Sparkling start to new swimming season for Sherwood

Sherwood Colliery SC swimmers made a remarkable start to the new swimming season when they hosted the Level 1, 33rd Robin Hood Open Meet at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge pool. Clearly enjoying the Olympic-sized 50m pool, the squad bought home over 40 individual medals, the top male swimmer award, the runner up top male team award and a huge number of individual personal best and 2014 Notts ASA County Championship qualifying times and even a 2014 British Gas National Championship qualifying time. Head coach Ian Negus said: “After the summer break, this top level meet sets the benchmark for our swimmers in a tough, competitive environment.

“There were some outstanding performances and the opportunity to swim in a 50m pool helps build solid platforms to work from for competitions held at a regional and national level next year.” Elliot Clogg (13)led the way with a total of 12 medals from 12 events (10 golds & two silvers), earning him the prestigious top male swimmer award.

Elliot will join other talented swimmers to represent Nottinghamshire at the Inter-County Swimming Championships later this month and, following his performance at the British Gas 2013 National Age Group Championships over the summer, he has been selected to attend an England Talent Development training day next month in Northampton.

Just behind him in the medal tally, 11-year-old Lily Boseley also had an outstanding open meeting, taking 10 medals from 10 events (2 golds, seven silvers and one bronze) and finishing fourth in the top female swimmer competition.

The highlight of Lily’s weekend, however, was securing a 2014 British Gas National Age Group Qualifying Time in the 11/12yrs 100m backstroke (1min, 11.84secs) - a superb achievement so early in the new season.

Other Sherwood medal winners included 10-year-olds Rebecca Hyatt (bronze, 50m & 200m breaststroke), William Darrington (bronze, 100m breaststroke), Millie Standen (silver, 50m freestyle) and Amelia Tunnicliffe (silver, 50m breaststroke); 11-year-old Adam Pring (bronze, 50m & 100m butterfly & silver, 200m breaststroke); 12-year-olds Owen Ottaway (gold, 400m freestyle & 50m breaststroke and bronze 100m backstroke & 200m individual medley) and Evie Timms (gold, 50m freestyle); 13-year-old Jade Young (silver, 100m breaststroke); 14-year-old Esme Wood (bronze, 100m breaststroke) and 16 years and overs Shannon Brown (gold, 400m freestyle & silver, 200m freestyle), Imogen Gould (silver, 200m individual medley, 100m breaststroke & 50m butterfly) and Lewis Steptoe (bronze, 400m freestyle & silver, 100m freestyle).

Success on such a grand scale nicely set the squad up for the first round of the country’s premier swimming competition, the National Arena League, in which Sherwood will compete in Peterborough at the weekend to try to earn a place in the regional final.

They finished fifth in the regional final last year – the club’s best ever result in a national competition.