years 50m freestyle whilst in the same age group Ben Ambrose just beaten on the touch into second in the 50m breaststroke with Will Walmsley third in the 50m butterfly. This trio was joined by Ben Crookes to finish second and third in their respective medley and freestyle relays. In the girls 10-11 years Lydia Waring gained second place in the 50m backstroke and third in the 50m freestyle with Georgia McKay swimming an outstanding 100m butterfly to claim third in the girls 13/U age group. Georgia was joined by Charlotte Smith, Heather Cooke and Zara Thomas for a third place finish in the girls 13/U freestyle relay with the club wishing to thank Molly Creed, Katie Bindon, Hollie Watkins, Aysha Simpson and Tonicha Watson for their magnificent contributions towards the final result. Final result: 1st Wellingborough 187 points; 2nd Great Yarmouth 170; 3rd Gainsborough Dolphins 149; 4th Corby 137; 5th Thetford 101. The Gainsborough outfit travel to Market Deeping in early November for the second round of three.
by admin | Sep 26, 2011 | Latest News
GAINSBOROUGH Dolphins claimed an outstanding fourth place in the third and final round of the Lincolnshire Junior League held recently at the brand new Pods Leisure Centre at Scunthorpe. The impressive new facility hosted its first competitive gala where the top six clubs in the county had qualified through the previous rounds to battle it out for the final standings of this year’s competition. With South Lincs swimming club withdrawing as they were unable to raise a team it meant a reprieve for Grantham SC to compete against the Gainsborough club, Lincoln Vulcans ‘A’, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe Aquatics (CASA) ‘A’, Louth and City of Lincoln Pentaqua (CLP) ‘A’. The size of CASA and Lincoln Vulcans squads meant as predicted they were to battle it out for the right to be crowned champions with the fight behind them for the remaining positions. As with the Lincolnshire Senior League it left Dolphins with a head to head with Louth for the coveted third spot to which their rivals just edged. The 49 event gala brought plenty of excitement and close finishes with the Gainsborough outfit recording 20 top three finishes. Making it a hat-trick of wins over the three rounds 10 year old Ben Ambrose proved why he is number one ranked in the county in his age group as he romped home to win the 50m breaststroke. Dolphins managed only two other victories and these were achieved by James Beresford (boys 10/U 50m backstroke) and Ewan McKay (boys 11/U 50m butterfly). James also recorded a second place finish in the boys 10/U 25m butterfly whilst Ewan finished third in the boys 11/u 50m breaststroke. Alongside William Walmsley and Ben Ambrose both James and Ewan swam an excellent relay to finish second in the boys 11/U medley relay. The girls 9 years quartet of Chloe Huddart, Harriet Webster, Lucie Blades and Lily Talbot were just beaten into second place in both their freestyle and medley relays whilst Chloe gained two fantastic second places in her individual 25m freestyle and backstroke events with Harriet third in the 25m butterfly. 10 year old Shannon Conway was unlucky as two close finishes meant she placed second and third in the 25m butterfly and backstroke respectively. Shannon was joined by Katie Bindon, Molly Creed and Grace Tooke in the girls 10/U freestyle and medley relays as they secured third place in both whilst the boys squad of James Beresford, Ben Crookes, Ben Ambrose and Alex Berry matched this feat in their 10/U relay events. In her final Junior league 12 year old Loveday Beresford finished second in the girls 12/U 50m freestyle whilst she came in third in the 50m butterfly. Also in this age group Charlotte Smith placed third in the 50m backstroke with Lydia Waring also finishing third in the girls 11/U 50m breaststroke. The achievement on the night could not have been gained without the excellent performances of Zara Thomas, Ella Marsh, Thomas Humphreys, Zaki Thomas, George Tooke, Aidan Clover, Ethan Burton, Max Marshall-Malone, Declan Woodhead, Toby Sutherland, Hollie Watkins, Lucy Thornton and Dougie Watson. The Club would like to express their thanks to all the parents and supporters for their resounding support in the ridiculous heat as well as coaches Andy Crookes, Leanne Clover and Chris Webster, kiddie catcher Georgia McKay and time keepers Tony Bindon and Nic Clover. Final Result: 1st CASA ‘A’ 237 points; 2nd Lincoln Vulcans ‘A’ 212; 3rd Louth 168; 4th Gainsborough Dolphins 151; 5th CLP ‘A’ 141; 6th Grantham 99.
