Reading B began their Speedo League campaign in Division 2 at Cranleigh, facing the hosts and Feltham, Romsey and Totton, West Wight and Chichester.
Team spirit was high on departure, with all the youngest
swimmers in this competition for the first time, but the attractions of the
Madejski left the 14/15 boys under-handed, which made for a lot of
"swimming up".
Open age group
This part of the squad looked most likely to score big points, and so it
proved with 67 of the 84 available. Wins went to Russel Korting (100 IM) and
David Thomas, back from the University of East Anglia (100 back) and the girls'
medley team of Rheannon Sandell, Amy Thomas, Leanne Haas and Louisa Herring.
Haas (100 fly) and Herring (both back and free) were also in good individual
form with second places. Kristian Statham was also touched out in the freestyle,
and he joined Thomas, Korting and Adrian Dyer for a medley second.
Third spots went to Statham on fly and both breaststrokers in Haas and Craig Frankum.
All the above competed in the 6 x 50 freestyle "squadron" race which closed the meet, joined by younger teammates in Vanessa Wood, Zoe Knott and Jason Passmore for excellent third spots.
15 & Under
A fighting performance brought a fine medley relay win for Knott, Zoe Clark. Wood and Becki Turner. The girls took second spot in the freestyle relay and Wood also hung on for second in the fly. Thirds went to Knott (backstroke), Clark (breaststroke) and Wood (freestyle).
13 & Under
Jason Passmore was the meet's busiest swimmer, with four events in this group, four "swimming" up in the 14/15s plus a leg in the six-leg closing freestyle relay. He made light of it with an excellent breaststroke PB in 1.24.74 which brought him home a good five seconds ahead of the next swimmer and also took a butterfly third.
The girls' team of Jenny Taylor, Isabelle Keenan, Alice Hopkins and Natalia Ciercierska-Holmes won both relays. The boys' medley quartet - Matthew Alderman, Passmore, George Kristiaan and Joe Statham – placed second, as did backstroker Taylor. Thirds went to Ciercierska-Holmes (fly and free), Keenan (breaststroke) and Kristiaan (back)
11 and Under
No wins here, but several swims auguring well. Both medley teams (Sarah
Manners. Francesca Reynolds, Olivia Paige and Alex Bell, and for the boys
Ruaridh Sheppard, Jodhvir Sidhu, Sam Kemp and Harry Nash) placed second. Vital
points for thirds went to Kemp (fly), Sidhu (free) and the girls' freestyle
team.
A superb night of swimming, a team to be proud of and a big thank you in
particular to the younger boys and girls who swam up in older age groups.
Final scores:
1 Cranleigh 210
2. Reading’B’195
3. Romsey & Totton 183
4. West Wight 182
5. Chichester 175
6. Feltham 76
Reading team:
Alex Bell, Natalia Ciecierska Holmes, Zoe Clark, Leanne Haas, Louisa Herring,
Isabelle Keenan, Zoe Knott, Sarah Manners, Olivia Paige, Francesca Reynolds,
Rheannon Sandell, Jenny Taylor, Amy Thomas, Becki Turner, Vanessa Wood.
Matthew Alderman, Adrian Dyer, Craig Frankum, Sam Kemp, Russel Korting, George Kristiaan, Harry Nash, Jason Passmore, Ruaridh Shepherd, Jodhvir Sidhu, Joe Statham, Kristian Statham, David Thomas.
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Several of Reading's top performers are off to Sheffield to swim for Berks and South Bucks in the top division in Sunday's national inter-county championships. Chris Ferguson will be out to repeat his superb Speedo League form and is joined by Callum Willcox in the boys' team. Zoe Hester and Holly Tanner are in the girls' selection. Tanner is joined in a strong open age group quartet by Wycombe pair Anna Jemielity and Sophie Cordice and Katie Ambridge, late of Wycombe but now with Hatfield in Hertfordshire.
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