Dartes Minster Meet Results
Eighteen swimmers competed at the popular DARTES Minster Meet at Beverley pool on 22nd April, they competed as of the age on the day of the race. They brought home 19 medals and 10 speeding tickets (this was a B/C grade meet and they just broke through the cut off times!!!).
The morning session excelled under the guidance of coach, David Trickett, with 10 medals, even after an exciting evening at the club champs and an early 6.30am start. The star performance was a win by 15 yrs Amy Evans in the first event, 100m IM(C) in a time of 1.24.85; she quickly followed this up with a 3rd place in 50m Fly in a time of 40.18 and was so close with a 7th & 8th place in backstroke and breaststroke respectively. Tonicha Watson was one of three girls on the day to bring home 3 medals; Tonicha, 15 yrs,came 2nd in both the 100m IM (B) and the 50m backstroke and won a 4th place in her favourite breaststroke in a time of 43.47, whilst achieving the accolade of a speeding ticket in the 50m fly .Lauren Zaitchenko made up the trio of 15 year old girls had a great race in the 50m freestyle finishing 2nd in a time of 37.48. The other trio competing in the morning were the 12 year old girls, Lydia Waring, Hollie Watkins and Zarah Thomas. Lydia led the way with 2 medals, a 4th and 5th in her favourite strokes of backstroke and breaststroke respectively, whilst Zarah came 5th in the 50m freestyle. Hollie just went that fast in the 100m IM she got a speeding ticket, smashing her entry time by 5.5s to finish in 1.34.22. The only boy in the morning was 9 year old Ethan Burton, he stuck close to David so he could talk man to man!! Ethan had 2 great swims, he smashed his 50m backstroke time an ot a speeding ticket, but then got himself back in the water and achieved 5th in the 50m freestyle in a PB of 47.09.
When the afternoon session came is was time for the two experienced coaches of Chris Webster and Mark Smith to guide the squad to another 9 medals. Try as we did to beat Davids tally we just wound the swimmers up so much they got 8 speeding tickets between them. Of the 9 medals won in the afternoon the 10year old girl quad won 6 of them. Harriet Webster had a great birthday getting 4th in her favourite 50m fly and 6th in both the 50m freestyle and her achilles heel, breaststroke; she surprised herself on backstroke with a 3s PB and a speeding ticket. Lily Talbot had a string of PBs resulting in three 6th places in 100m IM, 50m breaststroke and 50m fly; perhaps her best swim was actually a 4s PB on freestyle in 41.1s. Katie Bindon had some gutsy swims and was still feeling the tiredness in her bones from the club champs, but was really pleased with a PB in the breaststroke of 56.88s and was so close with two 7th places. Annabelle Haldenby was competing in her first open meet and was overjoyed with a 2.2s PB in the breaststroke; her grin was that wide she could have been on Alice in Wonderland. The trio of 9year old girls Nicole Bindon, Marsaili Jolly and Ryley Johnson were swimming in this meet for the first time and had some great swims. Ryley was excited with a 6th place in 50m freestyle as the result of a 1s PB in 45.84s and a speeding ticket in freestyle. Marsailli got PBs in both her swims of backstroke and breaststroke and loved cheering on her fellow swimmers. Nicole got a speeding ticket for annihilating her 50m freestyle time by 6s to 50.59s. The two 13 year old girls, Charlotte Smith and Ella Marsh, had a successful event. Charlotte got her mind into gear after a self analysis of her first race and achieved two 3rd places in fly and breaststroke and couldn’t believe it when she ot a speeding ticket in the freestyle. Ella has been training hard recently excelled at the freestyle with a 2.8s PB in a resultant speeding ticket. The only boys in the afternoon were in the 12years. Reagan Johnson , competing for the first time had a great breaststroke swim and was unfortunate to be DQ’d, but he rallied himself to swim the free and just couldn’t quite get going after a long afternoon. Zaki Thomas PB’d in all his swims, the most notable being a 6.4s PB in 50m backstroke and a massive 7.8s off the 100m IM time earning him a speeding ticket.
A long 11 hour day, but some great swims from all 18 swimmers, well done to you and your parents for supporting you and thanks to David and Mark for helping me coach.
