Hemel Hempstead swimmers began their Peanuts league campaign in dominant style this weekend with two glorious wins for their teams in Division One and Two.
The ‘Blue’ team competing in the top division gala at Hitchin amassed no less than 35 top three finishes to give them a resounding victory 20 points clear of second place.
Max Jelfs showed the way with two individual wins in the 9 years’ butterfly and backstroke. Kyle Holmes repeated this feat with double victories in the u12 butterfly and breaststroke, as did Hannah Bagley in the same events in the u13 age group.
Other individual wins were posted by Thushira Kumerage in the u11 butterfly, Megan Pirrie in the u11 breaststroke, Ben Garratt in the u11 freestyle, Emily Jelfs in the u12 backstroke, Aimee Abrey in the u12 freestyle and Louis Dunham in the under 13 backstroke.
As ever, Hemel showed their depth in the relay races with the 9-year boys of Max Jelfs, Adam Sawyer, Samuel Hutchings and Peter Dalzell winning both freestyle and medley relays. So too did the u12 teams of Emily Jelfs, Alisha Kan, Becky Farrow, and Aimee Abrey with Jelfs and Abrey teaming up with Paige Wilding and Hannah Bagley to do the double again for the u13s.
Meanwhile, the ‘Red’ team, competing in Division Two at their home pool, claimed top three placings in 32 events. Lauren Windsor won the u12 backstroke, Lucy Hutchins the u12 butterfly, Gabrielle Cole the u13 breaststroke, Molly McLoughlin the u13 freestyle and Joseph Phillips the u13 freestyle.
Once again, the relays were a particular strength with the 9 year-old boys – Jamie Ayres, Sidney Woodcock, Joshua Cartwright and Todd Lane – coming first in both their events. The Reds claimed a decisive win overall.
Added to these top two performances, the White team put in a commendable performance in Division Three at Borehamwood to finish seventh, despite being handicapped by several absences.
All three teams will be looking to repeat, or better, their performances in the next two rounds as Hemel Hempstead SC stakes its claim to boast the best junior swimmers in the County.
For photos of the Blue team visit the photos section of the website or click on the image below
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