Massive Win for Young Dolphins in Southern Junior League

Date: April 21 2007 Location: Bath Sports & Leisure Centre UK Event: Southern Junior League, Round 1, 2007 (25m)

Swindon Dolphin got their Southern Junior League campaign off to a wonderful start with an excellent first round victory in Bath on Saturday night recording a 43-point win over nearest rivals Trowbridge and finishing 98-points ahead of third place Weston-super-Mare . Lining up without 2 key swimmers, Samatha Berry and Katie Carter, who were summoned to participate in the Inter-County Centenary Event, Dolphin’s young swimmers amassed 23 first place finishes, 17 seconds and were never outside the top four in the 49-race gala.

The boys’ foursomes were in outstanding form winning 7 of their 8 4×1 relay events. 9 year olds Liam Jefferies, Adam Coleman, Noah Kirby and Alex Chantler-Mayne won both their age group 4×1 freestyle and 4×1 Individual Medley (IM) races as did Jon Fouracre, Jack Janicki, Niall Westman and Craig Lofts in the 10s, and James Clarke, Liam Tubb, Sam Lofts and Tom Iles in the 12s.

In the boys’ 11s Mat Sambrook teamed up with Westman, Janicki and Craig Lofts to win the freestyle relay but they were narrowly beaten into second place in the IM. The girls were equally impressive in the 4×1 freestyle relays with Lily Waite, Lauren Matthews, Michelle Bilko & Charlotte Pitts winning the 10s and Charlotte Gardo, Victoria Jennings, Charlotte Pitts and Helen Bennett taking the honours in the 11s.

In the individual events Dolphin were only outside the top two in 5 out of the 32 swims. For the 9 year olds Maddie Easter took the 25m fly, Noah Kirby won the 25m breaststroke and butterfly, and Alex Chantler-Mayne touched first in the 25m free. 10 year old winners included Craig Lofts (50m free & 50m fly), Jack Janicki (50 back) and Charlotte Pitts (50fly & 50brs).

Mat Sambrook was on top in the 50 free and 50 Back for the boys’ 11’s and Charlotte Gardo was on fire winning the girls’ 11 50m fly. 12 year old James Clarke won the 50 brs in real style and Sam Lofts was victorious in the 12s 50 backstroke.

Other notable performances included second place finishes from Niall Westman (10 & 11 year 50brs), Tom Iles (12 year 50fly) and Megan Jones (12 year 50 bk); all losing out on the touch. Rebecca Saunders (12s 50 brs & 50 free), Liam Tubb (12s 50 free), Victoria Jennings (11s 50bk), Lauren Matthews (10s 50bk), Craig Lofts (11s 50fly), Maddie Easter (9s 25 brs) and Victoria Tainty (9s 25 free) were among the swimmers who also came second in other exciting races.

Darcy James (9s), Louise Gardo (9s), Georgina Pitts (9s), Lauren Jolliffe (10s) and Emily Fouracre (12s) were also in tremendous form.

The final event of the evening brought the roof down when Dolphin’s mixed 8×1 freestyle relay team swimmers (Easter, C Pitts, Bennett, Jones, Kirby, Westman, Sambrook & Iles) were beaten into second on the touch, having made a couple of errors on takeovers, by a terrific Trowbridge squad in a trilling encounter.

A delighted coach Dean Fouracre said: “we had some fantastic swims from the whole team during this opening Round of the SJL. The swimmers were helped by the excellent team spirit from the sidelines during the evening, which was noticed by the other teams and their coaches who applauded the Swindon Dolphin team’s attitude & results after the final event.”