Mighty Matthew leads Sutton swimmers to county championship glory

Mighty Matthew Woodhall won no fewer than six gold medals, five silvers and one bronze in the 14-year-olds-and-under age category, while in the 15-year-olds’ section, Hollie-Mae Dove took two golds and a bronze and Chloe Quinn pocketed three golds and one silver.

A record number of 63 swimmers from the Sutton club, contesting a total of 525 events, qualified for the county championships, and this was the first weekend of three. Eleven of them landed trophies or medals, either in the junior or senior championships, or in their individual age groups, while 20 others either qualified for a final or finished in the top eight in their individual age groups.

However, pride of place went to Woodhall, who won two overall junior championship titles, in the 50m breaststroke and 400m freestyle, as well as four age-group golds (200m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 200m backstroke), which all earned him the runners-up spot in the overall championships, and an age-group silver (50m backstroke), which secured bronze overall.

Dove won golds in her age group for the 200m breaststroke, which earned her third in the overall championship, and 200m freestyle. And Quinn won the age-group finals of the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, plus silver in the 200m individual medley.

AS WELL as Matthew Woodhall, Hollie-Mae Dove and Chloe Quinn, eight other members of Sutton Swimming Club picked up individual age-group medals at the first weekend of the Nottinghamshire ASA County Championships.

Silvers were won by Thomas Polley in the 12-year-olds’ 200m butterfly, Chloe Coleman in the 12-year-olds’ 50m butterfly and Nicholas Meldrum in the 15-year-olds’ 50m breaststroke.

Bronzes were scooped by Talitha Oud in the 13-year-olds’ 100m butterfly, Tom Trueman in the 14-year-olds’ 50m backstroke, Harry McKeaney in the ten-to-11-year-olds’ 200m butterfly, Callum Peel in the 14-year-olds’ 100m breaststroke and Jim Fergie in the 16-year-olds-and-over 200m butterfly.

Several swimmers reached finals and just missed out on medals, including Dove, who was fourth in the 50m freestyle and sixth in the 100m freestyle, Quinn, who was fifth in the 400m medley, Polley, who was fourth in the 100m backstroke, fifth in the 50m backstroke and sixth in the 50m breaststroke and 200m backstroke, Coleman, who was sixth in the 100m butterfly, Oud, who was fourth in the 100m freestyle and fifth in the 50m butterfly, Trueman, who was fourth in the 100m backstroke and sixth in the 200m backstroke, and McKeaney, who was fifth in the 400m freestyle.