Swimming
A year to savour for swimmers

Buy photos » The Pershore Swimming Club youngsters have been in tremendous form in 2012. (s)

THE LAST 12 months have brought more success for Pershore Swimming Club members.

Perhaps one of their greatest achievements as a team was gaining promotion to the Premier Division of the Nuneaton Junior League after only entering the league in Division Three in 2009.

They also finished well in another league finals in the PGL B Grade League and only recently finished sixth out of 19 in their first year entry into the National Arena League in Division Three Midlands South.

Never before have so many of the club’s swimmers competed in so many Open Meets and in 2012 they won well over 100 medals, together with tens of trophies between them and the club figuring high up in the inter-club positions in all of them.

Four members - Harry Sykes, Tazmin Pugh, Simon Sweatman and Helen Annis - have represented the two counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in three Inter-County matches and were indeed an integral part in helping the county achieve their best finishing place for years and actually winning promotion to the Premier League in the National County team gala in Sheffield.

Individually mention has to made of Harry Sykes (14), Tazmin Pugh (12), Simon Sweatman (10), Christopher Vizard (10), William Gearey (9), Naomi Marsden (10), Isabella Woodcock (10), Megan Annis (9) and Charlotte Downey (9).

Between them all they are sitting in the first three places in the county end of year rankings in over 61 events and actually in first place in 32 of those.

With all this success it is no surprise an unprecedented nearly 30 of the club’s members have achieved County Qualifying Times for the championships coming up in March. This is nearly half their membership of those eligible to enter the County Championships.

All this has been achieved with the smallest amount of training time allowed to them from any club in the county and shows the determination and hard work achieved in training with their two highly qualified coaches and plenty of poolside help, coming from not only their older successful swimmers but also motivated parents wishing to help.

Although the numbers are near maximum, space may always be found available for promising youngsters, especially in the 11 and 13-year age group who can impress the coaches in the initial trials.

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