Barnsley and Bradford Christmas Meets 2005
On Saturday December 3rd fifty-two swimmers from Rotherham Metro competed in the Barnsley Christmas B and C Grade Meet held at Pond’s Forge. All of the races were over a distance of 50m.
In the nine year old age group trophies were won by Emily Shone ( third in breaststroke and butterfly, sixth in freestyle), Rachael Grainger (second in backstroke and third in freestyle), Matthew Sotheran ( first in freestyle and backstroke, second in breaststroke and fourth in butterfly), Nathan Self (first in breaststroke and butterfly, fourth in backstroke).
Winning trophies in the ten year old age group were; Josh Whitehurst (first in freestyle and breaststroke, fourth in backstroke), Lauren Hobson (first in backstroke),Alex Pepper (fourth in breaststroke) and Kimberley Bush (fifth in freestyle).
In the eleven and twelve year age group Ashleigh Reasbeck came fourth in the backstroke, Nicholas Grainger was also fourth in the backstroke, Joseph Yu came second in the backstroke and fifth in breaststroke, Matthew Sargent came third in breaststroke, Josh Massey came second in freestyle and fifth in backstroke, whilst Elliot Smales came sixth in the backstroke
Trophy winners in the thirteen and fourteen year age group were Shauna Benson (first in breaststroke, sixth in backstroke and butterfly), Nicole Clayton (third in backstroke), Philippa Benton (sixth in butterfly), Rachel Taylor (second in butterfly and fourth in backstroke), Lauren Rowe (fourth in butterfly), Thomas Nelson (second in backstroke, fourth in butterfly and sixth in breaststroke)
In the fifteen and over age group Kelly Pagdin came first in the breaststroke and second in the backstroke, whilst Sophie Patchett came first in the freestyle and Megan Litchfield came fifth in the butterfly.
Many of the swimmers received speeding tickets for swimming faster than the set times – Alex Pepper, William Bailey, Richard Lee, Ashleigh Reasbeck, Charlotte Pearson, Kimberley Frodsham, Nicholas Grainger, Elliot Smales, Matthew Sargent, Josh Massey, Joseph Yu, Scott Mason, Alex Graves, Nicole Clayton, Rachel Taylor, Emma Whaling, Hannah Lewis, Shauna Benson, Simon Worne, Thomas Nelson, Michael Stewart, Amy Ruddleston and Megan Litchfield.
Other competitors taking part were Kelsey Longden, Loren Taylor, Rebecca Worne, Nicole Clarke, Sophie Wilson, Sarah Lewis, James Newton, Bethany White, William Finnie, Victoria Faley, Melissa Shaw, Jessica Finnie, Alex Kemp, Damien McDonagh, Emily Blank, Joseph Horton, James Whaling and Abigail Smith.
Also competing this weekend were fourteen Rotherham Metro swimmers who travelled to Bradford for their annual Christmas Meet.
Three of our swimmers reached the finals of the competition – Laura Whittaker came 4th in the 100m Freestyle and fifth in the 100m Backstroke for the 14 year age group. In the 13 year age group Paige Jepson came 4th in the 100m Backstroke and Madison Elliott achieved 5th place in the 100m Backstroke in the 10/11 year age group.
Other swimmers taking part were Andrea Whaling, Emily-may Roebuck, Louise Rourke, Charlotte Bailey, James Pepper,Dale Waterhouse, Sam Chambers, Frances McGrother, Kate Jackson, Aimee Jepson and Aaron Waterhouse.
Medals for Metro Masters at National Champs 2006
Rotherham Metro swimmers gained medal places in the prestigious ASA National Masters Swimming Championships held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield. This event, held annually in Sheffield, is the main event in the GB Masters swimming calendar in which over 1000 swimmers, aged 18 to 90+, compete for National honours in their respective age groups.
Outstanding for Metro were Alistair Crawford (19/24 years age group), Eric Millican (65/69 yrs) and Keith Cooke (75/79 yrs) who all gained medal places. Alistair won silver medals in the 50m freestyle (time: 23.45) and 50m butterfly (25.44) events. Eric won silver medals in the 800m (14:36.95) and 1500m (27:45.59) freestyle events and Keith won silver in the 800m (21:45.42) and bronze in the 1500m (41:19.42) freestyle events.
Other Rotherham Metro results:
Roy Millican, 65/69 yrs: 800m freestyle, 4th, 16:17.87.
Karen Holden, 35/39 yrs: 200m backstroke, 4th, 2:44.53.
Sarah Dawes, 18/24 yrs: 50m freestyle, 20th, 30.68; 50m butterfly, 8th, 32.65; 100m individual medley, 16th, 1:18.18.
Peter Ingham, 60/64 yrs: 400m freestyle, 11th, 7:03.09; 800m freestyle, 7th, 14:12.96; 1500m freestyle, 6th, 28:12.08; 200m breaststroke, 5th, 3:49.52.
Michael Dawes, 45/49yrs: 50m freestyle, 18th, 30.03; 50m breaststroke, 11th, 37.78; 100m breaststroke, 11th, 1:25.05.
Michael Pepper, 40/44 yrs: 50m breaststroke, 12th, 38.90; 100m butterfly, 11th, 1:12.52.
Metro Level 3 A and B Grade Meet July 19th and 20th 2008
The above meet was held at Ponds Forge on the weekend of July 19th and 20th. It is a popular event and there were 25 clubs competing from all over the UK. It’s quite a mammoth task organising these events, there are volunteers on all levels but everything ran well with excellent performances from all the competitors. Speeding tickets were awarded to Matthew Sotheran, Emily Shone, Tom Moxon, Dale Waterhouse, Charlotte Pearson, Tom Nelson, James Pepper and, Simon Worne. Here are the rest of the A/B Grades winners plus those from the youngest group.
| A Grade | B Grade | |
| Aaron Waterhouse | Victoria Faley | Devon Stead |
| Sam Chambers | Aaron Clare | James Newton |
| Ben Bainbridge | George Russell | Nicole Benson |
| Fran Mcgrother | Sophie May Jones | Maisie Elliott |
| Nicole Clarke | Rachel Frost | Bethany Woodcock |
| Josh Whitehurst | Michael Stewart | Kelsey Longden |
| Kelsey Longden | Rebecca Britten | Scott Mason |
| Simon Worne | Kimberley Bush | Bethany White |
| Charlotte Pearson | Alice Frost | Josh Hillman |
| Adam Parkes | Lucy Bennett | |
| Tom Nelson | Charlotte Bailey | 9 years and over winners |
| Dale Waterhouse | Josh Whitehurst | Holly Sotheran |
| Claire Short | Shay Holden | Yvonne Graves |
| James Shiel | William Bailey | Robert Pearson |
| Emily Shone | Scott Mason | Alicia Hartley |
| Abbie Hull | Lorna Baines | |
| Matthew Sotheran | Jessica McGann | |
| Scott Mason | Eleanor Coleman | |
| Josh Hillman | Shannon Eades |
Doncaster Dartes SwimalongaSanta 2008
A team from Rotherham Metro travelled to Beverley to take part in Doncaster Dartes Swim along A Santa B and C graded gala that took place on the 7 December. They were definitely on top form for as well as winning top club, they also won top 9 year old boy (Robert Kirk), top 12 old boy (Sam Pearson),top 13 year old boy (Sam Hull) and top 13 year old girl was (Alice Frost).
First place medals were given to
Robert Kirk, Owen Lawrence, James Newton, Sam Hull, Robert Pearson, William Bailey, Jack Belcher, Adam Blackwell, Eleanor Coleman, Abbie Hull, Chelsea Jade-Smith, Jessica Mcgann, Alice Frost, Rachel Frost, Jessica Bushby, Georgia Naughton, Rebecca Worne, Byrony Dawson
Second Place medals were given to
Ben Cliff, James Newton, Sam Hull, Sam Pearson, Robert Pearson, William Bailey, Eleanor Coleman, Abbie Hull, Jessica Mcgann, Chelsea Jade-Smith, Bethany Woodcock, Rachel Frost, Katie Pollard, Lois Vardy, Emily Noon, Rebecca Worne, Jessica Bushby, Alice Bailey, Georgie Naughton, Rachel Howard and Rebecca Britten
Third place medals were awarded to
James Newton, Sam Hull, Robert Pearson, Adam Blackwell, Abbie Hull, Jessica Mcgann, Alice Frost, Jessica Bushby and Georgia Naughton.
Bradford Xmas Gala 2008
A team from Rotherham Metro A Squad travelled to the above weekend gala that took place on the 6th and 7th of December. This is a tough gala as all the top clubs attend but it is very entertaining. On the last day fancy dress is worn by the coaches, stewards and some of the swimmers. All proceeds from this are donated to the Breast cancer charity.
The girls team in the 10/12 years age group came third in the 200 Freestyle and the 200 IM, swimming were Emily Shone, Nicole Clarke, Kelsey Longden and Laura Gillott .The boys team in the 13/14 years age group also came third in the 200m Free and 200IM. In this team were Matthew Sotheran, Josh Whitehurst, Tom Gibbons and James Shiel. The Mens open 200m Freestyle team came fourth and this consisted of Tom Nelson, Dale Waterhouse, Simon Worne and Sam Chambers. In the individual events those appearing in the top 5 were:
Adam Parkes who came 5th in the 100m Back
Dale Waterhouse came 5th in the 200 Free, 5th in the 200 Breast, and 3rd in the 50 Back
Matthew Southeran came 4th in the 100 Breast, and 2nd in the 100 Back
Kelsey Longden came 5th in the 100 Fly
Josh Whitehurst came 3rd in the 100 Breast
Yorkshire Senior/Juniors 2009
Yorkshire Senior/Juniors 2009
Local student Dale Waterhouse who has swam for Rotherham Metro for 10 years achieved brilliant results in the Yorkshire Senior/Junior event at the John Charles Pool in Leeds on the 7th and 8th of February.
