Pershore still in promotion hunt (From Evesham Journal)

Pershore still in promotion hunt

8:40pm Sunday 8th July 2012 in Sport

PERSHORE Swimming Club are still joint top of Nuneaton Junior League Division Two after the third leg.

With the top six from each level going forward to the finals in September, Pershore are targeting promotion to the Premier Division.

At Stafford Leisure Centre, Pershore took a well-earned overall victory with 221 points followed by Blythe on 213, Hinckley 188, Droitwich 184, Cheadle 157 and Newport from Shropshire 80 The youngest competitors showed the way by winning 14 of their 22 races and bagging the maximum six points.

Ten-year-olds Maisy Robertson (39.19 seconds) and Simon Sweatman (31.15) were second and first in their 50-metre freestyle races with William Gearey (22.15) second in the 25m breaststroke. With nine-year-old Bella Woodcock (44.12) and Sweatman (46.44) victorious in the 50m breaststroke, Pershore looked good for overall success.

Nine-year-olds Rebecca Philips, Megan Annis, Kate Sanderson and Charlotte Downey took victory in the girls’ 4x25m freestyle relay.

Hamish Cross, Luke Betteridge, Gearey and Sam Doyle, in the boys’ relay, made it four wins in a row.

Doyle won action again with the 10-and-under freestyle team with Chris Vizard, Tom Bailey and Sweatman.

More successes came from Vizard (50m backstroke), Gearey (25m freestyle), Annis (25m freestyle), Josh Sharratt (25m butterfly) and Sweatman.

Daisy Tolley, Woodcock, Robertson and Isobel Cumming were second in the 10-and-under medley relay. Cumming, Tolley, Woodcock and Naomi Marsden also finished runners-up in the 4x25m freestyle relay.

Annis, Downey, Cumming, Tolley and Pugh were joined by Beth Snape and Louise Hird to record another three points in the 8x25m freestyle relay.

A win and second place from 12-year-old Tazmin Pugh in the 50m butterfly (31.03) and 50m freestyle (29.19) respectively boosted Pershore. More second spots came from Owen Leeks in the 50m backstroke (36.81) and the 50m butterfly (35.25).

With only a few points between Pershore and Blythe coming into the last event of the evening, it was vital the Vale side finished in one of the top positions.

In the 8x25m cannon with one girl and boy from each age group, the team made up of Downey, Gearey, Tolley, Sweatman, Hannah Simister, Sammy Whitehill, Pugh and Drew Jones were second to ensure the club’s mission was complete.