Hemel Hempstead SC’s two teams competed in the Herts Major League this weekend, both having made it into the top half finals in their respective divisions – the Blue team in Division One, the Whites in Division Two.
For the Blue team there were three third place finishes awarded to Hannah Bagley in the u12 breaststroke, Victoria Fisher in the u14 backstroke and Jamie Keevill, who scored a PB in his u16 100m breaststroke swim and then went on to PB once more in the 50m freestyle relay
In all, the team pulled out a total of 24 PBs. Suzanne Pitts, 13, beat two personal records in the 100m breaststroke and the 100m backstroke.
Tom Sherriff, 13, went under the 29 second mark for the first time in his 50m freestyle relay and scored a further best in the individual 100m freestyle.
Lois Moore broke personal records in both her u14 50m freestyle relay and the individual 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle. Freddie Woodcock joined her in breaking his u14 100m fly record, also PB’ing in the 50m freestyle.
Adam Daniell scored a PB in his freestyle relay, as well as the backstroke leg of the medley relay.
Samantha Gower, Freya Mayhew, Will Stokes, Louis Dunham, Katie McLaren, Victoria Fisher, Matthew Sherriff and Harrison Robb were other PB scorers. Louise Cox and Carly Dollman, travelling back from university to represent their club, also put in best times in the Open medley relay.
The team gave special thanks at the end of the evening to Open competitor Paul Cox, who will shortly be going to Australia. Cox has been a member of the club since he was a young boy and has always been a great asset and, in recent times, an inspiration for the younger swimmers. Everyone at HHSC wishes him well.
For the White team, Tim Warr earned a round of applause from his fellow swimmers for his blistering U14 100m freestyle race, in which he battled all the way to touch first in a nail-biting finish.
There were plenty of other swims to celebrate. Kelsey Doyle came second in the u14 100m breaststroke securing her first Regional qualifying time.
Second spot also went to Curtis Barnett with a PB in the u14 50m butterfly, having already scored a PB in the 100m butterfly, swimming up an age group in the u16’s, where he finished a highly commendable third.
Emma Gower secured second place in her u16 100 backstroke in typically smooth style.
Aimee Abrey and Joshua Coulson made third in their u12 freestyle races, with Ben Page and Sam Pigott finishing third in the u14 and u16 100m backstroke respectively. Sam Pigott also swam up in the Open 100m backstroke to gain a new personal record.
Gabrielle Cole and Kyle Holmes each took third place in the u12 breaststroke.
The team scored a very creditable 30 new personal bests throughout the evening, Gabrielle Cole and Kelsey Doyle topping the chart with three apiece.
Overall, at the close of the league, the Blue team finished in sixth place in Division One, with the White team coming fifth in Division Two. Hemel Hempstead SC is the only club in the County to have achieved two top six finishes in the top two divisions this year, a rare achievement to build on during the rest of the swimming season.
For action pictures of the White team, go to the photo section of the website