Sunday 17th November saw the Hertfordshire Development Meet held at Borehamwood, the meet is designed to give 9, 10 and 11 year old swimmers the chance to qualify for the 2014 Hertfordshire County Swimming Championships.
Hemel Hempstead was well represented with 25 swimmers entered in a range of 50m and 200m swimming events, they brought home a number of medals as well as some of the coveted ‘Passport to Counties 2014’ Certificates.
In total the young swimmers achieved 7 County Qualification Times with 4 Gold, 4 Silver and 5 Bronze medals – If a swimmer achieved a county time then they were deemed to be too fast being awarded a certificate instead. Overall the swimmers produced 47 Personal best or new times.
Mason Mills (9) had a 100% success rate at the gala gaining County Times in the 200m Individual Medley, 200m Breaststroke and 50m Breaststroke. Reuben Balch also 9 gained a County Time in the 200m Freestyle, winning Gold in the tough 200m Butterfly event missing the County Time by an agonising 0.2 seconds.
Isabelle Anderton (11) also had a very successful gala gaining a County Time in the 200m Individual medley and taking Gold in the 200m Backstroke, her younger sister Millie Anderton (9) achieved a County Time in the 200m Breaststroke.
Elinor Ferguson (9) was a first time County Qualifier in the 200m Breaststroke, a tough event to achieve your first qualification time in.
Medal winners included Mattias Morse (10) taking Silver in the 200m Freestyle, Luke Pestaille (10) took Silver in the 200m Butterfly and Bronze in the corresponding 50m event. Miya McFarlane (11) won three medals taking Silver in the 50m Freestyle and 100 Individual Medley along with bronze in the 200m event. Billie Grant (11) also took home 3 medals, she won Gold in the 100m Individual medley, Silver in the 50m Backstroke and Bronze in the 200m Backstroke. Harrison Mills (11) won Gold in the 200m Individual Medley and Silver in the 50m Breaststroke. Jess Walters (10) swimming in her first ever gala won Silver in the 50m freestyle, despite her goggles coming off on the dive she continued to a personal best swim. Clara Stancombe (10) also at her first gala, finished just behind Jessica to take the Bronze Medal. Emily Young (9) took Bronze in the 100m Individual Medley and a Silver in the 50m Backstroke.
Other swimmers who competed and produced Personal best times were Daniel Keates (9), Niall Marsden (10), Millie Herbert (9), Isabelle Warren (9), Maddie Horwood (10), Neil Brevern (10), Seyi Bankole (10), Lois Goad (10), Zara Rafiq-Craske (10), Michael Broner (10), Freddie Hockin (10) and Joseph Coldwell (11).
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