Chris Webster
Coach GDSC
Lincolnshire Juniors Swimming League
THE opening round of this year Lincolnshire Junior League saw Gainsborough Dolphins travel to the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding. Competing against host club South Lincs with swimmers representing Grantham, City of Lincoln Pentaqua and Scunthorpe Anchor, Dolphins arrived with some very nervous youngsters who were competing for the Gainsborough club for the first time. The 49 event gala resulted in Dolphins claiming 22 top three finishes including nine victories. At the senior end of the junior league, for 12 & under swimmers only, both Ewan McKay and Will Walmsley finishes first as the latter won the 12/u 50m backstroke with Ewan recording a double as he swam superbly to touch first in the 12/u 50m butterfly and freestyle. In the 9 years age group both Ryley Johnson and Reuben Gidlow beat the nerves as they both gave outstanding performances to win the girls 25m breaststroke and boys 25m backstroke respectively. Joining Reuben to win the boys 9 years freestyle relay were Morgan Stamp, Nathan Woodhead and Hayden King with Morgan finishing third in his individual 25m breaststroke event. Following good swims from Emily Neal, Sian Saunders and Freya Janney a storming last leg was produced by Lilly Talbot to snatch victory on the touch in the girls 11/u medley relay. Boasting rights for Dolphins on the night were claimed by the girls 10/u squad as the quartet of Lydia Smith, Chloe Huddart, Lucie Blades and Harriet Webster claimed victories in both the freestyle and medley relays. The individual events for this age group saw the girls record four second places in very tight races with Freya Janney the unluckiest as she was denied victory by two one hundredths of a second in the 25m butterfly. Excellent swims from Lydia (50m breaststroke), Lucie (50m backstroke) and Harriet (50m freestyle) capped a fine night for the girls, whilst Chloe swam up in the 11/u girls 50m butterfly to finish third in a new personal best time. In the 11/u age group both Sian Saunders and Ben Ambrose finished second in the 50m breaststroke. The girls 9 years relay team of Marianne Berry, Ryley Johnson, Nicole Bindon and Erin Green were magnificent to claim second place in the medley relay and third in the freestyle event. In the 11/u age group Katie Bindon and in the 10/u Ethan Burton both finished third in the 50m backstroke with the final event of the evening securing the Gainsborough club’s final top three finish. With a selected boy/girl swimmer from each age group they compete in a cannon relay of eight legs of 25m each. Battling throughout in a thrilling finale, Ryley Johnson, Reuben Gidlow, Sophie Marzano, Ethan Burton, Chloe Huddart, Lydia Waring and Ewan McKay had all swam tremendous legs as they were just touched into third by the final Pentaqua swimmer. Excellent swims were also produced by Grace Tooke, Hollie Watkins, Reagan Johnson, Cammron Bower, Billy Thorpe, Declan Woodhead, Ethan Roslee, Hayden Goble, Alex Berry and Toby Sutherland who all contributed to the final result. The Club wish to thank all the supporters for travelling to cheer on the swimmers and to all coaches and volunteers for their assistance on the night. Final result: 1st Scunthorpe Anchor 167 points; 2nd City of Lincoln Pentaqua 164; 3rd Gainsborough Dolphins 132; 4th South Lincs 112; 5th Grantham 104.uddartHuddart, Ben Crookes, Lydia waring and Ean McKay
Masters Report
THE final couple of months of 2011 saw a busy time for some members from the Masters section of Gainsborough Dolphins. Representing the Club at the ASA National Masters in the international surroundings of Ponds Forge at Sheffield saw both Adam Butters and Mike Keeble compete against the fastest swimmers in the country. In the 60-64 year age group, 60 year old Mike suffered a torrid build up with illness and injury, put in two excellent swims to secure fifth and sixth places in the 50m and 100m backstroke respectively. At the other end of the age spectrum 25 year old Adam registered some respectable times as he found in tough going in a very competitive 25-29 years age group. Despite this he recorded 13th place in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke with 16th in the 50m backstroke and 21st in the 50m butterfly. Adam was also in action at Derby in the Etwall Eagles Masters open meet. This event was doubled up with the Derbyshire County Masters championships which saw a high level of competition with swimmers from 39 different clubs. In the 25-29 years he secured a hat-trick of second places in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and 100m Individual Medley (I/M) with fifth in the 50m freestyle. In the 18-24 years 22 year old Emily Wright had an outstanding day as she won the 50m and 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly with second place in the 100m I/M. She also finished third in the 50m and 100m freestyle with fourth in the 50m backstroke. Competing in their first Masters event for the Gainsborough Club were 33 year old Leanne Clover and 41 year old Geoff Huddart. Leanne just missed out on the top three as she produced a fine swim to finish fourth in the 25m freestyle whilst Geoff won the 40-44 years 25m backstroke with fifth in the 25m butterfly and sixth in both the 25m and 50m freestyle. In the 35-39 years Dolphins had two representatives in Chris Webster (39) and Nic Clover (37). The former secured four top six finishes as he won the 25m breaststroke, finishing second in the 25m butterfly, fourth in the 50m butterfly and sixth in the 100m I/M. Masters team manager Nic also claimed four top six places as he won the 100m breaststroke with third in the 100m freestyle, fourth in the 50m freestyle and fifth in the 50m breaststroke. The male quartet teamed up to compete in the combined age group 120+ freestyle and I/M relays as they recorded fourth place in both. Six swimmers returned to Ponds Forge in early December in the South Yorkshire Masters. Outstanding again was Emily Wright and she claimed two second places in the 50m butterfly and breaststroke with third in the 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke and fifth in the 400m freestyle. Competing for the first time at this arena proved no fear for 24 year old Ian Hansford in the 18-24 years as he finished second on the 100m breaststroke, third in the 50m breaststroke and seventh in the 50m freestyle. An unfortunate disqualification in the 100m freestyle for a false start denied him of another top six placing. 47 year old Jari Goddard put in two gritty performances to claim third in both the 45-49 years 50m freestyle and butterfly whilst 39 year old Steve Morris recorded sixth place in the 35-39 years 50m and 100m breaststroke. The same age group saw Chris Webster finish second in the 50m backstroke with fourth and sixth respectively in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle events. In the 30-34 years freestyle specialist James Lugg entered all four events securing two third places in the 200m and 400m with seventh in the 100m and eighth in the 50m. 2012 is expected to bring some more exciting times for this section of the Club with some transferring their skills to open water competition amongst the many planned events in the pool. The Club is looking to boost its competitive Masters section asking any ex-swimmers interested in getting back in the water to come along in the New Year. For more details on the Club please visit www.gainsboroughdolphins.co.uk.
GAINSBOROUGH DOLPHINS SC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – 04/12/11
A PACKED West Lindsey Leisure Centre witnessed the fourth and final round of in-house club championships held by Gainsborough Dolphins. As with the previous rounds 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 future years. Full results: Boys 50m Butterfly: Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 9yrs 1st Declan Woodhead; 10yrs 1st Ben Crookes; 11yrs 1st Ewan McKay, 2nd William Walmsley; 12yrs 1st Aidan Clover, 2nd Cammron Bower, 3rd Zaki Thomas; 13yrs 1st Aarron Smith, 2nd Henry Cawte, 3rd Bradley Janney; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st Will Cawte, 2nd David Trickett, 3rd James Smith; 25/Over 1st Chris Webster, 2nd Mark Smith, 3rd Nic Clover; Girls 50m Breaststroke: Group 2 (Goldfish, Penguins and Sea Lions) – 9yrs 1st Marsail Jolly, 2nd Eleanor Chapman, 3rd Ella Thornton; 10yrs 1st Annabelle Haldenby, 2nd Kaycee Bower, 3rd Charlie Hubble-Simpson; 11yrs 1st Beth Hethershaw; 15yrs 1st Georgina Hubble-Simpson; Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 9yrs 1st Sian Saunders, 2nd Lily Talbot, 3rd Chloe Huddart; 10yrs 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Grace Tooke, 3rd Katie Bindon; 11yrs 1st Lydia Waring, 2nd Lucy Thornton, 3rd Hollie Watkins; 12yrs 1st Charlotte Smith, 2nd Zarah Thomas; 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 14yrs 1st Amy Evans; 15yrs 1st Tonicha Watson, 2nd Lauren Zaitschenko; 16/24yrs 1st Emily Wright, 2nd Robyn Dand, 3rd Katie Blades; 25/Over 1st Rachel Haldenby; Boys Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Henry Jackson, 2nd Charlie Mell; Boys Half Length (widths) – 1st Clayton Phipps; Girls Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Holly Morton, 2nd Kate Smith, 3rd Anna Boulton; Girls Half Length (widths) – 1st Freya Gidlow, 2nd Lily-Ann Gardner, 3rd Polly Littlewood; Boys 100m Freestyle – 11yrs 1st Ewan McKay, 2nd William Walmsley; 12yrs 1st Aidan Clover, 2nd George Tooke, 3rd Cammron Bower; 13yrs 1st Henry Cawte, 2nd Aarron Smith, 3rd Bradley Janney; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st James Smith, 2nd David Trickett, 3rd Will Cawte; 25/Over 1st Nic Clover, 2nd Ian Hansford; Girls 100m Butterfly – 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 14yrs 1st Amy Evans; 16/24yrs 1st Megan Stevenson. 