South Tyneside SC Spring Graded Meet 2011

South Tyneside SC held their Spring Graded meet on the 9th and the 10th of April at the Hebburn Swimming Pool.   All events are heat declared winner with the exception of the 14/over 50m events which all go to finals.

Hartlepool SC’s Head coach Ian Bullock took eighteen of his young athletes to compete in the annual swimming event.  Over the two day meet the Hartlepool squad picked up 39 medals consisting of 8 Bronze, 19 Silver and 12 Gold’s making 82 new personal best times along the way.  

Starting with the Girls 9yrs age group Katie Laybourn had a top 10 finish in the 50m Breaststroke and made a new Personal Best time (PB). Katie went on to pick up four well-earned Silver medals in the 50m Butterfly, the 50m Backstroke and a new PB, the 200m Freestyle and a new PB and the 200m Individual Medley knocking off an impressive 18 seconds from her old PB. In the Boys 9yrs age group Matthew Scott managed a top 5 position and a new PB in the 50m Backstroke, he picked up a 2nd place Silver medal in the 50m Backstroke event along with a new PB.

In the 10yrs Girls age group Niamh McMorris had a top 15 position in the 100m Freestyle and a top 10 position in the 50m Breaststroke making new Personal Best times in both events.  Euan Devonshire representing the boys 10yrs age group made a top 10 position in the 50m Freestyle, he went on to pick up three medals.  In the 100m Butterfly he finished in 3rd place to pick up a Bronze medal, in the 100m Freestyle he finished in 2nd place to pick up a Silver medal and made a new PB, in the 50m Backstroke Euan hit Gold when he finished 1st in the 50m Backstroke along with a new PB.

In the girls 11yrs age group Emily Rafferty just missed a top 20 finish in the 200m Freestyle, but did make a top 15 finish in her 200m Freestyle event.  Beth Turner made three top 10 finishes, in the 50m Freestyle, the 200m Freestyle, and the 200m Individual medley making new PB’s in all three events.  She made four top 5 finishes, in the 50m Breaststroke, the 400m Freestyle making a new PB, the 100m Breaststroke making a new PB and the 100m Freestyle making a new PB. Beth’s Highlight came when she picked up a Silver Medal and make a new PB in the 200m Breaststroke.  In the Boys 11yrs age group Jake Linighan had two top 20 finishes in the 50m and the 200m Freestyle events making PB’s in both.  Arran Boagey had two top 15 finishes in the 50m Freestyle and the 200m Freestyle making a new PB in the latter event.  He then went on to make two top 10 finishes, in the 50m Backstroke and the 400m Freestyle along with another PB in the Latter.  Timmy Berry managed five top 5 placing’s in the 50m Butterfly, the 100m Backstroke, the 50m Backstroke, the 200m Freestyle  and the 200m Individual Medley creating new PB’s in all five Events.  The Timster went on to pick up four medals which were two Bronze medals  in the 50m and the 100m Breaststroke and two Silver medals in the 100m Freestyle and the 200m making personal best times in all four events.  Callum Brass had a top 10 finish in the 200m Breaststroke, before going on to make two top 5 finishes in the 50m and the 100m Breaststroke events making a new PB in the Breaststroke

 Event.  He went on to pick up seven medals. Two Bronze medals where achieved in the 50m Butterfly and the 100m Freestyle along with two new PB’s. His 5 Silver Medals were made in the 200m Freestyle and the 200m Butterfly, the 50m and the 100m Backstroke making a new PB in both and the 200m Individual Medley also making a new PB.

In the Girls 12yrs age group Nicholl Fitzgerald had three top 15 finishes in the 100m Freestyle, the 50m Backstroke and the 50m Freestyle making new PB’s in all three events.  She went on to make it into the top ten placing’s for the 100m Breaststroke, the 200m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, and the 400m Freestyle again making PB’s in all of the events.  A top 5 position was achieved in the 50m Breaststroke along with a new PB. Nicholl’s highlight of the weekend came in the 200m Breaststroke when she picked up a 2nd placed Silver Medal along with a new PB.

In the Girls 13yrs age group Abbie Devonshire had a top 10 position in the 50m Freestyle. She had two top 5 finishes in the 100m and the 200m Freestyle missing Bronze Medal positions by less than half a second however she did make new PB’s in both events.  Abbie came 2nd in the Heat and 4th in the final of both the 50m Butterfly and the 50m Backstroke making new PB’s in each event.  Her high spot came when she picked up a Bronze Medal in the 200m Individual Medley along with a new PB going on to pick up a Silver Medal in the 100m Backstroke. In the Boys 13yrs age group, Sam McMorris finished in the top 10 in the 50m and the 400m Freestyle events making new PB’s in both races knocking off a huge 25 seconds in the 400m distance.  He came 6th in the 50m Backstroke heat making a new PB then went on to finish 5th in the final beating his previously set PB.  A top 5 finish was made in the 200m Freestyle along with a new PB.  Sam finished his weekend by picking up a Bronze Medal in the 100m Freestyle event and a Silver Medal in the 200m Backstroke event making new PB’s in each. Hartlepool’s other 13yr old Boy Callan Torka started his competition with a top 10 finish in the 50m Backstroke going on to make a top 5 finish in the 100m Freestyle along with a new PB in the latter event. In the heat of the 50m Freestyle event Callan came in 2nd place making a new PB, he also finished in 2nd place in the final picking up a well-deserved Silver Medal beating the PB he set in the Heat.  He picked up Silver Medals in both the 200m Individual Medley and the 200m Butterfly making a new PB in the Fly. Callan’s best results came in the 200m Freestyle, the 50m Butterfly and the 100m Butterfly events when he powered his way into 1st place in all three events picking up three Gold Medals and making three new PB’s.

Laura Maddison representing the Girls 14yrs age group made a top 15 finish and a new PB in the 100m Backstroke event.  She went on to make six top 10 positions in the 200m Individual Medley, the 50m and the 100m Backstroke making PB’s in both events,  the 50m, 100m and the 200m Freestyle events making new PB’s in all three events, and finally in the 50m Butterfly also making a new PB.  Oliver Stoker representing the Boys 14yr age finished in a top 20 position in the 50m Freestyle making a new PB.  He made a top 15 position in the 200m Individual Medley also making a new PB.  A top 10 position and a new PB was achieved in the 100m Freestyle event and a top 5 and a new PB was made in the 200m Freestyle event.

In the Girls 15yrs age group Heather Richardson had been entered into six events over the two day event.  She made the finals in both the 50m Butterfly and the 50m Breaststroke where she finished in 1st place to pick up two well-earned Gold Medals and just as importantly two new PB’s.  Her other four races where heat declared winners and she was declared the winner in all four events. Heather picked up four gold medals, in the 100m and the 200m Breaststroke, and the 100m and 200m Butterfly making a new PB in the latter event.

Hartlepool SC’s 16yr old Boys representative was Joseph Laybourn.  His first event was the 100m Butterfly where he touched the wall in 3rd place picking up a Bronze Medal.  He made the finals in the 50m Butterfly event where he glided his way to 1st place picking up a Gold Medal chipping 3 seconds of his old PB.  Five seconds was removed from Josephs 200m Individual Medley and his 400m Freestyle Personal Best times picking up the Gold Medals in both events.       

Press release HASC 36 – 27th April 2011
Issued by Marley Jackson, 01642 735303 or 07817263803