Storming start for Mansfield and Ashfield swimmers at county championships

For a hatful of medals were won and several new age-group champions, both at senior and junior level, were crowned over the two days of competition. And that meant lots of celebrations for the Mansfield, Sherwood Colliery and Sutton clubs, with the prospect of more to come when the championships continue at Mansfield’s Water Meadows pool at the beginning of next month.

The event, which is the highlight of the swimming calendar in Nottinghamshire, began for the first time at the new 50-metre, eight-lane pool at the revamped £16 million Harvey Hadden Sports Village at Bilborough in Nottingham.

Although held early in the season, the tournament always helps to build solid platforms to work from as swimmers progress to regional and national competitions later in the year.

In the overall senior category, Sherwood’s Jade Young led the way by winning the 15-and-over girls’ 200m butterfly title, with Sutton’s Ruslan Golubs joining her in first position in the boys’ equivalent.

Sutton duo Hollie-Mae Dove and Chloe Quinn also topped the podium in their respective events in the overall junior section. Hollie-Mae was crowned 14-and-under girls’ 100m breaststroke champion, while Chloe raced to victory in the 14-and-under girls’ 200m butterfly event.

In the multi-disability events, Sutton’s Ollie Hynd tasted yet more success by taking gold in the 200m individual medley, while Mansfield duo Ben Rees and Keira Shepherd also finished first in the men’s and women’s 100m freestyle races.

More gold-medal performances came in the individual age-groups, with Sutton’s Michael Senior (ten-to-11-year-old boys) and Matthew Woodhall (12-year-old boys) and Sherwood’s Olivia Barrett (ten-to-11-year-old girls) and Dawid Sroka crowned county champions.

Adding to the medal haul were Mansfield’s Heidi Marriott, Summer Kennedy and Rhys Taylor, Sherwood’s Gracie Clifton, Rebecca Fisher, Lily Boseley, Bailey Ward and Nicholas Meldrum, and Sutton’s Thomas Polley, Keira Dobbs, Neve Fergie and Josh Leeson.

Just missing out on the medals but qualifying for individual event finals were Mansfield’s Charlotte Bagueley and Lewis Meade, Sherwood’s Rebecca Hyatt, Natalee Meldrum, Grace Manson, Evie Timms and Joseph Sadler, and Sutton’s Ellethea Hawley, Mia Fergie, Sophie Bunker, Adam Read, Callum Peel, Connor Marsh, Keira Dobbs, Ellie Read and Nicola Peach.