Dale, aged 17, won a silver medal in the 100 metre Breaststroke with a time of 1.11.16 and silver in the 200 metres Breast with a time of 2.37.77. He also achieved a national time of 25.48 in the 50 metres Freestyle, narrowly missing his 100 Freestyle national time. His brother Aaron aged 15 was the Junior Bronze winner of the 50 metres Fly with a time of 29.85. Alistair Crawford, aged 23, won gold in the 50 metres Fly in a time of 25.62 and a further gold in the 50 metres Freestyle with a time of 23.95. All the club’s swimmers performed well despite their training being disrupted, due to the bad weather in the previous week. The Mens 200 freestyle team came 2nd with a time of 1.40.96, taking part were Dale, Alistair, Andy Butterfield and Steve Millican. The team also came 2nd in the 200 IM team with a time of 1.54.23, with Simon Worne replacing Steve Millican.
Other finalists were Simon Worne, Daniel Mclean, Andy Butterfield, Ben Bainbridge, Tom Nelson, Claire Short and Charlotte Pearson.
Success at the Robin Hood Open – Oct 2009
Rotherham Metro attended the Robin Hood Level 1 Gala on the 3rd and 4th October at Ponds Forge and finished in 3rd place. A record number of National times were also accomplished by Dale Waterhouse; in the 50 metres Freestyle (24.92 seconds), 100 Freestyle (53.82), 100 Breast (1.09.77), 200 Free (1.59.37), 200 Breast (2.35.85) and 200 IM (2.15.02). Daniel Mclean got his national time in the 100 Freestyle (54.48), Holly Sotheran, 10 years old, also achieved another top girl award. This is a remarkable achievement for all the swimmers at Rotherham Metro, as some of the clubs taking part came from as far away as the Isle of Man and this is only just the beginning of the season.
Gold medals were awarded to Holly Sotheran in the 100, 200 and 400 metres Freestyle, 200 Backstroke and 50 metres Fly. Charlotte Pearson and Aaron Waterhouse in the 50 metres Fly and Dale Waterhouse in the 50 metres and 100 metres Freestyle.
Silver medals were awarded to Alice Aucott in 100 Free, 100 and 200 Breast. Emily Shone in 100 Back, Charlotte Pearson in 100 Fly, Matthew Sotheran in 100 Fly and 400 Free, Adam Parkes in 200 Back, Simon Worne in 100 Fly, Robert Kirk in 50 Fly, Shannon Eades in 50 Back, Holly Sotheran in 50 Free and 100 Back, Dale Waterhouse in 200 Free, 200 IM and 100 Breast.
Bronze medals were awarded to Holly Sotheran in 50 Back, 100 Fly and 200 IM, Shannon Eades in 100 Back, Emily Shone in 200 Back and 100 Breast, Charlotte Pearson in 50 Free, Dale Waterhouse in 200 Breast, Aaron Waterhouse in 200 Free, Daniel Mclean in 100 Back, 100 Free and 50 Free, Matthew Sotheran in 100 Fly and Josh Whitehurst in 50 Breast.
No Knots in Rotherham Metro – Nov 2009
A small team of swimmers from Rotherham Metro took part in the Barnsley Minors gala, held in Knottingley on the 7 November. The Barnsley Minors Gala’s are usually held for young and new swimmers to gain experience in swimming competitions but still abiding by the rules and regulations set by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA). The Team did extremely well with most of the swimmers being in the finals, so here are their placings.
Gold Medals
Connor Neal in the 50 metres Breast
Silver Medals
Ben Cliff in the 50 metres Fly
Robert Kirk in the 50 metres Breast
Shannon Eades in the 50 metres Fly and 50 metres Free
Bronze Medals
Connor Neal in the 50 metres Free
Hannah Dannatt in the 50 metres Back
Jessica Bushby in the 50 metres Fly
George Russell in the 50 metres Fly
Fourth Places
Rebecca Finnie in the 50 metres Free and 50 metres Back
Hannah Dannatt in the 50 metres Breast
Jessica Bushby in the 50 metres Back
NER BAGCATS November 2009
Rotherham Metro took a small squad of swimmers to the BAGCAT Championships at Sunderland on the 28 and 29th of November. Brother and sister duo Matthew (13) and Holly Sotheran (10) made the biggest splash with an excellent performance in practically every race. Holly gained a gold medal in the 400 IM and 200 Free, Silver in the 400 Free, 200 IM, 200 Fly and Bronze in the 100 Fly, 200 Breast and 100 Fly. She also came 4th in the 200 Back and 100 Free and then 5th in the 100 Backstroke. Matthew won a Silver medal in the 1500 metres Free and 800 Free, Bronze in the 400 Free and 100 Fly. He also finished 4th in the 100 Free, 100 Back and 200 IM and then 6th in the 400 IM. Robert Kirk also won a Gold medal in the 100 metres Fly and came 4th in the 100 Free and 200 Free, then 10th in 200 Breast. Emily Shone won a Bronze medal in the 100 Back, came 5th in the 200 Back and 6th in the 200 Breast and 100 Breast.
Congratulations also goes to those who finished in the top ten who were James Shiel, Josh Whitehurst and Alice Aucott.
Coach Alan Kirton, said “the club has accomplished some outstanding group results over the past 4 years but, this year we have made an outstanding improvement. We have gained 26 top positions including 3 gold, 5 silver and 6 Bronze.
Yorkshire Senior/Junior 2010
Charlotte Pearson aged 15 from Rotherham Metro managed to secure her national time in the 100 metres Fly when she attended the British Gas Senior and Junior swimming Championships on the 6thand 7th of February at the John Charles centre in Leeds. Her winning time of 1.07.39 secured her 3rd place in the Junior’s category. Charlotte also came first in the 50 metres Fly with a time of 30.05.
There were also other successful finalists, Adam Parkes won a gold medal in the 50 metres Back Junior level. In the men’s open events, Dale Waterhouse won a Silver medal in the 50 and 100 metres Freestyle and a Bronze in the 100 metres Breast. He also came 4th in the 200 metres IM, 5th in the 200 metres Breast, 7th in the 50 metres Breast and 10th in the 100 metres Back.
Daniel Mclean finished 4th in the 100 metres Back and 50 Back, 6th in the 100 metres Free and then 8th in the 50 metres Fly. Thomas Nelson in the final event of the weekend finished 7th in the 200 metres Back.
The team’s were also very successful despite their being tough competition from the top clubs such as Sheffield and Leeds. Rotherham finished second in the 400 metres Medley team and 3rd in the 400 metres Freestyle team. The team members were Dale, Tom, Daniel and Aaron Waterhouse. Head coach Alan Kirton was immensely pleased with the teams performance he said ‘due to the opening of the new pool being delayed at Maltby, our training over the past month has been disrupted, for the team to perform like this is unbelievable’.
COSSS Premier Meet – March 2010
A number of Rotherham Metro swimmers competed recently at City of Sheffield’s Premier Meet held at Ponds Forge. This competition is a level one meet which means that many of the country’s top swimmers were competing including a large contingent of swimmers from the prestigious Loughborough University Swimming Club. Despite the high standard, many Rotherham swimmers gained new personal best times with some winning age group medals and making the finals of their events.
Matthew Sotheran had another good weekend gaining four more National Qualifying Times in the 1500 Free, 400 IM, 200 Fly and 100 Fly. As well as getting these NQT’s, 13 year old Matthew won age group gold medals in the 100 and 200 Fly, silver medals in the 1500 and 200 Free and bronze medals in the 400 Free and 400IM. Matthew also reached the 14 years and under final in the 200 Fly where he finished in 6th place.
Dale Waterhouse reached four Senior finals, with his best finish coming in the 200 Individual Medley where he won the bronze medal. Dale also made the final of the 100 Free and 100 Breast when he finished 6th in each, and the final of the 50 Free finishing in 10th position.
17 year old Ben Bainbridge had an excellent swim in the Senior final of the 200 Fly, swimming into 6th place in a new personal best time which was close to his National Qualifying Time for the event. Emily Shone had a good weekend as she swam to 6th place in the 13 years and under finals of both the 100 and 200 Back. Josh Whitehurst, aged 14, swam well to finish 7th in the 14 years and under final of the 100 Free event, whilst Simon Worne and Charlotte Pearson both finished 7th in their finals, Simon in the Senior 50 Breast and Charlotte in the Senior 50 Fly. Daniel McLean made the Senior final of the 100 Back finishing in 9th position.
Other Rotherham swimmers competing over the weekend were Alice Aucott, Shannon Eades, Thomas Gibbons, Laura Gillott, Kelsey Longden, Scott Mason, Frances McGrother, Thomas Nelson, James Newton, James Shiel, Aaron Waterhouse and Bethany Woodcock.
City of Leeds National Qualifying Event-April 2010
Rotherham Metro swimmers have had another fantastic weekend of swimming this time at the National Qualifying meet Championships held at Leeds from 9th April to 11th April. Many swimmers came away with PB’s, North East times and Matthew Sotheran achieved two more National Qualifying times.
On Friday a total of 10 swimmers competed in the 400 Freestyle and 2 swimmers competed in the 400 IM with 5 reaching their respective finals. In the Freestyle finals leading the way was Matthew Sotheran (13) who once again produced another outstanding performance by leading from start to finish to claim Gold and also achieving his National Qualifying time. Next up was Nicole Clarke (13) who in a very competitive race managed to finish 7th. Finally in the 400 Freestyle finals, Kelsey Longden (14) who took the bronze medal and set the tone for the rest of the weekend.
In the 400 IM finals Josh Hillman (11) and George Russell (12) both finished 5th in their respective finals.
Saturday saw even more swimmers competing and reaching many finals in an extremely competitive and high standard meet. Once again Matthew Sotheran (13) was at the forefront of medals gained by securing, Gold in the 100M Freestyle and silver in the 200m Backstroke. Kelsey Longden (14) reached 3 finals taking 6th place in the 200m Freestyle followed by 4th place in the 100m Fly. Finally it was the 200IM where Kelsey had qualified in 6th position, and going into the final 50 metres in 4th place she raised her game to secure the bronze medal. Josh Whitehurst (14) and George Russell (12) both reached 2 finals, with Josh finishing 8th in the 100M Breaststroke and 4th in the 100M Freestyle while George finished 8th in the 200M Back and 7th in the 200M Fly. Josh Hillman (11) came 7th in the 200M Backstroke final.