2nd Emily Wright; Boys 25m Frontcrawl – 7/Under 1st Brandon Smith, 2nd Saul Bayne; 8yrs 1st Ben Haldenby, 2nd Nathan Woodhead, 3rd Reuben Gidlow; Girls 25m Freestyle – 7/Under 1st Emma Jackson, 2nd Grace Warwick, 3rd Georgia Walmsley; 8yrs 1st Hollie Wilson. 2nd Nicole Bindon; Boys 200m Breaststroke – 9-11yrs 1st Ewan McKay, 2nd Ben Ambrose, 3rd Ben Crookes; Mens 200m Breaststroke – 1st David Trickett, 2nd James Smith, 3rd Henry Cawte; Girls 9-11yrs 200m Freestyle – 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Lucy Thornton, 3rd Chloe Huddart; Ladies 200m Freestyle – 1st Megan Stevenson, 2nd Emily Wright, 3rd Amy Evans. 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 and to wish all the members a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
NATIONAL ARENA SWIMMING LEAGUE
FOLLOWING their third place in the opening round of the 2011 National Swimming League, sponsored by Arena, Gainsborough Dolphins repeated this result from their travels in the second round at Market Deeping. Facing very strong competition from Deepings, South Lincs, Market Harborough and Corby a near full strength Dolphins outfit gave their all as they contributed to a very competitive and thrilling encounter. Leading the way for Dolphins was the experienced Mens quartet of James Smith, David Trickett, Will Cawte and veteran Mark Smith as they combined to win both their freestyle and medley relays with individual success for David in the 100m breaststroke and James in the 100m freestyle. Both these swimmers finished second in the 100m individual medley and 100m butterfly respectively whilst Will also claimed runner up spot in the 100m backstroke. The swim of the night came from the girls 13/u freestyle relay team as Heather Cooke, Zara Thomas and Charlotte Smith all swimming outstanding legs setting up Georgia McKay on the anchor leg to produce a magnificent final 25m to claim victory. Henry Cawte also produced an unbelievable last length to take the touch by three hundredths of a second to record a personal best in winning the boys 13/u 100m breaststroke whilst team mate Aarron Smith coasted to victory in the boys 13/u 100m butterfly. Henry also recorded a second place in the boys 13/u 100m backstroke and third in the boys 15/u 100m breaststroke with Aarron recording two third places in the boys 13/u 100m freestyle and 15/u 100m butterfly. Henry and Aarron were joined by William Walmsley and Aidan Clover to claim third in the boys 13/u medley relay with Ewan McKay replacing William for the same result in the freestyle relay. 11 year old Ewan had a mixed night as he recorded two unfortunate disqualifications for false starts but won the boys 10-11 years 50m butterfly with only three tenths of a second separating the first three in the 50m freestyle as he finished second. In the same age group Ben Ambrose came second in the 50m breaststroke with William Walmsley third in the 50m butterfly. The 10-11 year old girls also had a good night as Lydia Waring (50m backstroke), Hollie Watkins (50m breaststroke) and Aysha Simpson (50m butterfly) all finished third as did their relay quartet of Lydia, Hollie, Molly Creed and Katie Bindon in both the freestyle and medley events. Both Emily Wright and Megan Stevenson produced good swims to finish second in the Ladies 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke respectively. In the 15/u age group Henry and Aarron teamed up with Jack Boulton and Kieran Ferry for third place in the medley relay with the girls four of Lauren Zaitschenko, Tonicha Watson, Harriett Baird and Shaunie Johnson recording the same result. In her individual events Harriett finished third in both the 100m backstroke and freestyle. The Club wish to express their thanks to all the swimmers for their efforts with outstanding contributions coming from Robyn Dand, Ben Crookes, Eddie Cooke and Sophie Blades. Many thanks to all the parents who travelled to support and the volunteers and coaches on pool side. Final result: 1st South Lincs 192 points; 2nd Deepings 176; 3rd Gainsborough Dolphins 144; 4th Market Harborough 124; 5th Corby 102.
