17 Oct 2022

Oliver Clarke was crowned ‘top boy’ in the 9/10yrs age group as Deepings Swimming Club came away from the March Marlins Autumn Challenge with a sackful of medals, personal bests and county qualifying times.

 

In total, the team won 30 medals, with nine gold, 12 silver and nine bronze, at the one-day competition held at the Manor Leisure Centre in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire.

 

Nine-year-old Oliver medalled in all eight of his events. He took gold in the 200m individual medley, 50m and 100m breaststroke, 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle, and added silver in the 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.

 

Oliver’s day was capped by achieving the county qualifying time in the 50m backstroke, with a two-second personal best, 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200IM and the 50m and 100m breaststroke, with a seven-second PB.

 

Also achieving gold and a county time was Jacob Briers who touched home first in the 50m breaststroke in the 13/14yrs age group and collected bronze and a county time in the 200m freestyle with a seven-second PB.

 

Jacob also clinched silver in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 100m butterfly.

 

Eight girls ended the day proudly sporting medals.

 

Mieke McDonald dominated the 11/12yrs butterfly by winning gold in both the 50m and 100m races by considerable margins. Mieke also took a brace of silvers in the 200m freestyle and 200IM, as well as achieving two county qualifying times in the 50m butterfly and 200m freestyle.

 

The 11/12yrs age group provided rich returns with three more girls collecting medals.

 

Charlotte Jenkinson took a hat-trick of silvers in the 50m and 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, plus bronze in the 50m freestyle, Isabella Reynolds won bronze in the 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle, and Chloe Bellis took bronze in the 100m butterfly.

Chloe also achieved county qualifying times in the 50m and 100m butterfly.

 

Isobel Vause collected Deepings’ final gold of the day with victory in the 13/14yrs 200m freestyle in a new PB of 2:37.70, four seconds under her previous best. Isobel claimed silver in the 50m butterfly, swimming the county qualifying time, and 200IM, plus bronze in the 100m breaststroke, showing versatility across a range of strokes.

 

Three of the youngest swimmers also reached the podium. Competing in the girls 9/10yrs category, Olivia King won silver in the 50m breaststroke and also achieved her first county qualifying time, Annabel Shepherd took bronze in the 100m butterfly and Lucy Jenkinson took bronze in the 50m backstroke while also getting her first county times in that event and the 50m freestyle.

 

Meanwhile, Annabel’s older brother, Oliver Shepherd, also achieved a county time in the 50m butterfly.

 

Deepings head coach Sam Peeroo was delighted with the team’s performances, which included two debutants in Matilda Knowles and Emily Payton.

 

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” she said. “There were lots of smiles and the atmosphere was great among the team with a number of medals being proudly worn. The medals won by some of our younger swimmers shows a growing strength in depth at the club which we can build on for the rest of the season.

 

“We’re always looking for more swimmers to join our team so anyone that is interested should get in touch with the club to arrange a free trial.”

 

Medallists in full

• Lucy Jenkinson (9/10yrs): bronze - 50m backstroke
• Annabel Shepherd (9/10yrs): bronze - 100m butterfly
• Olivia King (9/10yrs): silver - 50m breaststroke
• Chloe Bellis (11/12yrs): bronze - 100m butterfly
• Isabella Reynolds (11/12yrs): bronze - 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke
• Mieke McDonald (11/12yrs): gold - 50m and 100m butterfly; silver - 200m freestyle, 200IM
• Charlotte Jenkinson (11/12yrs): silver - 50m and 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle; bronze - 50m freestyle
• Isobel Vause (13/14yrs): gold - 200m freestyle; silver - 200IM, 50m butterfly; bronze - 100m breaststroke
• Oliver Clarke (9/10yrs): gold - 200IM, 50m and 100m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, 50m freestyle; silver - 100m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle
• Jacob Briers (13/14yrs): gold - 50m breaststroke; silver - 100m breaststroke; bronze - 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly

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