On Sunday the final day of swimming still more swimmers reached their individual finals. True to form Matthew Sotheran (13) took gold in the 100M Fly final and in the 200M Freestyle final where he timed his swim to perfection to not only win the gold but to also achieve another National Qualifying time. Kelsey Longden (14) continued her fantastic form by reaching two more finals. In the 100M Freestyle final she was also joined by Kimberley Bush (14), with Kelsey finishing 6th and Kimberley finishing 7th. In the 200M Fly Kelsey swam to a well-deserved 3rd gaining another bronze medal. In the final of the 11 year olds 100M Backstroke there was two finalists from Rotherham competing with Josh Hillman taking 4th and Robert Pearson 5th place. George Russell once again reached the 100M Fly final where he finished 5th.
Other swimmers taking part and producing many PB’s and North East qualifying times were, Robert Kirk (11), Connor Neal (11), Rebecca Britten (12), Jessica Bushby (13), Shannon Eades (13), Laura Gilliott (13), Bethany Woodcock (13), James Newton (13), Sam Pearson (13) and James Shiel (14).
Matthew Excels at Excel!
Over the Easter bank holiday weekend a team of Rotherham Metro swimmers competed at the prestigious Derventio Excel meeting at Ponds Forge. This gala attracted over sixty clubs from as far afield as the Isle of Man and Dubai.
The high standard of this gala produced National Qualifying times, North Eastern times and numerous PB’s for many swimmers. Matthew Sotheran and Dale Waterhouse each gained two National Qualifying Times, Matthew in the 400IM and 100 Fly and Dale in the 50 and 100 Free which will allow both of them to go on and compete in the National Age Group Championships later this year.
Once again thirteen year old Matthew Sotheran led the way with an impressive medal haul consisting of Gold in the 100 Fly, Silvers in the 100 Free and 400 IM and also Bronze Medals in the 200 and 400 Free and also 200 Back. Other competitors gaining medals were Dale Waterhouse (18) who achieved a bronze in the 50 Free and Charlotte Pearson (15) who achieved Bronze in the 50 Fly.
The following swimmers attained Top ten finishes, Emily Shone ( 4th 100 Back, 5th 200 Back, 7th 200 IM and 9th 100 Breast), Laura Gillott ( 8th 50 Back, 8th 400 Free and 9th 200 Back), Shannon Eades ( 6th 50 Back, 9th 100 Back and 10th 200 IM ), Kelsey Longdon ( 4th 200 Fly, 7th 50 Fly and 10th 200IM ), Nicole Clarke ( 7th 400 Free), James Newton ( 6th 50 Breast ), Josh Whitehurst ( 7th100 Free), Dale Waterhouse ( 4th 100 Free, 9th 200 Free and 10th 100 Back), Dan McLean ( 9th 100 Back ), Thomas Nelson ( 8th 50 Back and 10th 200 Back ), Ben Bainbridge ( 7th 200 Fly ), Matthew Sotheran ( 5th 50 Back ), Charlotte Pearson ( 9th 100 Fly ), Robert Kirk ( 10th 400 IM ), George Russell ( 6th 200 Fly ) and Josh Hillman ( 5th 200 Back and 6th 400 IM ).
Speeding Tickets Galore! 2010
On the weekend of 17th and 18th July Rotherham Metro held their level 3 short course open meet that attracted many swimmers from all over the UK. Swimmers had to achieve entry times to qualify for the meet, resulting in three categories being awarded, A grade, B grade and a speeding ticket (for swimming faster than the cut off time).
Boys Competition
Thirteen Year-old Matthew Sotheran once again proved what an exceptional talent he has by securing speeding tickets in all eight events that he entered which were 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 50,100 and 200 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back and the 100 IM. Matthew will be taking part in the National Age Group championships at Ponds Forge this week. Hot on Matthews heels in the speeding ticket stakes were eighteen year–old Thomas Nelson and seventeen year-olds Simon Worne and Daniel McLean all who gained an impressive six speeding tickets each with Simon also winning Gold’s in the A grade 50 Back and 100 Fly. Simon and Daniel will be taking part in the National Championships along with Dale Waterhouse in August at Ponds Forge.
Adam Parkes, sixteen, won five speeding tickets in the 50,100,200 back, 50 Free, 100 IM and Silver in the A grade 100 Free. Fourteen year-old James Shiel kept up the tally of speeding tickets by gaining four in the 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 100 IM and 100 Free as well as Gold’s in the A grade 100 Breast and 200 Free. Benjamin Bainbridge seventeen gained three speeding tickets in the 100 Fly, 200 Fly and 200 IM as well as A grade Gold in the 200 Breast and A Grade Silver in the 50 Fly. Ten year-old Jack McGann scored an hat trick of speeding tickets in the 50 Free, 200 Free and 100 IM, and Silver in the A grade 50 Breast followed by Bronze in the 200 Breast. Eleven year-old Robert Pearson had a magnificent meet gaining two speeding tickets in the 50 Back and 100 IM and this was accompanied with eight A grade medals which were, Gold’s in the 50 breast, 50 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Back, 200 Free, 200 Back and Silver in the 100 Free and finally Bronze in the 200 IM. Josh Whitehurst fifteen won A grade Gold’s in the 50 Free and 200 IM as well as Bronze in the 100 Fly, also fifteen Thomas Gibbons won A grade Gold in the 200 Free followed by A grade Bronze’s in the 50 Free and 200 Back. Eleven year-old Robert Kirk won Gold in the A grade 50 Fly, Silver’s in the A grade 100 and 200 Fly and finished with Bronze in the A grade 50 Free. Scott Mason fifteen won A grade Silver in the 200 Breast and A grade Bronze in the 100 Breast followed by B grade Gold in the 100 Free. Thirteen year-old George Russell Won A grade Gold in the 200 Fly and A Grade Bronze in the 200 IM. Samuel Pearson fourteen won six B grade medals these were: Gold in the 50 Breast, Silvers in the 100 IM, 100 and 200 Free followed by Bronze in the 100 Breast and Back. Twelve year-old Joel Mitchell won B grade Silver in the 200 Back and B grade Bronze in the 100 Free, Devin Kellet and Ben Cliff both eleven Won B grade Silver in the 100 Breast and 100 Back respectively and finally James Newton 14 won B grade Bronze in the 200 IM.
Girls Competition
Leading the way in the girl’s competition was Charlotte Pearson who gained five speeding tickets out of five events which were 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 50 Free, 100 Free and 200 Free, Charlotte will be taking part in the National championships at Ponds Forge in Early August. Ten year-old Rebecca Finnie swam outstandingly to gain a total of six speeding tickets in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 IM and also Gold’s in the A grade 50 Fly and 50 Back. Kelsey Longden won five speeding tickets in an extremely competitive fourteen year-old age group competition; these were 50 Fly, 50 Free, 100 IM, 200IM and 200 Free. Kelsey Also won two Gold’s in the A grade 100 and 200 Fly and Silver in the 100 Free. Eleven year-olds Holly Sotheran and Alice Aucott were also in fine form gaining five speeding tickets each and even dead heating for first place in the A grade 100 Free thus both taking the Gold. Holly won speeding tickets in the 50 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM, 50 Free, 200 Free and Gold in the A grade 100 Fly followed by Bronze’s in the A grade 100 IM and 200 Back. Alice won Speeding tickets in the 50 Breast, 200 Breast, 200 IM, 200 Free and 100 IM, A grade Silver in the 50 Free and A grade bronze in the 50 Fly. Thirteen year-old Emily Shone won four speeding tickets in the 50, 100 and 200 Back and 100 IM, she also won A grade Gold’s in the 100 Free and 200 IM followed by A grade Silver in the 200 Breast. In the fifteen and above age group Frances McGrother was awarded a Speeding ticket in the 200 IM and won A Grade Gold’s in the 100 Breast and 200 Free. Ten year-old Abbie Ackroyd gained a speeding ticket in the 200 Breast, Gold in the A grade 50 Breast, Silver in the A Grade 100 Breast and Gold in the B grade 50 Free. Thirteen year-old Jess Bushby won A grade Gold in both the 50 and 100 Fly and Bronze in the A grade 200 Free and 200 Back, another thirteen year old Nicole Clarke won A grade Gold in the 200 Free and A grade Silvers in the 50 and 100 Free. Twelve year-old Abbie Hull won Silvers in the A Grade 100 and 200 Back, also in the twelve year-old category Rebbeca Britten won A grade Silver in the 50 Back and A Grade Bronze’s in the 100 and 200 Back. Fourteen year-old Kimberley Bush gained Silver in the A grade 50 Fly and Bronze in the A grade 100 IM, also fourteen Ruth Brown won Gold in the B grade 50 Free. Ten year-old Rebecca Durn was in fine form winning A grade silver in the 100 Back, A grade Bronze in the 100 IM and Gold in the B Grade 50 Fly, Eleven year-old Alicia Hartley also won A grade Silver in the 200 Back and Bronze in the 50 Breast followed by Gold in the B grade 50 Fly. Twelve year-old Bethany Woodcock swam to a very impressive A grade Bronze in the 100 Free, also twelve Chloe Rooker gained Bronze medals in the A grade 50 Fly and Free. Katie Pollard eleven won Gold in the B grade 50 Breast, Silver in the B grade 50 Free and Bronze in the B grade 100 Breast, thirteen year-old Lucy Bennett won Gold in the B grade 100 IM and Silver in the B grade 200 IM, also winning Gold’s in the B Grade were thirteen year-old Shannon Eades in the 50 Breast and fifteen year-old Chloe Pollard in the 50 Free. Other B grade medal winners were eleven year-old Lucy Handley who won Silver in the 200 Breast and B grade Bronze medal winners were Lyn Shackshaft in the 200 IM and Shauney Brewster in the 100 Back.
Other swimmers competing were:
Sophie Jones, Robyn Hartley, Rebecca Bamber, Shannon Rickett, Danielle Marsh, Fiona Connell, Shannon Sutton, Chloe Burditt, Jack Whitehurst, Thomas Hesling, William Bailey, Samuel Hull, Andrew Bishop, Kenyon Kellett, Kayley Britten, Owen Lawrence, Laura Gillott, Hannah Dannatt and Josh Hillman
Matthew wins Bronze at the National Championships 2010
From the 28th July to the 1st of August Rotherham Metro swimmer Matthew Sotheran competed in the National Age Group swimming championships meet at Ponds Forge. Matthew was Rotherham’s lone representative in this championship and he had qualified for several events, which is an outstanding achievement.