GAINSBOROUGH DOLPHINS SC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – 06/11/11
A PACKED West Lindsey Leisure Centre witnessed the third round of in-house club championships held by Gainsborough Dolphins. As with the previous rounds 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. Full results: Boys 50m Freestyle: Group 2 (Goldfish, Penguins and Sea Lions) – 9yrs 1st Ethan Burton; 10yrs 1st Alex Piper; 25/Over 1st Ian Hansford; Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 9yrs 1st Max Marshall-Malone, 2nd Declan Woodhead; 10yrs 1st Ben Crookes, 2nd Toby Sutherland; 11yrs 1st Ewan McKay, 2nd William Walmsley; 12yrs 1st Aidan Clover, 2nd George Tooke, 3rd Thomas Humphreys; 13yrs 1st Aarron Smith, 2nd Henry Cawte, 3rd Bradley Janney; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st David Trickett, 2nd James Smith, 3rd Will Cawte; 25/Over 1st Mark Smith, 2nd Chris Webster, 3rd Nic Clover; Girls 50m Butterfly: Group 2 (Goldfish, Penguins and Sea Lions) – 10yrs 1st Kaycee Bower; Group 2 (Swordfish, Piranhas, Sharks and Masters) – 9yrs 1st Chloe Huddart, 2nd Freya Janney, 3rd Lydia Smith; 10yrs 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Katie Bindon; 11yrs 1st Lucy Thornton; 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 14yrs 1st Amy Evans; 15yrs 1st Tonicha Watson; 16/24yrs 1st Robyn Dand, 2nd Emily Wright, 3rd Megan Stevenson; Boys Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Elliot List, 2nd Dexter Addison-Drewery, 3rd Henry Jackson; Boys Half Length (widths) – 1st Travis Leigh, 2nd Simon Papworth; Girls Half Length (small pool members) – 1st Naomi Padget, 2nd Ciara Sutherland, 3rd Mia Karkach; Girls Half Length (widths) – 1st Keeley-Mae Gardner, 2nd Lily-Ann Gardner, 3rd Freya Gidlow; Boys 100m Backstroke – 11yrs 1st Ewan McKay; 12yrs 1st Cammron Bower, 2nd Thomas Humphreys, 3rd Aidan Clover; 13yrs 1st Aarron Smith, 2nd Henry Cawte, 3rd Bradley Janney; 14yrs 1st Jack Boulton; 15yrs 1st Kieran Ferry; 16/24yrs 1st Will Cawte, 2nd James Smith, 3rd David Trickett; 25/Over 1st Chris Webster, 2nd Ian Hansford; Girls 100m Breaststroke – 11yrs 1st Lydia Waring, 2nd Lucy Thornton, 3rd Hollie Watkins; 12yrs 1st Charlotte Smith, 2nd Lucy Farrow; 13yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 14yrs 1st Amy Evans; 15yrs 1st Tonicha Watson, 2nd Lauren Zaitschenko, 3rd Georgina Hubble-Simpson; 16/24yrs 1st Emily Wright, 2nd Megan Stevenson; Boys 25m Breaststroke – 7/Under 1st Brandon Smith, 2nd Saul Bayne, 3rd Joshua Wood; 8yrs 1st equal Ben Haldenby and Morgan Stamp, 2nd Reuben Gidlow; Girls 25m Freestyle – 7/Under 1st Emma Jackson, 2nd Georgia Walmsley, 3rd Lauren Douce; 8yrs 1st Nicole Bindon, 2nd Hollie Wilson; Boys 200m Individual Medley (I/M)– 9-11yrs 1st Ewan McKay, 2nd William Walmsley, 3rd Ben Crookes; Mens 200m I/M – 1st James Smith, 2nd David Trickett, 3rd Henry Cawte; Girls 9-11yrs 200m Backstroke – 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Chloe Huddart, 3rd Lucie Blades; Ladies 200m Backstroke – 1st Megan Stevenson, 2nd Tonicha Watson, 3rd Katie Blades; Girls 100m I/M – 9yrs 1st Chloe Huddart, 2nd Freya Janney, 3rd Harriet Webster; 10 yrs 1st Molly Creed, 2nd Grace Tooke, 3rd Katie Bindon; 11 yrs 1st Lucy Thornton, 2nd Lydia Waring, 3rd Hollie Watkins; 12 yrs 1st Charlotte Smith, 2nd Lucy Farrow; 13 yrs 1st Georgia McKay; 14 yrs 1st Amy Evans; 15 yrs 1st Lauren Zaitschenko, 2nd Georgina Hubble-Simpson; 16/24yrs 1st Robyn Dand, 2nd Megan Stevenson, 3rd Emily Wright. 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. The fourth and final round will take place on Sunday 4th December. For more on the Club please visit www.gainsboroughdolphins.co.uk.
Lincolnshire County Masters’ Championships
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.
National Arena Swimming League
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.
Lincolnshire Junior Swimming League
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.