Worcester Swimming Club booked its place in the 2016 final of the Nuneaton & District Junior Swimming League following a tremendous performance in Round 3 at Leamington Spa against some of the Midland’s top clubs at the weekend.
Known on the circuit as the Diddy League, this is the premier team competition in the Midlands for 12/u swimmers and it is the first time in 9 years that Worcester has qualified for the final.
In the latest round of Division One, Worcester A found themselves up against two of the biggest city clubs in the Midlands, with Boldmere and Leicester Sharks fielding strong teams that included several national swimmers amongst their ranks. Wombourne, Blythe Barracudas and Wyre Forest completed the line-up.
Individual performances were hard to come by with five swimmers taking victories against formidable opposition, while 14 swimmers placed second. Individual wins came for David Annis in the boy’s 10 year 50m freestyle (33.55); William Thomas in the boy’s 9 year 25m breaststroke (24.33); Michael Agoston in the boy’s 10 year 50m breaststroke (46.79); Alex Rosser-Barnett in the boy’s 12/u 50m fly (32.66); and Issy Wilkinson in the girl’s 10 years 50m backstroke (40.25). There was also a win for the boy’s 12/u 4 x 50m freestyle relay team, with Daniel Day, George Glover, Henry Halford and Rosser-Barnett taking first place.
The gala proved to be a tightly fought affair between Boldmere and Leicester Sharks, with Boldmere snatching victory by a single point, and Worcester an impressive third. The final standings were (1) Boldmere 235 points, (2) Leicester Sharks 234 points, (3) Worcester A 209 points, (4) Blythe 141 points, (5) Wombourne 138 points and (6) Wyre Forest 106 points.
The A team’s performance means that they should qualify for the Division1 Final for the first time in 9 years, edging out the likes of City of Coventry, to compete against Leamington, Boldmere, Northampton, Leicester Sharks and Stafford Apex in September.
Worcester B team were also in action and comfortably retained its place in Division 2 (after promotion last year) and look set for their highest ever placing in the league. The B team were drawn against Telford, Kingsbury A, Oldbury and Oswestry, with numerous strong performances showing the strength in depth at Worcester currently.
There were several new faces on the podium and individual wins for Grace Earp in the girl’s 9 year 25m backstroke (24.40); Mia Rooke-Hodges in the girl’s 9 year 25m freestyle (21.81); Hannah Alfrink in the girl’s 10 year 50m back (43.55); Izzy Trow in the girl’s 12/u 50m back (35.43); Rosie Wikeley in the girl’s 12/u 50m freestyle (32.39); Nathan Redfern in the boy’s 11/u 50m backstroke (41.56); and Adam Rutter in the boy’s 11/u 50m fly (40.48).
Worcester B pushed hard throughout the evening but eventually Kingsbury A team proved too strong and took the win.
Overall results for the gala were (1) Kingsbury 224 points (2) Worcester B 190 points (3) Oldbury 180 points (4) Oswestry 164 points (5) Telford 158 points.