PERSHORE produced their biggest medal haul yet in the Amateur Swimming Association Midland Championships at Coventry.

Their squad of seven secured three golds, four silvers and six bronzes as well as the coveted top boy award in the 12-year-old age group for William Gearey.

He won 11 medals in the boys’ 11 to 12 category with golds in the 50m freestyle (28.24 seconds long-course personal best), where he is now ranked number one in the United Kingdom for his age, and 50m breaststroke (38.01).

Silvers followed in the 50m butterfly (30.55), 100m butterfly (one minute 08.91 seconds PB), 50m backstroke (33.55) and 100m backstroke (1.11.65 PB).

Gearey also won bronzes in the 200m freestyle (2.14.56 PB), 200m individual medley (2.32.72 PB), 400m individual medley (5.32.57 PB), 400m freestyle (4.50.06 PB) and 100m freestyle (1.02.19) to claim the top boy award by more than 15 points.

Simon Sweatman won his first Midlands medal, swimming the boys’ 13 years 50m freestyle in a PB of 28.02.

He added a bronze in the 50m butterfly (30.92) and was fourth in the 200m backstroke (2.25.56 PB) and 50m backstroke (32.14).

Sweatman also reached the 100m backstroke final, coming fifth in a PB of 1.07.72, and secured a top-20 finish in the 400m freestyle (4.46.87 PB).

Megan Annis made two girls’ 11 to 12 years finals, producing PBs in the 100m backstroke (1.14.90) and 50m backstroke (34.76) for fifth places.

She also claimed a top-20 finish in the 50m freestyle (31.79).

In the same age group, Alexandra Barry was third fastest for the 50m freestyle final and finished sixth in a PB of 30.60.

She qualified for the 100m backstroke in eighth, going one better in the final to be seventh in 1.15.81.

For the boys, Patrick Heeks smashed his PB in the 200m backstroke and was sixth in the final in 2.37.49.

Another PB in the 200m individual medley secured a top-15 finish and Heeks managed top 20 in the 50m backstroke (36.37).

Chris Vizard’s best display was in the 13 years 50m freestyle as he was eighth with a PB of 29.02.

He also swam the 200m individual medley (2.35.61 PB) and 400m individual medley (5.29.53 PB) while managing a top-10 position in the 50m butterfly (32.08 PB).

Naomi Marsden was top 15 in the 100m backstroke (1.14.27) and narrowly missed out on PBs in the 50m backstroke (35.17) and 200m backstroke (2.43.67).

Pershore head coach Tom Naughton said: “I’m delighted with all of my swimmers and couldn’t have asked for more.

“These championships attract the very best in the region and also the highest age-group rankers in the UK. To come away with so many medals is just an incredible feat for a club of Pershore’s size.

“We’ve certainly put the town on the map and hopefully we’ll see some of our swimmers heading to the new national championships later this year.”

Meanwhile, Pershore High School pupils Helena Leach, Vizard, Sweatman and Josh Sharratt have been invited to an international competition in Eindhoven, Holland, on July 4 and 5.