All posts by AMG

8th In NASL London League Division 1

After a close battle in the promotion play-off final round, we have finished in 8th place in London Division 1 of the 2018 National Arena Swim League, two places higher than in 2017.

With 186 points in the final gala round we finished 7th, just 9 points behind 6th placed Barking & Dagenham but 18 points ahead of Potters Bar. Reflecting the closely fought contest we ended the 2018 competition with the same number of league points, 32, as Potter Bar. However, over the three rounds they  scored 647 points, just 14 more points  than us, for them to finish 7th overall.

The NASL team competition provided the arena for Celyn Walmsley to claim her third Beds County Senior record of the year, following the Club’s appointment of Rikki Morris as our Head Coach. It was also an opportunity for our youngsters to experience the special excitement and adrenalin that comes with relay races. All good practice for the Beds County Championships that take place early in 2019.

 

Welsh National Medals, Beds County Masters Record & Decathlon Points

Congratulations to Alex Mason and Jj Wilde, both winning three medals in their respective age groups at the Swim Wales Short Course Championships.

At the Masters event held in Newport, Alex, aged 22, won all three of his events in the 18 – 24 years’ age group,  the 50m & 100 Breaststroke plus the 200m Backstroke.

In the Boys 13 – 14 years Short Course championships held in Swansea, Jj Wilde swam four huge personal best times, bringing home three Bronze medals.

Away from the national stage, Sam Bradley has collected his first Beds County Masters record. whilst Tom Lambert won all six of his 18 – 24 years’ events at the Etwall Masters meet in Derbyshire, earning valuable points for the Masters & Seniors Team Decathlon competition.

 

We Are In The London Div 1 National Arena Swim League Final

We have qualified for the London Division 1 play-off final round of the National Arena Swim League in December!

After finishing in 4th= spot with Greenwich Royals on 228 points in Round 1 we amassed enough points overall in the Round 2 gala, despite then only finishing 5th, to qualify. In their Round 2 Gala, Greenwich also finished 5th but they fell 4 points short of our cumulative  total of 447 points.

The team competition involves individual and relay races for 9-11 years, 13’s & under, 15’s & under and Open events. Points are awarded from 8 through to 1 depending on the placings in each race. The margin by which we qualified for the final play-offs underlined how every swim counts, even an 8th place finish. Congratulations therefore to every team member who took part over both rounds, including Head Coach Rikki Morris. He was called upon to swim the Men’s Open 100m Backstroke in Round 2 and managed 5th place with a creditable time of 1:01.97 .

We now go into the final against teams from Watford, Anaconda, Hackney Aquatics, Dunmow Atlantis, Barking & Dagenham, Aylesbury and Potters Bar.

The final round takes place on 8th December.

Wherever we finish in the final we are assured of once again finishing in the top half of Division 1. Well done all.

 

 

Eleven English National Masters & Seniors’ Medals

Fantastic results from the 2018 Swim England National Masters & Seniors Championships. We won a total of three Gold, three Silver and four Bronze individual medals, a Relay Silver and set three new Beds County Masters records.

With ages ranging from 22 to 63 years, all ten squad members who competed swam either a lifetime and /or season best times.

Colin Mayes, Dave Wright, Malcolm Barton & Graham Powell

Club Coaches Alex Mason and Dave Wright together with Graham Powell each won an individual title. Read here for a full report.

Six Finalists At British & National Summer Championships

The 2017/18 competitive swimming season has ended with a flurry of outstanding swims over a two-week period across the length and breadth of the British Isles. One English Champion, four National medals, two Beds County records and numerous personal best times were the icing on the cake for a year which has seen well over 100 of the Club’s own records broken. Read here for a detailed report.

Chantal Smith: English National Champion

Open Water Successes Across The Ages

Congratulations to Abbie Barnwell qualifying for the National Open Water championships  on 30th July, following her swim at the East Region event.

From ages ranging from 11 up to 57 years, our swimmers won 1 Silver and 2 Bronze East Region medals and 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Beds County medals. Read here for more details.