Excellent swims see Matlock win Mary Davies Trophy Gala

Matlock and District Swimming Club produced some excellent displays to win the Mary Davies Trophy Gala at Mansfield Water Meadows last weekend.
Representatives from the Matlock & District gala squad (l-r) Chloe Williams, Abbie Fowkes, Matthew Williams, Angel Bowering and Lizzie Webster.Representatives from the Matlock & District gala squad (l-r) Chloe Williams, Abbie Fowkes, Matthew Williams, Angel Bowering and Lizzie Webster.
Representatives from the Matlock & District gala squad (l-r) Chloe Williams, Abbie Fowkes, Matthew Williams, Angel Bowering and Lizzie Webster.

In what was a tough field with teams from Mansfield, Swadlincote, Sutton-In-Ashfield and Daventry in attendance, the team got off to a fine start with Ezara Nettleship winning the opening race in the ten years and under girls 50m backstroke.

That was quickly followed by further first places for Helen Thornhill (open girls 100m back), Will Ripley (open boys 100m back), Elle Goodall (12/u girls 50m breast) and Lizzie Webster (10/u girls 50m free).

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Many personal best times were achieved during the first half of the gala including Katie Barnett (14/u girls 100m breaststroke), Harry Morley (14/u boys 100m breaststroke), Tarn Buxton (open girls 100m breaststroke), Chloe Williams (12/u girls 50m butterfly) and Elliott Poplar (10u boys 50m freestyle).

The younger relay teams also performed strongly with Ella McCarthy, Lizzie Webster, Ezara Nettleship and Abbie Fowkes for the girls and Elliott Poplar, Charlie Kennedy, Angel Bowering and Matthew Williams for the boys picking up further valuable points.

At the half way point the points tally was very close between all five teams with Matlock lying in second place.

PBs and second places followed for Diane Lee and Schawn Monteiro in the open girls and boys 100m individual medley respectively.

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The 12/u and 14/u girls and boys freestyle relay teams kept the pressure on their rivals with fine swims by Elsbeth Grant, Hannah Fowkes, Matthew Barrett and Tom Burch and Charlotte Guest, John Webster, Harry Morley and Sam Watts achieving second and third places.

Angel Bowering took first place in the 10/u 50m butterfly and further PBs followed for Abbie Fowkes (10/u girls 50m butterfly swimming over-standard in the process), Rebecca Ripley (12/u girls 50m back) and John Webster (14/u boys 100m back)

The last individual race of the day, the 12/u boys 50m freestyle, was won by Will Needham who also achieved a PB.

Finally the girls and boys competed in an 8x1 length canon relay with everything to play for.

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The girls were up first and Lizzie Webster, Elsbeth Grant, Charlotte Guest, Hannah Curran, Abbie Fowkes, Rebecca Ripley, Helen Thornhill and Diane Lee won by a considerable margin.

The boys followed with Charlie Kennedy, Angel Bowering, Will Needham, Sam Watts, John Webster, Harry Foster, Karl Webster and Will Ripley coming in third.

The final points position was a tie for first place between Matlock and Mansfield and a count back was required. Both teams had achieved eight first places but Matlock had 12 second places to Mansfield’s ten, so the honours and a sizeable trophy and shield went home to Matlock.

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