by admin | Aug 8, 2011 | Latest News
HOT on the heels of the first round of in-house club championships held by Gainsborough Dolphins at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre the second round proved another success. With more entries than the first round the packed spectator gallery witnessed some excellent performances from all the swimmers. As with the previous round the programme on the evening contained all the old records set under the former constitutions as a reminder of their history meaning all winning times set on the night would become the new times to beat in the future years. Despite this it was double celebration for brothers Brandon and Aarron Smith who both recorded victories inside the now archived records of Trenton Dolphins. 7 year old Brandon swam an outstanding 25m front crawl to overhaul the previous mark set by Darren Wigglesworth nearly 30 years ago in 1982 as he recorded a time of 20.22 whilst his elder brother broke the previous best set in 2002 by Jason Allcock in the boys 13 years 100m butterfly. Full results: Boys 50m Breaststroke: Group 2 (Goldfish, Penguins and Sea Lions) – 9yrs 1st Dougie Watson, 2nd Max Marshall-Malone; 10yrs 1st Louis Hubner; Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 10yrs 1st James Beresford, 2nd Ben Ambrose, 3rd Ben Crookes; 11yrs 1st William Walmsley; 12yrs 1st Zaki Thomas, 2nd Regan Johnson; 13yrs 1st Henry Cawte, 2nd Aarron Smith; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st David Trickett, 2nd Peter Trickett; 25/Over 1st Chris Webster; Girls 50m Backstroke: Group 2 (Goldfish, Penguins and Sea Lions) – 9yrs 1st Ryley Johnson, 2nd Eleanor Chapman; 10yrs 1st Annabelle Haldenby, 2nd Charlotte Hubble-Simpson, 11yrs 1st Beth Hethershaw; Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 9yrs 1st Chloe Huddart, 2nd Lydia Smith, 3rd Lucie Blades; 10yrs 1st Shannon Conway, 2nd Molly Creed, 3rd Sophie Hildred; 11yrs 1st Lydia Waring, 2nd Lucy Thornton 3rd Hollie Watkins; 12yrs 1st Loveday Beresford, 2nd Charlotte Smith, 3rd Zahrah Thomas; 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 15yrs 1st Tonicha Watson, 2nd Lauren Zaitschenko; 16/24yrs 1st Robyn Dand, 2nd Megan Stevenson, 3rd Emily Wright; Boys Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Max Creed, 2nd George Blackbourn; Boys Half Length (widths) – 1st Thomas Stubbs, 2nd Luke Ambrose, 3rd Simon Papworth; Girls Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Georgia McGuire, 2nd Kate Smith, 3rd Poppy Littlewood; Girls Half Length (widths) – 1st Grace Warwick, 2nd Carly Conran, 3rd Charlotte Hunt; Boys 100m Individual Medley – 10yrs 1st James Beresford, 2nd Ben Crookes; 11yrs 1st William Walmsley; 12yrs 1st Zaki Thomas; 13yrs 1st Aarron Smith, 2nd Henry Cawte; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st David Trickett, 2nd Peter Trickett; 25/Over 1st Chris Webster; Girls 100m Freestyle – 11yrs 1st Lucy Thornton, 2nd Hollie Watkins, 3rd Lydia Waring; 12yrs 1st Loveday Beresford, 2nd Charlotte Smith, 3rd Zarah Thomas; 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 15yrs 1st Tonicha Watson, 2nd Lauren Zaitschenko; 16/24yrs 1st Megan Stevenson, 2nd Emily Wright, 3rd Sophie Blades; Boys 25m Front Crawl – 7/Under 1st Brandon Smith, 2nd Saul Bayne; 8yrs 1st Ben Haldenby, 2nd Morgan Stamp, 3rd Ben Smith; Girls 25m Freestyle – 7/Under 1st Georgia Walmsley, 2nd Connie Watson; 8yrs 1st Nicole Bindon, 2nd Hollie Wilson; Girls 25m Butterfly – 8yrs 1st Nicole Bindon, 2nd Hollie Wilson; 9yrs 1st Harriet Webster, 2nd Chloe Huddart, 3rd Lily Talbot; Boys 200m Backstroke – 9-11yrs 1st James Beresford, 2nd William Walmsley, 3rd Ben Crookes; Mens 200m Backstroke – 1st David Trickett, 2nd Peter Trickett, 3rd Aarron Smith; Girls 9-11yrs 200m Butterfly – 1st Lucy Thornton; Ladies 200m Butterfly – 1st Loveday Beresford, 2nd Georgia McKay, 3rd Emily Wright; Boys 100m Butterfly – 11yrs 1st William Walmsley; 13yrs 1st Aarron Smith, 2nd Henry Cawte; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 16/24yrs 1st David Trickett, 2nd Peter Trickett; Girls 9-11yrs 200m Individual Medley – 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Chloe Huddart, 3rd Lucy Thornton; Ladies 200m Individual Medley – 1st Robyn Dand, 2nd Megan Stevenson, 3rd Loveday Beresford. The Club would like to thank all the swimmers for their efforts, volunteers for their help and time and spectators for creating a wonderful atmosphere. For more on the Club please visit www.gainsboroughdolphins.co.uk.