On day one of the championships Matthew finished eighth in the 100M backstroke heats thus gaining a place in the final to take place that evening. In the final Matthew managed to gain a PB and move up a place to 7th in a time of 01:05.06. On day two of the championships Matthew competed in three events, finishing 9th in the 200M Butterfly, 3rd in the 100M Freestyle and 7th in the 200IM gaining him a final spot in each event that evening. Three finals in one evening was a big ask and Matthew decided to pull out of the 200M Butterfly final and concentrate on the 100M Freestyle and 200IM final. In the 100 Freestyle final Matthew’s tactics paid off when he smashed his PB on the way to taking a well-deserved bronze medal in a time of 56.80. Matthew then competed in the final of the 200IM where he also swam to a new PB in a time of 02:24.47 finishing 8th after a very exhausting day.
On Day three of the championships after a very exciting and exhausting previous evening Matthew started with the 400M Freestyle finishing in 13th. Next up for Matthew was the 200M Backstroke where he once again produced another PB of 02:24.58 finishing 18th.
Day four saw Matthew competing in the 200M Free and he finished in a very credible 16th position, this was followed by the 100M Butterfly where he once again produced yet another PB to finish 15th in a time of 01:04.97.
On the final day of the championships Matthew was in the 400IM where he finished 16th, so overall he had an eventful and fruitful championships gaining many final spots and winning a national bronze medal.
British Gas ASA National Youth Championships 2010
A small squad of elite Rotherham Metro swimmers attended the British Gas ASA National Youth Championships held at Ponds Forge from the 3rd to 7th of August.
All the top youth swimmers from the UK and abroad who have gained national qualifying times enter this competition, so for Metro to have four swimmers taking part is a fantastic achievement within itself.
Eighteen year-old Dale Waterhouse had the mammoth task of competing in six events over the five-day championship and Daniel McLean, Simon Worne and Charlotte Pearson, who had all qualified for one event each, joined him.
On day one of the championships Dale was the sole representative from Metro and he competed in the 200M Breaststroke finishing in a time of 02:36.80.
Day two saw Dale Joined by seventeen year-old Daniel McLean in the 100M Freestyle with Dale finishing in a time of 53.97 and Daniel finishing in a time of 56.13. Dale then went on to compete in the 200M individual medley finishing in a time of 02:15.52
Day three saw Rotherham’s only female competitor sixteen year-old Charlotte Pearson in the 100M Butterfly where she smashed her own PB and set a new Metro record in a time of 01:05.48 and wasn’t far off gaining a semi final place.
Day four saw Dale in the 200M Freestyle finishing in a time of 02:00.02 where he was then joined by Seventeen year-old Simon Worne in the 100M Breaststroke were Dale broke his own PB and a new Metro record finishing in a time of 01:08.93 and Simon finishing in a time of 01:12.18.
On the final day of the championships Dale finished off with a time of 25.07 in the 50m Freestyle to end an exciting and outstanding five days of swimming by the Rotherham Metro swimmers.
Robin Hood Meet 2010 – Oct 2010
Rotherham Metro sent a small band of merry boys and girls to compete in the Robin Hood open meet held at Ponds forge over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of October and they came back with lots of plunder consisting of gold silver and bronze. There were sixty one clubs competing from all over Britain with very sizable squads however Metro with a contingent of just over twenty swimmers managed to finish in third position overall.
Robin Hoods (Boys)
In the boys competition fourteen year-old Matthew Sotheran came away with seven medals, which consisted of Gold in the 400M Freestyle, Silvers in the 100M Backstroke and 50M Freestyle followed by Bronze’s in the 100M, 200M, Freestyle, 200IM and 200M Breaststroke. Jack McGann (10) was in outstanding form claiming Gold in the 100M Freestyle followed by Silvers in the 200M Freestyle and 50M Fly with a Bronze to round it all off in style the 50M Freestyle. In the sixteen and over age group Thomas Nelson had a very eventful meet were he claimed Silver in the 200M Backstroke followed by Bronze in the 400M Freestyle. Thomas also reached the final of the Skins where the top ten fastest swimmers compete in different 50M events with swimmers being eliminated until there are only three to contest the final. Thomas was eliminated after winning round five however when the judges realised their mistake he was reinstated and he then went on to win the Bronze medal. . James Shiel (15) produced outstanding swims to claim Silver medals in the 50M and 100M Fly, also in the 100M Fly George Russell (13) claimed the silver medal with a superlative performance while Josh Whitehurst (15) showed what a versatile swimmer he is by coming away with three Bronze medals in the 200M Breaststroke, 200IM and 50M Freestyle.
Maid Marion’s (Girls)
In the girls competition Charlotte Pearson (16) kept up her early season form by claiming Gold medals in the 50M and 100M Fly followed by Bronze in the 50M Freestyle. Eleven year-olds Alice Aucott and Holly Sotheran had a fantastic meet with Alice claiming Gold and Bronze in the 50M and 100M Breaststroke respectively. Holly went on to win six medals over the weekend consisting of two Silvers in the 100M Fly and 400M Freestyle followed by four Bronze medals in the 50M Freestyle, 200M Freestyle, 200M IM and 50M Fly. In the girls thirteen year-old age group Nicole Clarke won Bronze medals in the 400M Freestyle and 200M Breaststroke with Bethany Woodcock taking the Silver medal in the 100M Freestyle and Jessica Busby claiming the silver medal in a very tight 50M Fly competition. In the 50M Fly competitions Kelsey Longden (15) swam magnificently to claim the Bronze medal.
Other swimmers taking part were:
Ben Cliff, Connor Neal, Robert Kirk, Hannah Dannat, Rebecca Finnie, Alicia Hartley, Josh Hillman, Rebecca Britten, Abbie Hull, Shannon Eades, Laura Gillott, Emily Shone, Kimberley Bush, Thomas Gibbons Adam Parkes, Daniel McLean.
British Gas Northern Zonal Meet 2011
The inaugural British Gas Northern Zonal meet took place at Ponds Forge over the weekend of January 29th and 30th this involves all qualifying swimmers from the North East and North West of the country and is second only to the National championships. Rotherham Metro took a small team of ten qualifiers’ consisting of six boys and four girls with everyone looking to gain their national time.
Girls Competition
Charlotte Pearson (16) gained her national time with a scintillating performance in the 100 Butterfly competition thus gaining a final position in the girls 15 and over final where she once again attained the national time on her way to finishing in six position. In the 14 and under category Rachel Grainger was once again in stunning form gaining entry into the finals of both events she entered and finishing 8th in the 100 Freestyle and 10th in the 400 Freestyle. Emily Shone (14) competed in three events the 100 Breaststroke and 100 Backstroke where she narrowly missed out on a final position and finally the 200 Backstroke. Holly Sotheran (12) was the unluckiest of swimmers by just missing out on the National Time in the 200 Butterfly by 15 hundredths of a second in what can only be described as a awesome performance.
Boys Competition
Matthew Sotheran (14) was entered for seven events on the day in the 16 and under age category, which were the 50,100, 200 and 400 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke and Butterfly and 200IM. Considering that Matthew is only fourteen he swam outstandingly to reach two finals where he finished 10th in the 50 Freestyle and 10th in the 100 Freestyle where Matthew was the youngest competitor. Josh Whitehurst (16) took part in a total of six events, which were 50, 100, 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke and Butterfly and the 200IM and produced some very good performances. In the 200 Butterfly competition Metro had two representatives who were George Russell (13) and James Shiel (15) both producing exceptional performances, finally seventeen year-old Aaron Waterhouse put in a solid performance in a highly competitive 400 Freestyle race
Sheffield and District Championships 2011
This years Sheffield & District Gala was held at Ponds Forge International venue on the 6th February and was attended by all the clubs within and around the Sheffield area. The vast majority of Rotherham swimmers who attended the meet were rewarded with medals of all colours and many personal best times were achieved. For many of the younger swimmers it was their first gala and to be swimming it at an International pool just added to their excitement. All events are age group except the 200 and 400 events, which are open.
Girls Competition
Fourteen year-old Jessica Busby gained five Gold medals in the 100 Fly, Freestyle, and Backstroke, 200 Fly and Backstroke and also Silver in the 200 Freestyle and Bronze in the 400 Freestyle. Rachel Grainger fourteen won a hat trick of Gold medals in the open section, which was the 400 Freestyle, 400, IM and 200 Freestyle. Twelve year-old Chloe Rooker was in top form gaining Gold medals in the 100 Fly, 50, 100 Freestyle plus Silver’s in the 50 Fly and 50 Backstroke. Alicia Hartley (12) won a brace of Gold’s in the 50 Backstroke and 50 Breaststroke were she has maintained her stranglehold on the title for the 4th consecutive year; she also won a Silver medal in the 100 Breaststroke and Bronze in the 100 Backstroke. Fiona Connell (13) won Gold in the 100 Fly, Silver in the 50 Fly and Bronzes in the 50 and 100 Freestyle. Ten year-old Rebecca Durn claimed Gold in the 100 Backstroke a Silver in the 50 Fly and Backstroke and Bronzes in the 50 Breaststroke and 50 Freestyle, also ten Abbie Ackroud claimed Gold in the 50 Breaststroke with Lyn Shackshaft also taking Gold in the fourteen year-old Category. Eleven year-old Rebecca Finnie claimed a total of four Silver medals in the 100 Backstroke, Freestyle and 50 Freestyle and Fly. Kelsy Longden (15) won Silver medals in the 400 IM and Freestyle with Shannon Eades (14) taking the Bronze in the 400 IM and Bronzes in the 200 Freestyle. Abbie Hull (13) claimed the Silver Medal in the 100 Fly with Katie Pollard (11) the Silver medal in the 100 Breaststroke. Kenyon Kellett (9) won Bronze Medals in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke, also nine Kayley Britten claimed Bronze in the 50 Backstroke with older sister Rebecca (13) claiming Bronze in the 100 Backstroke. Eight Year-old Abigail Kennett was in outstanding form considering it was the first time she had ever swum in a long course pool taking Bronze medals in the 100 Freestyle and Breaststroke. Thirteen year-old Georgia Naughton claimed a Bronze medal in the 50 Breaststroke and Zoe Thomson (15) claimed Bronze in the 50 Fly with Molly Simpson taking Bronze in the 100 Breaststroke. Two outstanding performances for very different reasons were Harriet Esberger (12) who’s goggles came down at the beginning of the race but she still managed to claim a Bronze medal in the 50 Free, also Rebecca Bamber despite only being eleven swimming the 200 Fly open and taking the Bronze Medal.
