Reading Open "B" Grade Meet

15 October 2005

One of things that make swimming such a great sport for participants of all abilities is the system of graded meets. You don't have to be a national-level competitor training twice a day, or aspire to, to be able to compete just as hard at these events.

The format not only excludes entrants whose PBs are too fast beforehand, but also awards "speeding tickets" rather than medals to those exceeding certain limits within the meet.

The Evening Post-sponsored Reading Swimming Club hosts two such meets each season and honours were shared at the first of these at Central Pool on Saturday among the home swimmers and visitors from as far afield as Milton Keynes and Bristol's Soundwell SC.

The boys got the toughest event out of the way first as the meet kicked off with the 200 IM.

Both James Bradley and David Mills were in speeding ticket territory in the 11 years group, meaning Matthew Alderman collected the gold in 3.31.63. Conor Sandell was top 12-year-old by a clear six seconds in 3.00.35, with the bronze going to Jason Passmore.

The host club also placed first and third in the top age group, 15 and over, via Daniel Jackson (2.38.02) and Matthew Zadrozny.

Fields were much bigger in the girls' programme, with the first home swimmers to make an impression Annette Hopson with a speeding ticket in the 11 years 100m breaststroke and Isabelle Keenan with bronze in the same year. Alice Hopkins in fourth and Joanna Wakefield in fifth were well in touch.

Rachael Mills was ticketed in the 12 years group and within the results proper Zoe Clark missed a medal by just one-fifth of a second.

Reading dominated the medals in the older years as Rebecca Lowe (1.29.68) was top 13-year-old with Hailey O'Brien third. Rheannon Sandell (1.29.80) and Hannah Field topped the 14's group and Amy Thomas (1.29.16) led a clean sweep of the 15-and- over category, closely followed by Lisa O'Brien, Louise Tayler-Grint and Emma Boyd.

The boys' 50 free pitched two members of Reading's Speedo League A team into the same heat, and 10-year-old Barnaby Kempster just had the edge on 11-year-old James Bradley in 35.20. Kempster's swim was much too fast for a medal, and with David Mills also ticketed, Bradley won their year with Alderman third.

One year up, Jason Passmore was Reading's pick but beaten to the medals by swimmers from Chesham and Milton Keynes, while George Kristiaan placed sixth.

Reading again won the top two age groups. Drew Samimi-Mawby's 14s' winning time of 29.31 set a new meet record. Darren Noakes topped the senior age group in 29.33.

Reading's second clean sweep came in the girls' 100 back, where Keenan (1.35.79), Hopkins and Ellie Wood cleared their year. Georgie Wilkins won the youngest age group, Eleanor Cawthorne won the 13s bronze in a field of 13 and Grace Waldron broke the 14s' record, set in 1998 by Anna Irwin, in 1.16.21. Reading again took all the medals in that year as Vanessa Wood placed second and Sandell third, while Tayler-Grint beat Lisa O'Brien to the 15 and over gold in 1.21.75.

Fields in the boys 100 fly were small. James Bradley and Conor Sandell both won their years, with a silver to Burgoyne and a bronze to Mills.

The girls closed the afternoon session with the day's biggest fields in the 100 free. Hopson and Rachael Mills collected their second tickets of the day. Hopkins (1.25.68) headed Ellie Wood in their year, Cawthorne took a bronze and Vanessa Wood a silver.

Reading again topped the senior group as Lisa O'Brien won in 1.10.99 with Alice Tourell less than a second behind for the silver.

With the programme reversed, the girls began with the 200 IM and Georgie Wilkins was well into speeding ticket territory. Cawthorne took another silver and 13-year-old Zoe Knott a bronze, while Vanessa Wood went under three minutes to win the 14s group in 2.54.36 from team-mate Hannah Field. Tayler-Grint was again a winner in her year in 2.58.55.

The boys' 100 breast produced some of the closest results. David Mills won his year

and Kempster was within half a second of gold in his behind Adam Van Lokven of Milton Keynes. Conor Sandell's silver was even closer to Chesham's Alastair Dawson, with Jason Passmore hot on their heels for the bronze. Chris Dunkley just edged Samimi-Mawby to the 14s silver and Noakes took a comfortable silver in the top group.

Waldron was again the star in her year in the 50 free, with her second meet record in 31.49. Field's second-placed swim was very close to the previous record.

Less than 0.4 covered the medallists in the top age group, with Tourell recording 32.57 and Tayler-Grint and Lisa O'Brien both on 32.91.

Among the younger swimmers, Cawthorne won the 12s group in 34.54, with Emily Taylor second. Ellie Wood and Wilkins also placed second, and Keenan third.

Just two out of seven swims counted in the youngest age group in the boys' 100 back, with two disqualifications and three speeding tickets - one of these to Kempster.

Bradley and Mills took silver and bronze in their year behind a record-setting swim, and Conor Sandell took the 12s' gold in 1.24.84 with James Tichband second. Dunkley (1.14.59) was top 14-year-old and Samimi-Mawby third.

The 100 fly ended the girls' programme and Reading won four of the six age groups through Wilkins, Ellie Wood, Rheannon Sandell and Lisa O'Brien, as well as four silvers (Hopkins, Cawthorne, Field and Tayler-Grint) and one bronze (Knott).

The day's tightest winning margin came in the boys' 100 free in 11 years group, where Bradley had a margin of just 0.03 over Benjamin Flaherty of Milton Keynes, with both inside the previous meet record. Alderman missed a medal by one place but was given the same time as the bronze winner.

Tichband had a clear margin in the 12 years group, winning in 1.14.06. Samimi-Mawby ended a good day's work with another silver and Daniel Jackson was also second, while Kempster was again "too fast" and took home another speeding ticket.

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