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SWIMMING

All the up-to-date news from Boston Swimming Club

September 2005

Round-up for September 18

Boston swimmers were quickly back into competitive action following a six-week summer break. After just one week of training, two club teams contested Fenland League points with the A team travelling to March and the B team travelling to Downham Market.

Competition at March was against last year’s champions Peterborough, current leaders Grantham, Huntingdon and Chatteris who were hosting the event. The previous round had seen Boston A knocked off the top of the table as a clash of events cost the club dearly when they finished behind both Peterborough and Cambridge with Grantham heading the table.

Elvijs Roberts and Laura Swain got the evening under way with wins in the opening heats — the 12/u 100m individual medley — to open up an early lead over Peterborough and Grantham who were in joint second place. By event seven Peterborough had pegged back Boston’s lead to just one point but four consecutive heat wins by Amelia Murfin (girls 10 years 50m breaststroke), Ben Warren and Kimberley Van Haren (11/u 50m butterfly) and Robert Price (boys 12/u freestyle) saw Boston increase their lead to five points.

Then Ross West and Laura Swain won the 13/u 50m breaststroke events, Ross in a personal best time, to further increase Boston’s lead to eight points over Peterborough, and 15 points ahead of Grantham. Elvjis Roberts secured his second heat win of the evening in the boys 11/u50m freestyle and Molly Wright won the equivalent girls event before Hollie Featherstone won the girls 13/u 50m butterfly and Henry Careless touched home first in the boys 11/u 50m backstroke. But Peterborough were beginning to eat into Boston’s lead, now only two points adrift with 14 races still remaining. Sam Reed won the boys 12/u 50m breaststroke and Hollie Featherstone chalked up her second win of the evening in the girls 13/u 50m freestyle to keep Boston in front by one point.

Boston’s lack of training was beginning to show as their swimmers were becoming tired and Peterborough won seven out of the last eight heats (interrupted by Boston’s Rebecca Ryan winning the girls 12/u 50m butterfly) to give them victory by 10 points.

In the overall league table Boston are now in third place one point behind Peterborough and Cambridge (who won a gala at Downham). But victory in the final in October will give Boston the league title for the first time.

Final points: Peterborough 166, Boston A 156, Grantham 123, Huntingdon 65, Chatteris 63.

Meanwhile at Downham, Boston’s B team were competing against Cambridge, March, Wisbech and the home team Downham and District knowing that they had to beat the host club and March to qualify for the consolation final.

Wins were hard to come by with a strong Cambridge team winning 30 out of the 39 races. But credit goes to Joseph Howe who won the boys 10/u 50m breaststroke, Zak Lomas who won the equivalent boys 13/u event and Matthew Coleman who won the boys 10/u 50m freestyle all in personal best times.

Although these were the only heat winners several other swimmers also achieved personal best times. These were Jamie Smith, Stephanie Goodale, Harriet Housam, Rory Murphy, Stuart Abbiss, Emma Penniston, Oliver Street and Heather Guy.

Final points: Cambridge 180, Wisbech 134, Boston B 109, Downham 92, March 66. This was enough for Boston B to qualify for the consolation final in October.