05 Dec 2022

Deepings Swimming Club grabbed its final opportunity to achieve County Qualifying Times (CQTs) for the 2023 Lincolnshire championships with a string of blistering swims at December's competition.

The team of 19 combined for 29 CQTs, while amassing 40 medals and 93 personal bests at the Bassetlaw open meet in Worksop, South Yorkshire.

Girls team captain Penelope Baxter brought home six medals from her seven races in the 16yrs age group, while swimming two CQTs. She took a hat-trick of victories in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and the 400IM, and added silver in the 100m butterfly, 200m and 400m freestyle. Both 400m events were swum in county times.

Boys captain Jacob Briers also came away with six medals, including double gold in the 14yrs 100m and 200m breaststroke. He claimed a brace of silvers in the 50m breaststroke and 400m freestyle plus bronze in the 100m butterfly and 200IM. All were county qualifying times.

Vice-captain Lewis Tarver added further success in the 14yrs breaststroke with bronze in both the 100m and 200m events.

In the 12yrs age group, James Cash won gold in the 200m butterfly while dipping under three minutes for the first time to clinch the CQT in 2:59.87. He won silver in the 200m backstroke and, while outside the medals, swam two more county times in the 400IM and 50m freestyle.

Golden performances came from 10-year-olds Lottie Ava Flatters and Lucy Jenkinson. Lottie touched home first in the 200m butterfly and achieved the CQT in her first time swimming the event. She also took bronze in the 100m butterfly with another county time.

Lucy won the 200m breaststroke and claimed four bronze medals in the 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke (both CQTs), 100m freestyle and 200m backstroke. Older sister Charlotte was kept just off the podium but smashed her PB and swam the county time in the 50m freestyle.

Eloise Walker enjoyed a tremendous weekend, medalling in all five of her events and swimming two county times. She took silver in the 16yrs 200IM, with a nine second PB, and bronze in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle (both CQTs), 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke.

Ten-year-old Kai Watson won three silver medals and qualified for his first ever county championships in the 50m and 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle. His fourth silver came in the 100m freestyle.

Adding more medals to the pot, Noah Skinner finished second in the 11yrs 50m breaststroke and came third in the 200IM and 100m breaststroke (the latter with his first ever CQT), while Olivia King swam her first ever county time in the 10yrs 50m butterfly and followed that with her second CQT to win silver in the 100m breaststroke.

Rounding off the medals were William Burdock with silver in the 13yrs 50m backstroke and bronze in the 200m backstroke, Isobel Vause with bronze in the 14yrs 100m butterfly and Emma Affleck with bronze in the 11yrs 200m breaststroke.

Sam Peeroo, Deepings Swimming Club head coach, said: “This was the final chance for swimmers to qualify for next year’s county championships and they did a brilliant job with several achieving their first ever times. We’re still in hard training so it was impressive to see so many swim new personal bests and win so many medals.”

Deepings is searching for lifeguards to support its training programme at Stamford Endowed Schools swimming pools. Interested applicants should email the club at [email protected]

Medallists in full

• Penelope Baxter (16yrs): gold – 400IM, 100m and 200m breaststroke; silver – 400m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly
• Eloise Walker (16yrs): silver – 200IM; bronze - 50m butterfly, 50m and 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke
• Isobel Vause (14yrs): bronze – 100m butterfly
• Emma Affleck (11yrs): bronze – 200m breaststroke
• Lottie Ava Flatters (10yrs): gold 200m butterfly; bronze 100m butterfly
• Lucy Jenkinson (10yrs): gold – 200m breaststroke; bronze 50m butterfly, 100, backstroke, 100m freestyle and 200m backstroke
• Olivia King (10yrs): silver 100m breaststroke
• Jacob Briers (14yrs): gold – 100m and 200m breaststroke; silver – 50m breaststroke and 400m freestyle; bronze – 100m butterfly and 200IM
• Lewis Tarver (14yrs): bronze – 100m and 200m breaststroke
• William Burdock (13yrs): silver 50m backstroke; bronze – 200m backstroke
• James Cash (12yrs): gold – 200m butterfly; silver – 200m backstroke
• Noah Skinner (11yrs): silver – 50m breaststroke; bronze - 100m breaststroke and 200IM
• Kai Watson (10yrs): silver – 50m and 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle

Also competing: Eleanor Twinley, Kieron Toms, Isaac Badger-Donaldson, Jack Cradock, Orla Bailey.

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