Boys Competition
Top boy on the day was 9 year-old Jack Whitehurst who gained a hatful of medals which consisted of Gold’s in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke, 100 Freestyle followed by Silver’s in the 50, 100 Backstroke and Freestyle. Connor Neal (11) continued his fine form by taking a hat trick of Gold medals in the 100 Breaststroke, Freestyle and 50 Fly. Also scoring a hat trick of Gold medals was Thomas Nelson (19) who led from start to finish in extremely measured swims in the 100 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke and 400 Freestyle. George Russell (13) gained 5 medals all in the open section which were Gold’s in the 400 IM and 200 Fly with Silvers in the 200IM, 200 Freestyle and Bronze in the 400 Freestyle. Sixteen year-old Adam Parkes came away with gold medals in the 200 and 400 open freestyle events, also gaining a magnificent seven medals was fourteen year-old James Newton who gained a Gold in the 50 Breaststroke with Silvers in the 50 Freestyle, Backstroke and 100 Breaststroke and finally Bronze medals in the 100 Freestyle and 200 Breaststroke and 50 Fly. Devin Kellett (12) gained Gold in the 50 Backstroke and Silvers in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke, also twelve Josh Hillman gained Gold in the 100 Backstroke and Bronze medals in the open section for the 200 Backstroke and Fly. Another twelve year-old Robert Pearson gained Gold in the 100 Freestyle and Silver in the 100 Backstroke, also taking Silver in the 100 Freestyle was fourteen year-old Sam Pearson. In the eleven year-old category Jack McGann claimed Silver medals in the 50 Fly and 100 Freestyle, also eleven Ben Cliff gained Silver in the 50 Backstroke and Bronzes in the 50 Fly and 100 Freestyle. Connor Wood (11) won Silver in the50 Free and Bronze in the 50 Breaststroke also eleven Ehren Beresford claimed Silver in the 100 Fly despite his goggles coming down which was another outstanding feat. Luke Hamstead (12) won Bronzes in the 100 Breaststroke and 50 Backstroke also taking two Bronze medals was Adam Blackwell in the 50 Backstroke and the long plunge event. The battle royal on the day was between eight year-old twins Oliver and Alex Naughton with Oliver taking Silver in the 100 Breaststroke and Alex Bronze, this result was then reversed in the 100 Freestyle with Alex taking Silver and Oliver Bronze and to round the day off Oliver gained a Bronze in the 50 Fly.
Also competing:
Robyn Hartley, Amelia Kurley, Brodie Benson, Thomas Hesling, Holly Empson, Isabelle Stewart, Hannah Burgess, Megan Dobson, Dylan Bohm, Liam Blackwell, Elliot Smales, Ceri Thorman, Courtney Cutler, Lucy Handley, Alex Forth, Ellisa Dawson, Megan Lowe,Caitlin Binns, Lois Vardy, Thomas Charnock, Jacob Parkes, Grace Esberger, Becky Richmond, Laura Gillott, Eleanor Coleman and Alexander Machen who was the youngest competitor as it was his 8th birthday.
Stocksbridge Sprints – A Tonne of Medals! 2011
Recently a team of Rotherham swimmers competed in the Stockbridge sprints. The event is split into age groups with some competing in the morning and the others in the afternoon; all events are over 50 metres with the top six in each age group contesting the final. Rotherham swimmers came away with a magnificent haul of 101 medals of varying colours and also taking the top boy and girl awards in all sessions.
FINALISTS Morning Session
Fourteen year-old Mathew Sotheran was once again in outstanding form coming away with Gold medals in all four events and also set two meet records as well has winning the top boy for the morning session. In the 9-year-old girls section latest swimming sensation Debbie Cocking came away with Gold medals in the Fly, Breaststroke and Backstroke and in doing so also set new meet records in all these 3 events and followed this up with a 5th position in the Freestyle. Fourteen year-old Emily Shone scored a hat-trick of Gold’s in the Fly, Breaststroke and Backstroke and was just piped into the Silver position in the Freestyle, Emily also came away with the top girl trophy for the morning session. In the 12-year-old girls section Holly Sotheran also gained 3 Gold medals in the Freestyle, Backstroke and Fly where she also set a new meet record, Holly was also placed 4th in the Breaststroke. Jack Whitehirst (9) was once again on the medal trail coming away with Gold’s in the Backstroke and Freestyle and was just touched out in both the Fly and Breaststroke final thus gaining Silver medal’s in both these events. Alice Aucott (12) gained Silver medal’s in the Freestyle and Fly with a Bronze in the Backstroke and was involved once again in a titanic battle in the Breaststroke where she managed to outsprint Rotherham’s other Breaststroke specialist Alicia Hartley taking Gold with Alicia taking the Silver medal to go with her 5th position in the Backstroke. Twelve year-old Robert Pearson set a new meet record in the heats of the Backstroke and went on to win Gold in the Fly and Silvers in the Freestyle and Backstroke, also twelve Josh Hillman came away with Silver in the Backstroke and Bronzes in the Fly and Freestyle with 6th position in the Breaststroke. Also putting in a very good performance was Connor Neal (12) who was placed 4th in the Breaststroke and Backstroke with 5th in the Freestyle and 6th in the Fly where Owen Lawrence (12) finished in 4th as well as 5th in the Backstroke. Another very busy girl on the day was Shannon Eades (14) who reached all four finals gaining Silver in the Backstroke and Bronze medals in the Fly and Freestyle with 4th position in the Breaststroke. Kayley Britten (10) reached 3 finals in a very competitive age group were she gained Silver in the Fly followed by 4th and 5thposition in the Backstroke and Freestyle respectively. One of the outstanding performances of the morning session involved Ellisha Dawson who was the slowest qualifier going into the final of the ten year-old girls Breaststroke, she almost managed to snatch the Gold medal however was just piped and came away with the Silver in a tremendous race. Fourteen year-olds Sam Pearson and James Newton had a very successful meet with James winning Bronze in the Fly and also finishing 5th in the freestyle event with Sam finishing 4th in the Freestyle and Backstroke and 6th in the Breaststroke. Bethany Woodcock (14) finished 5th in both the Freestyle and Backstroke having just competed earlier in the morning at Ponds Forge and finally nine year-old winning Isobel Stewart put in a solid performance to take 5th place in the Breaststroke competition.
FINALISTS Afternoon Session
Two boys of vast age difference Benjamin Cliffe (11) and Dale Waterhouse (19) both achieved a full house of Gold medals in the afternoon session in two very competitive age categories with both also claiming top boy awards. Charlotte Pearson sixteen claimed Gold medals in the Fly, Backstroke and Freestyle as well as Silver in the Breaststroke thus gaining the top girl award for the afternoon session. Also scoring another hat-trick off Gold medals was George Russell (13) in the Fly, Freestyle and Backstroke and Silver in the Breaststroke. Eleven year-old Rebecca Finnie gained a speeding ticket in the Fly and Gold in the Freestyle and Backstroke with a 4th place finish in the Breaststroke. Pushing Rebecca all the way in the 11 year-old age group was Rebecca Bamber who claimed Silver in the Fly and Backstroke with a Bronze in the Freestyle and a 5th place in the Breaststroke. In the open section category Simon Worne (18) claimed Silver in the Breaststroke, Bronze in the Fly and Freestyle and 4th place in the Backstroke, also in the open category Aaron Waterhouse (18) won Silver in the Freestyle with 4th places in the Fly and Breaststroke with 5th position in the Backstroke. Eleven year-old Jack McGann was in fine form claiming Silver in the Freestyle, Bronze in the Fly with 4th and 5th place in the Backstroke and Breaststroke respectively. In the open section nineteen year-old Thomas Nelson claimed Silver in the Backstroke with 5th place in the Fly and 6th place in the Freestyle, also in the open section Adam Parkes (16) claimed Bronze in the Backstroke. In the girls 13 year-old section Chloe Rooker won Silver in the Freestyle and 5th position in the Fly where Fiona Connell also 13 took the Bronze medal, also in this age group Rebecca Britten claimed a well earned Bronze in the Backstroke with Abbie Hull taking 5th position. In the girls open section Kelsey Longden (15) took 4thplaces in the Fly and Backstroke with Kimberley Bush taking 5th place in the Freestyle, also taking 5th position’s in an extremely competitive 11 year-old age category was Rebbeca Durn in the Fly and Backstroke.
Also competing were:
Molly Gervis, Brodie Brewster, Holly Empson, Hannah Burgess, Megan Lowe, Jacob Parkes, Adam Hedge, Caitlan Wallis, Luke Hamstead, Thomas Hesling, Madeline Jones, Sophie Jones, Scott Mason, Ben Bainbridge, James Shiel and William Bailey.
Derventio Excel Meet
Over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd of April a small team of Rotherham Metro swimmers competed at the Derventio Excel meet held at Ponds Forge. This gala attracted over sixty clubs from all over the UK as well as Dubai.
The standard of this gala produced many North Eastern times for Metro swimmers and numerous PB’s. Thirteen year-old George Russell was in outstanding form gaining a Silver medal in the 50 Fly and a Bronze Medal in the 200 Fly with top ten finishes in the 100, 400 Freestyle and 200IM. Matthew Sotheran (14) claimed a Silver medal in the 100 Fly with top ten finishes in the 100,200 and 400 Freestyle and 200 IM. Holly Sotheran (12) had top ten finishes in the 200, 400 IM and also the 50 and 200 Fly, Emily Shone (14) gained top ten finishes in the 200 Back and Breaststroke. In the open section Dale Waterhouse gained top ten finishes in the 100 freestyle and 200 IM with younger brother Aaron finishing in the top ten for the 400 Freestyle. Sixteen year-old Charlotte Pearson claimed a top ten finish in the 50 Fly, also claiming a top ten finish was Nicole Clarke (14) in the 400 Freestyle and Josh Hillman (12) in the 50 Backstroke.