by admin | Jul 20, 2011 | Latest News
THE third and final round of the 2011 Lincolnshire Swimming League saw Gainsborough Dolphins travel to the eight lane pool at the Meridian Leisure Centre in Louth. Competing against a near full strength defending champions Lincoln Vulcans ‘A’, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe Aquatics (CASA), Louth, South Lincs, Grantham, Lincoln Vulcans ‘B’ and the City of Lincoln Pentaqua (CLP) it pitted the best of the County against each other in a gala full of very competitive races. As expected Vulcans ‘A’ and CASA dominated the proceedings resulting in Dolphins battling with Louth for third place, a contest they unfortunately lost as the Gainsborough outfit had to settle for a very satisfying fourth place on the night and in the final league table. The strength Dolphins have in the younger ages of the Club was again apparent as the boys and girls 10 years age groups were in outstanding form. Only two victories were secured on the night and these both fell in this category as Shannon Conway won her 50m butterfly and Ben Ambrose was victorious in the 50m breaststroke. In the boys 10 years James Beresford finished second in the 50m backstroke and third in the 50m butterfly and alongside Ben Crookes and Toby Sutherland they claimed two impressive second places in the boys 10 years freestyle and medley relay events. Grace Tooke swam superbly in the girls 50m breaststroke to achieve third place and along with Shannon, Molly Creed and Katie Bindon this quartet emulated the boys with second places in both their relays. 12 year old Loveday Beresford claimed two second places on the night in the girls 12/U 50m butterfly and freestyle with Henry Cawte and Aarron Smith also placing second in the boys 14/U 100m breaststroke and butterfly respectively. Despite a personal best time in the Mens Open 100m freestyle James Smith had to settle for third as did Robyn Dand in the Ladies Open 100m backstroke. Ewan McKay recorded Dolphins only other third place in the boys 12/U 50m breaststroke whilst an unfortunate disqualification in the 50m butterfly cost him second place. Individual fourth places were achieved by David Trickett (Mens Open 100m breaststroke), Charlotte Smith (girls 12/U 50m backstroke), Ben Crookes (boys 10yrs 50m freestyle), Molly Creed (girls 10yrs 50m freestyle) and Katie Bindon (girls 10yrs 50m backstroke). Special mention to all the other Dolphin swimmers – Bradley Janney, Georgia McKay, Amy Evans, Heather Cooke, Rebecca Codd, William Walmsley, Emily Wright, Will Cawte, Pete Trickett, Tonicha Watson, Sophie Blades, Cammron Bower, Hollie Watkins, Lydia Waring, George Tooke and Aysha Simpson whose magnificent efforts all contributed to the final standings. A huge thank you from the Club to all the parents and supporters and all the volunteers in their various capacities on the night. Final result: 1st Lincoln Vulcans ‘A’ 314 points; 2nd CASA 273; 3rd Louth 241; 4th Gainsborough Dolphins 214; 5th Grantham 197; 6th South Lincs 170; 7th CLP ‘A’ 148; 8th Lincoln Vulcans ‘B’ 135.