Also competing was: Simon Worne, Josh Whitehurst, Thomas Nelson, James Shiel, Abbie Hull, Shannon Eades, Alice Aucott, Kelsy Longden, Laura Gillott, Kimberley Bush and Bethany Woodcock.
July Bonanza! 2011
On the weekend of 16th and 17th July Rotherham Metro held their level 3 short course open meet that attracted many swimmers from all over the UK. Swimmers had to achieve entry times to qualify for the meet, resulting in three categories being awarded, A grade, B grade and a speeding ticket (for swimming faster than the cut off time).
Boys Competition
In the boys competition brothers Aaron and Dale Waterhouse scored a perfect 100% in the speeding ticket stakes with Aaron (17) collecting nine out of nine in the events he entered and Dale (19) doing likewise collecting eight out of eight in the events he entered. Eighteen year-old Simon Worne managed seven speeding tickets and a grade A bronze in the 50 Fly, Robert Pearson (12) gained a magnificent five speeding tickets and Gold in the A grade 50 breaststroke. Seventeen year-old Adam Parkes claimed four speeding tickets followed by three A grade bronze medals in the 50 Freestyle and breaststroke and 100 Breaststroke. Fourteen year-old George Russell claimed a Hat-trick of speeding tickets and a gold A grade in the 100 backstroke, also fourteen Matthew Sotheran claimed two speeding tickets and a gold in the A grade 100 breaststroke. Jack Mcgann was in outstanding form claiming 1 speeding ticket and 6 Gold A grade medals in the 100 and 200 IM, 100 freestyle, breaststroke and 50 freestyle and fly and followed this up with a bronze A grade in the 50 backstroke. James Shiel (15) was in scintillating form claiming gold in the A grade 100 fly and IM with A grade silver in the 100 breaststroke and a bronze in the 200 freestyle. Sixteen year-old Scott Mason claimed gold in the A grade 200 breaststroke and bronze in the A grade100IM, also sixteen Josh Whitehirst claimed 2 A grade silver medals in the 100IM and 100 freestyle. Josh Hillman scored a magnificent seven medals with Bronze A grade’s in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 freestyle and a hat-trick of golds in the B grade 100 fly and 200 fly and backstroke with finally a B grade bronze in the 100 breaststroke. William Bailey (15) put in a tremendous swim to claim the B grade gold in the 100 freestyle, also in outstanding form was Devin Kellet (12) who claimed B grade silver medals in the 100IM and 50 freestyle. Sam Pearson (15) once again put in solid performances claiming the B grade silver in the 50 backstroke and B grade bronzes in the 100 backstroke and 100IM.
Girls Competition
Leading the way in the girl’s competition was Elven year-old Rebecca Finnie who claimed 5 speeding tickets followed by silvers in the A grade 200 IM and backstroke with a B grade silver in the 100 fly. Up and coming future Metro star Debbie Cocking (10) also achieved 5 speeding tickets plus silver in the A grade 200 breaststroke. The very versatile Emily Shone (14) scored ten out of ten with 4 speeding tickets and 5 A grade gold’s in the 100 IM and breaststroke, 50 freestyle and backstroke and 200Im and finally wrapped it up with a bronze in the A grade 100 fly. Jessica Bushby (14) continued in her fine form by claiming an hat -trick of speeding tickets and gold in the A grade 100 fly followed by bronze medals in the A grade 100Im and freestyle. Charlotte Pearson (16) claimed a speeding ticket in the 50 fly followed by A grade gold’s in the 50 backstroke and freestyle. Holly Sotheran (12) claimed a speeding ticket in the 100IM and 50 fly, Rebecca Bamber (11) yet another future Metro star claimed a speeding ticket in the 100IM with A grade gold in the 100 breaststroke and a hat-trick of A grade bronze medals in the 200 backstroke, breaststroke and 100 freestyle. Thirteen year-old Rebecca Britten was in outstanding form claiming a speeding ticket in the 50 freestyle followed by gold in the A grade 50 backstroke and silvers in the 100IM and freestyle and finally wrapping it all up with a B grade gold and bronze in the 100 backstroke and fly respectively. Swimming exceptionally well was 14 year-old Shannon Eades who claimed an hat-trick of gold A grade medals in the 100IM, 100 freestyle and 50 backstroke and in top form also was Abbie Hull (13) who had a fantastic haul of 8 medals which were double gold in the A grade 100 and 200 backstroke with A grade silver in the 50 backstroke and 5 A grade bronze medals in the 100 IM, freestyle and fly ,200 IM and freestyle. Bethany Woodcock (14) won gold in the A grade 100 freestyle, silver in the A grade 100IM, bronze in the A Grade 200 freestyle and finally silver B grade in the 100 breaststroke. Chloe Rooker (13) claimed A grade gold in the 50 freestyle with a bronze in the A grade 50 fly and 2 bronze medals in the B grade100 breaststroke and 200 freestyle. Alicia Hartley managed a Grade A gold, silver and bronze in the 50 breaststroke, 50 backstroke and 200 Freestyle, also 12 Alice Aucott claimed A grade gold in the 50 fly and silver in the 100 fly. Eleven year-old Abbie Ackroyd claimed the A grade gold in the 100 breaststroke in a very tightly contested race. Ten year-old Kayley Britten was in splendid form claiming a hat-trick of medals which consisted of A grade bronze in the 50 fly followed by a B grade silver in the100 fly and a bronze in the B grade 50 freestyle. In the 15 and over section Frances McGrother a bronze in the A grade 100IM, also in the 15 and over section Kelsey Longden claimed B grade gold in the 200 breaststroke. Staying in the 15 and over section Kimberly Bush claimed double gold in the B grade 100 freestyle and 50 breaststroke and also taking a B grade silver in the 50 fyl. Eleven year-old Rebecca Durn claimed gold and silver in the B grade 50 freestyle and fly, also eleven Ceri Thorman put in two fantastic swims to claim B grade silver in the 200 backstroke and bronze in the 50 fly. Lyn Shackshaft (14) claimed B grade gold in the 100 breaststroke and B grade bronze in the 50 freestyle, also 14 Fiona Connell claimed gold in the B grade 100IM. Kenyon Kellett took double B grade silver medals in the 50 breaststroke and 200 freestyle with Heather Wellings (13) taking a B grade bronze in the 50 freestyle and 14 year-old Nicole Clarke taking a B grade bronze medal in the 100IM.
Also competing:
James Newton, Katie Pollard, Laura Gillott, Ruth Brown, Holly Fenwick, Hannah Dannatt and Lucy Fenwick
British Gas ASA National Championships 2011
Five swimmers from Rotherham Metro competed in the National Age group and Youth finals which were held at Ponds Forge International pool between July 21st and July 25th for the Age groups and 27th July to 31st July for the Youth championships.
All five swimmers managed to gain PB’s with three reaching their respective finals. George Russell who had only just turned 14 swam superbly to reach the final of the 200 Fly, finishing in 7th position, also reaching the final of the 200 Fly in the twelve year-old age group was Holly Sotheran who produced a truly magnificent swim to knock 6 seconds off her PB and finish in 8th position. Robert Pearson (12) defied all the odds to gatecrash the 100 Backstroke final where yet again he produced another PB to finish in 9th position, Robert also competed in the 200 Backstroke just missing out on a final spot. Matthew Sotheran (14) contested the 100 Backstroke, 100 and 200 Butterfly and 100 Freestyle where he produced some outstanding performances and PB’s. Charlotte Pearson (16) was once again in the 100 Fly Youth Championships where she produced another PB in a scintillating swim.
Pictured with head coach Alan Kirton are: L to R back row George Russell, Charlotte Pearson, Matthew Sotheran . Front row Holly Sotheran and Robert Pearson who is coached by Gemma Roper A2 squad.
Zonal Meet 2012, George Gains National Time
The British Gas Northern Zonal meet took place at Ponds Forge over the weekend of January 28th and 29th this involves all qualifying swimmers from the North East and North West of the country and is second only to the National championships. Rotherham Metro took a team of eleven individual qualifiers’ consisting of six boys and five girls as well as two relay teams.
Boys Competition
George Russell (14) put in a superb performance in the 200 fly to gain his national time and also gaining a final position in the boys 16 and under age group where he once again attained the national time on his way to finishing in seventh position. George also put in tremendous performances in the 400IM, 200IM and 100 fly. Matthew Sotheran (15) was a very busy young man in fine form claiming a final spot in the 50 freestyle were he finished a credible seventh in a very tight final, Matthew also put in solid performances in the 100 freestyle, 200 fly, 100, 200 backstroke, 200IM and 100 breaststroke. Aaron Waterhouse (18) was in fine form putting in a solid performance in the 200 and 400 freestyle races, also producing a fine performance wash Josh Whitehurst (17) in the 100 breaststroke. Robert Pearson in the 100 and 200 backstroke and Josh Hillman in the 200 fly both thirteen put in excellent performances to acquit themselves very well at their first Zonal meet. In the youth relay events metro managed a very good seventh position in both the freestyle and individual medley event, the teams consisted of: James Shiel, Aaron Waterhouse, Matthew Sotheran, Josh Whitehurst and Thomas Gibbons.
Girls Competition
Charlotte Pearson (18) once again reached the final of the 100 fly in a highly competitive race finishing in tenth position. Emily Shone (15) had a hat-triick of events and she put in fine displays in all of them which consisted of the 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 100 breaststroke. Another girl who had a very busy schedule was Holly Sotheran (13) who produced a trio of stunnibg performances in the 200, fly 100 fly and 400 freestyle. Two young girls making their debuts at the Zonal meet were Alice Aucott and Abbie Hull both thirteen and both gaining big PB’s in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke respectively by producing exceptional swims.
Yorkshire Championships 2012 Weekend 1
On the first weekend of the Yorkshire championships held at the Leeds aquatic centre Rotherham Metro swimmers acquitted themselves very well. Rotherham Metro had a smaller than usual squad competing due to many attending a overseas training camp however they came away with three medals and lots of top ten finishes. The first medal winner of the meet was Josh Hillman (13) who despite being ranked 16th managed to claim the bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke. The next medal winner was George Russell who had only just returned from the training camp the previous night however this did not deter him and he claimed the gold in the 100 fly with a dominant performance. The final medal winner of the first weekend was Rebecca Finnie (12) who in an extremely fast 100 freestyle managed to grab the bonze medal with an outstanding performance.
All finalist were,
Charlotte Pearson (17) 200IM (7th), 100 Fly (4th), 200 Fly (4th), Robert Pearson (13) 100 Breaststroke (7th)
Rebecca Finnie (12) 800 Freestyle (8th), 100 Backstroke (5th), 200 Backstroke (9th), 400 Freestyle (7th)
Debbie Cocking (10) 200 Backstroke (8th), Jack Whitehirst (10) 400 Freestyle (6th) , 200IM 9th, Connor Neal (12) 200 Freestyle (8th), Josh Hillman (13) 200IM (8th).
Also competing was: Benjamin Cliff, Jack McGann, Abbie Hull, Rebecca Britten, Fiona Connell, Dayna Towns, Rebecca Bamber, Rebecca Durn, Alicia Hartley, Chloe Rooker, Shannon Eades, Bethany Woodcock, Nicole Clarke and Jessica Bushby.
City of Sheffield Premier Meet – March 2012
Over the weekend of 30th March/1st April, swimmers from Rotherham Metro competed at the City of Sheffield’s Premier Meet held at Ponds Forge. This competition attracts many of Britain’s top swimmers as well as swimmers that are competing at the London Olympics. Two swimmers in outstanding form were Matthew Sotheran (15) and Dale Waterhouse (20) who both attained their respective national times in the 50 metre freestyle competition, and Matthew also finished 7th in the 200 backstroke. George Russell (14) was once again in scantling form claiming the gold medal in the 200 fly with an outstanding last 50 metres and also claiming the bronze medal in the 100 fly. Simone worne (19) put in a fantastic performance to finish 5th in the 50 breaststroke.
Also competing were:
Bethany Woodcock, Nicole Clarke, Kelsey Longden, Kimberley Bush, Shannon Eades, Holly Sotheran, Alice Aucott, Rebecca Finnie, Charlotte Pearson, Emily Shone, Abbie Hull, Josh Hillman, Jack McGann, James Shiel and Aaron Waterhouse
City of Leeds National Qualifying Meet – april 2012
The City of Leeds swimming club held their National Qualifying meet Championships on the weekend of 14th and 15th April. The event is contested in heats and the top 10 in each age group go through to the finals.
George Russell (14) was once again the star of the show gaining an impressive hat-trick of gold medals in the 400 IM, 400 Freestyle and 100 fly and followed this up with a silver medal in the 200 freestyle. Jack McGann (12) claimed gold in the 100 breaststroke and followed this up finishing 6th in the 400 freestyle and 9th in the 200 freestyle. Robert Pearson (13) was in outstanding form winning a brace of silvers in the 100 breaststroke and 200IM and followed this up with a bronze medal in the 200 backstroke. Josh Hillman (13) claimed bronze medals in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and finished 4th in the 400IM, 6th in the 200IM and 6th in the 200 freestyle. The only metro girl to win a medal was Holly Sotheran (13) in the 200 fly with an extremely measured swim claimed the bronze medal and also finished 7th in the 100 fly. Eleven year-old Kayley Britten reached a very impressive five finals finishing 7th in the 400 freestyle and 100 backstroke, 8th in the 200 backstroke and 9th in the 100 and 200 freestyle and all this considering she had only just returned from her holiday the day before.
Also reaching five finals was Abbie Hull (14) who finished 4th in the 100 backstroke, 5th in the 200 IM and backstroke, 6th in the 400 freestyle and finally 9th in the 100 freestyle. Another young girl being kept very busy at the weekend was Alice Aucott (13) who reached 4 finals finishing 5th in the 200 freestyle and breaststroke and 8th in the 100 and 400 freestyle. Rebecca Britten (14) who like her younger sister had only just returned from holiday put in some fine performances reaching 4 finals and finishing 5th in the 100 backstroke, 8th in the 100 freestyle, 9th in the 400 freestyle and 10th in the 200 backstroke. Alicia Hartley (13) was yet another youngster who reached 4 finals in an extremely competitive age group where she finished 6th in the 200 backstroke, 7th in the 200 breaststroke, 9th in the 100 backstroke and 10th in the 200IM. Connor Neal (13) put in an exceptional performance to finish 8th in the 100 freestyle considering he had only just become 13 a few weeks earlier.
Other swimmers competing and acquitting themselves very well were Ceri Thorman (12), Jack Whitehurst (11) and Abbie Ackroyd (12).
Stocksbridge Sprints 2012
A team of Rotherham Metro’s swimmers competed at the Stocksbridge Sprints meet on the 22nd April and came away with the a sack full of medals, and numerous PB’s. the competition is 50 metre sprints with the top six reaching the final and medals were awarded for each finalist in each age category.
Boys Competition
Thirteen year-old Robert Pearson was in outstanding form claiming the top boy award by winning all four Gold medals in the competition as well as setting a new meet record in the backstroke final. George Russell (14) also set a meet record in the fly and claimed a hat trick of gold medals and silver in the breaststroke. In the 15 and over section Aaron Waterhouse claimed gold’s in the fly and breaststroke and silver in the freestyle and backstroke. Also in the 15 and over section Matthew Sotheran claimed double gold in the backstroke and freestyle with silver in the fly and 4th place in the breaststroke. Josh Hillman (13) and Benjamin Cliffe (12) both scored a hat trick of silver medals and 5th place in the breaststroke in their respective age groups. James Sheil claimed bronze in the fly, 5th in the backstroke and breaststroke and 6th in the freestyle in the 15 and over age group. Reaching all 4 finals was ten year-old Jack Anderson who claimed bronze in the freestyle, 5th in the fly and breaststroke and 6th in the backstroke. In the nine year old section there was a fantastic tussle between five boys with Benjamin Gavelle claiming a bronze in the fly and 4th in the freestyle, Jack Steele also won bronze in the breaststroke and 5th in the fly. Oliver Naughton reached 3 finals claiming 4th in the backstroke, 5th in the fly and breastroke with his twin Alex taking 4th in the breaststroke and finally Alexander Machin claiming a hat trick of 6th positions in the backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke. Twelve year-olds Jack McGann and Jack Neil both reached all four finals with Jack neil taking silver in the breaststroke, bronze in the freestyle and backstroke and 4th in the fly and Jack McGann taking bronze in the breaststroke and fly with 4th in the freestyle and 5th in the backstroke. Ten year-old Daniel Lyon-Smith put in a fantastic performance to claim 4th position in the backstroke with Joshua Turver (11) putting in a very fine swim to claim 5th in the fly.
Girls Competition
Fourteen year-old Rebecca Britten was in scintillating form coming away with golds in the backstroke, fly and freestyle and a 5th place in the breaststroke. In the 15 and over age group Charlotte Pearson was in fine form claiming gold’s in the fly and freestyle, silver in the backstroke and bronze in the breaststroke. Also claiming a double gold was Alice Aucott (13) in the breaststroke and freestyle with a bronze medal in the fly, claiming gold, silver and bronze was Holly Sotheran (13) in the fly, backstroke and breaststroke respectively. Also claiming a gold, silver and bronze was Rebecca Finnie (12) in the freestyle, backstroke and fly and pushing her all the way was Dayna Towns and Abbie Ackroyd with Abbie taking gold in the breaststroke, 4th in the backstroke and 6th in the freestyle, with Dayna taking silvers in the fly and breaststroke and bronze medals in the backstroke and freestyle. In the 15 and over age group Emily Shone claimed a well deserved gold in the breaststroke with bronze in the backstroke and 6th position in the freestyle. Kayley Britten (11) put in some solid performance to claim bronze in the backstroke and 5th position in the fly, also putting in a very measured swim was Elissa Dawson (11) who powered her way to claim the bronze in the breaststroke. Alicia Hartley (13) claimed bronze in a very tight finish in the breaststroke. Harriet Esberger (13) was in fine form claiming 5th in the backstroke and 6th in the fly, also putting in a measured swim was Rebecca Durn (12) who claimed 5th place in the backstroke. In the 15 and over age group Jess Bushby and Kelsey Longden fought out their own duel in the fly with Jess finishing 4th and Kelsey 5th. Rotherham youngest girl medal winner of the meet was nine year-old Abigail Kennet who swam magnificently to gain 4th position in the freestyle.
Other swimmers competing were; Georgia McCormack, Abigail Martin, Brodie Brewster, Holly Empson, Lana Doneo, Owen Mason, Reiss Chambers, Dylan Bohm, Alex White, Ceri Thorman, Alex Forth, Jack Fox, Ryan Coyle, Brandon Jackson, Liam Blackwell, Grace Esberger, Hannah Burgess, Lucy Fenwick, Isla Doneo, Adam Hedge, Brodie Benson, Connor Neal, Luke Hamstead, Thomas Hesling, Shannon Eades, Lynne Shackshaft, Nicole Clarke, Bethany Woodcock, Molly Simpson and Ruth Brown,
City of Sheffield Snow Frills 2012
A small number of Rotherham Metro’s younger swimmers competed recently at City of Sheffield’s Snow Frills Gala at Ponds Forge from the 1st to 2nd December. There were some fantastic performances with many medals and many PB’s were being gained by numerous swimmers.
Medal winners and top ten finishes:
Dayna Towns (13) was once again in outstanding form claiming four gold medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle, 50 fly and 200IM and she followed this up with double silver in the 50 and 100 fly, and top ten finishes in the 50,100,200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke. Also thirteen Rebecca Bamber claimed gold in the 50 backstroke and double bronze in the 100 backstroke and 50 fly with top ten finishes in the 50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle and 200 backstroke. Brodie Benson (13) was in scintillating form claiming gold in the 200 fly and bronze in the 200 freestyle with top ten finishes in the 200Im, 50,100 and 200 freestyle, 50,and 100 fly and finally the 200 backstroke. Twelve year-old Ehren Beresford had a busy weekend claiming silver in the 50 fly with top ten finishes in the 50,100 and 200 backstroke, 100 fly and breaststroke. Devin Kellett (14) was in fine form claiming the silver medal in the 50 fly with top ten finishes in the 50,100 and 200 backstroke, 50 and 200 breaststroke, 100 fly and 50 freestyle. Connor Wood (13) claimed silver in the 50 freestyle and finished 6th in the 100 freestyle.
Other top ten finishes were:
Joshua Turver (12) 50 fly, Jack Whitehirst (12) 50, 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. Connor Neal (13) 50,100 breaststroke, 50 fly and 100 backstroke. Kenyon Kellett (11) 50, 100 fly, 50, 200 backstroke, 50 freestyle and breaststroke. Alicia Hartley (14) 50, 200 breaststroke, 100 and 200 backstroke. Luke Hamstead (14) 50 breaststroke and fly. Daniel Lyon-Smith (10) 50 backstroke, 50 and 100 freestyle. Benjamin Cliff (13) 200 fly with finally Jack Mcgann (13) 50 fly and 200 breaststroke.
Other Rotherham swimmers competing and putting in many fine performances were: Hannah Dannatt, Hannah Burgess, Holly Empson, Isla Doneo, Alex White and Harri Thorman.
The North East Region Age Group and Youth/Senior Championships 2012
Rotherham metro swimmers recently competed in the North East Region Age Group and Youth/Senior Championships (25m) held at the Aquatics Centre, Sunderland over the weekend of 1st and 2nd of December with everyone putting in fantastic performances.
In the Youth/Senior category fifteen year-old George Russell was in tremendous form claiming the gold medal in the 100 fly and silver medal in the 50 fly. Shannon Eades (16) put in a extremely measured swim to claim the silver medal in the open 800 freestyle. Mathew Sotheran (16) was in fine form reaching 3 individual finals were he finished 7th in the 100 backstroke and 6th in the 50 freestyle and 100 fly.
Other top ten finishes were:
Abbie Hull and Jess Bushby 800 freestyle, men’s 400 medley team 9th, women’s 400 freestyle A team 9th B team, men’s 800 freestyle team 6th, women’s 400 medley 7th, men’s 400 freestyle team 5th.
Also competing and putting in many fine performances were:
Rebecca Britten, Alice Aucott, Chloe Rooker, Beth Woodcock, Emily Shone, James Shiel, Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Waterhouse.
In the age group category Debbie Cocking (11) swam a truly magnificent race to claim the silver medal in the 200 IM and followed this up with numerous top ten finishes. Also finishing in the top ten were Jack Anderson (10), Robert Pearson (14), Josh Hillman(14), Rebecca Durn (12) and Connor Wood (13).
Also competing and putting in many fine performances were: Abbie Ackroyd, Rebecca Finnie, Ceri Thorman and Kayley Britten.
Sheffield and District Championships 2013
Girls competition
On the 3rd February 2013 Rotherham Metro swimmers from all squads attended the annual Sheffield and District Championships at Ponds Forge and produced some fantastic performances.
Second to none and outstanding in the girls section was Dayna Towns(13) who produced 8 gold medals from 8 events the 50m freestyle, backstroke ,butterfly and breaststroke and 100m in all four disciplines which earned her the Owen Murfin trophy for Top Girl in the competition. Also in inspiring form was Debbie Cocking (11) gaining 5 Gold medals in the 100m fly, back, free, breast and 200 I.M plus Bronze in the 200m breast and back. Abi Ackroyd(12) took 7 medals, Gold 50m breast, 50m back and 100m breast, Silver 100m back, 50m free and bronze 100m free and 50m fly .Rebecca Finnie(13) took Silver in the 100m fly, 200m free and bronze in the 100m back, 50m free, 400m free, 50m back and 100m free. Rebecca Durn(12) took gold in the 100m back, silver in 200 back and bronze in the 50m back. Rebecca Brittan(15) claimed 3 gold medals in the 200m, 400m free and 200m backstroke. Chloe Rooker(14) bagged 4 gold medals in 50m, 100m free, 100m, 200m fly, siver in 50m fly and bronze in the 400m I.M. Alicia Hartley(14) took gold for the the 6th year in a row in the 50m breaststroke followed up with silver in the 100m backstroke. Four more silver medals came Metros way with Kaci Smallwood(10) in the 50m breaststroke, Rebecca Bamber(13) 50m,100m backstroke and Kenyon Kellett(11) in the 100m breaststroke.
Boys Competition
Devin Kellett(14) was in superb form and the pick of the boys section taking 4 Gold medals in the 400m I.M, 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, Silver in 200m breaststroke and Bronze in 50m breaststroke. Jack Whitehurst also took 2 Gold medals in 50m,100m freestyle and Silver in 100m backstroke. Connor Wood took a hat-trick of Golds in 50m, 100m freestyle, 100 fly and Bronze in the 50m backstroke and breaststroke. Brodie Benson(13) claimed a brace of Silvers and Bronze in the 100m, 200m fly and 400 I.M and 400m freestyle respectfully. Josh Turver(12) took 4 medals with Gold in 100m freestyle, Silver 50 fly, 100 backstroke and Bronze in 50m freestyle. Daniel Lyon-Smith(11) took Gold in the 50m backstroke with an excellent swim. Claiming Gold also was Robert Pearson(14) in the 200m Freestyle. Jack Neill(13) picked up a brace of Silver medals in 50m breaststroke and 50m fly together with a bronze in 100m breaststroke. Benjamin Gavelle(10) collected a Silver medal for 100m fly with an excellent performance as did Jack Steele(10) claiming Bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Owen Lawrence(14) took 2 Bronze medals in the 100m fly and 100m breaststroke. Adam Hamstead(9) produced a strong performance to claim Bronze in th 50m freestyle. Jack Anderson(10) finished with a Siver and a Bronze in the 50m and 100m freestyle as did Harri Thorman(9) in the 50m backstroke and butterfly. Thomas Hesling(14) took second place in the annual lunchtime Long Plunge competition beating his Dad Mark Hesling(43) into 8th place.
Other Metro swimmers on the day producing strong performances were Ben Cliff, Luke Hamstead, Alexander Roberts, Thomas Blank, Luke Monks, Jack MaGann, Harold Cocking, Brandon Murillo, Alex White, Ceri Thorman, Megan Lowe, Carys Neal, Mary-Kate Gent, Kate Hartle, Freya Longstaff, Lana Doneo, Holly Epson, Isabelle Baily, Georgia McCormac, Kayley Brittan, Grace Russell, Hannah Burgess, Courtney Cutler, Abigail Martin and Megan Dobson.
Rotherham Metro Level 3 July 2013
Rotherham Metro held their level 3 short course open meet that attracted many swimmers from all over the UK. Swimmers had to achieve entry times to qualify for the meet, resulting in three categories being awarded, A grade, B grade and a speeding ticket (for swimming faster than the cut off time). Not only did Metro swimmers come away with a huge haul of medals, Alice Aucott also claimed the Top Girl Award.
Girls Competition
Alice Aucott claimed seven A grade Gold medals and an A grade silver to take the Top Girl award. Debbie Cocking was in cracking form with ten speeding tickets two A grade golds and Two A grade silvers, Rebecca Bamber won an A grade gold, bronze and B grade gold and silver, Rebecca Durn claimed an A grade bronze, Alicia Hartley took seven medals A grade silver, two B grade golds, one silver and three bronze. Lynne Shackshaft claimed a gold B grade, Dayna Towns won three A grade golds and two speeding tickets, Kayley Britten took two A grade golds and an A grade bronze, Kenyon Kellett won A grade silver, Rebecca Finnie an A grade gold, two A grade silvers, an A grade bronze and a speeding ticket, Hannah Dannatt claimed three B grade gold medals, Emily Shone won an A grade gold and three A grade silvers, Abbie Hull took an A grade gold silver and bronze and a B grade gold, Rebecca Britten took A grade bronze and B grade silver medals, Abigail Martin won A grade silver, Shannon Eades took A grade gold silver and bronze and a speeding ticket, Jess Bushby took two A grade golds and two silvers, Chloe Rooker claimed A grade bronze and B grade gold and silver medals, Beth Woodcock took two B grade golds and a silver, Kimberley Bush took A grade silver and two B grade bronze medals, Abigail Jackson took two golds, a silver and three bronze medals, Courtney Cutler took a B grade bronze, Saoirse Behan took a bronze medal, Holly Empson took a B grade bronze medal, Ceri Thorman took an A grade silver, three B grade golds and a B silver.
Boys Competition
Devin Kellett was in fine form claiming four A grade golds, two silvers and two bronze medals, Harold Cocking took three silvers and two bronze medals, Jack Anderson won two A grade silvers and a bronze, Jack Whithurst claimed three B grade golds a silver and a bronze, Connor Neal took two A grade bronze medals, Reiss Chambers won two B grade bronze medals, Robert Pearson claimed two speeding tickets, Harri Thorman took an A grade gold, three B grade silvers and a bronze, Benjamin Gavelle won two B grade bronze medals, Luke Monks took a B grade silver, Alexander Roberts claimed two B grade golds, Owen Mason a gold, silver and a bronze in B grade, John Norris took two golds and a silver in B grade, Jack Fox won three B grade silvers and a bronze medal, Joshua Turver took three B grade golds and a silver, Jack Neill won an A grade bronze, Jack McGann took an A grade gold, three silvers and a bronze medal, Ehren Beresford claimed B grade gold, a silver and two bronze medals, Connor Wood an A grade Gold, two silver two bronze and a speeding ticket. Owen Lawrence won A grade silver and bronze, two B grade silver and a bronze medal, Brodie Benson took two A grade bronze medals and a gold, silver and bronze in B grade, Benjamin Cliff took three B grade golds and a silver, Luke Hamstead took a B grade gold two silvers and a bronze medal, William Bailey claimed a B grade bronze, George Russell took an A grade gold and two speeding tickets, Josh Hillman claimed a B grade gold medal, James Sheil took four A grade golds, Matthew Sotheran claimed five speeding tickets.
Also competing, Isabelle Baily, Grace Russell, Hannah Burgess, Chloe Jones, Ruth Brown, Antonio Mars, Jack Steele, Abbeygail Wrennall, Georgina Macormac, Thomas Blank, Adam Hamstead, Bradley Wallis, Carys Neal and Kaci Smallwood.