Best Performances by Kelly Swimmers at the National Championships

Sixteen swimmers from Kelly College competed at the National Swimming Championships last week at the Ponds Forge Pool in Sheffield. The 10 day programme was split into two sections with the first four days allocated for the younger age groups of 11-13 years for Girls and 11-14 years for Boys. For Kelly’s 13 year old James Macfarland & Laura Sprague and 11 year old Kathryn Stacey this was their first National Championships. In the 100m Freestyle both 13 year old swimmers produced new personal best times. James knocked 3 seconds off his entry time with a 58.34 and Laura knocked 1.5 seconds off her entry time to win her heat in 62.14. Kathryn produced personal bests in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle.  Other best times were produced by 14 year old Ben Clarke in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle. Megan Mackenzie not feeling 100% at these championships produced a near best time in the 800m freestyle as did Lawrence Oxborough in the 200 Freestyle who had to wait till the last day for his race.

The following six days of the competition were allocated to Commonwealth Games Trials, which for the first time ever, were also incorporating the National Youth Championships. Kelly’s 17 year old Luke Wakefield won the opening heat of the 200m Freestyle. Luke stormed through the first 100m in a split time of 55.88 which was also his best 100m time, considering the blistering pace Luke set himself he just about managed to hold onto his form to finish 1^st in  1.57.83 which was 3 seconds faster than his previous best time. 15 year old Matthew Henry also produced a best time two heats later with a 2.03.83. Tom Howe who is also 15 started the race very positively but faded slightly on the 2^nd 100m. Tom has just returned to full training from glandular fever showed great determination in the race and managed to post a seasons best time of 2.04.63. In the women’s 200m Fly Tom’s 14 year old sister Sophie swam almost perfectly to plan hitting her targets and recorded a 2.27.2 yet another best time from the Kelly Swimmers. 17 year old Jack Cockerton also produced a season’s best time in the 200m Breaststroke. Sophie Calpin and Holly Yeo were both close to their best times in the 100m an 200m Breaststroke with a 1.17.32 and a 1.17.83 respectively for the 100m and a 2.45.and a 2.48 for the 200m.

Competing for a place on the English Commonwealth Games Disability team were Kelly’s 15 year old David Hill and 17 year old Claire Cashmore. David who holds the world short course record for the 50m Backstroke and Claire who returned home from Athens last year with two Paralympic Bronze medals had a crack at the very steep qualifying times in their none specialist events for the Melbourne Games next March. David produced his best times in his 50m and 100m Freestyle knocking 1.5 seconds and 3 seconds off his both his events. Claire was the Star of the Nationals breaking her own British Record in a time of 30.84 just missing the Commonwealth Games qualifying time by a mere 0.2 of a second. Claire’s event was shown live on BBC Grandstand last weekend where she received tremendous coverage. Claire and David will get another chance to hit the qualifying times in December.

The Kelly Team produced some very encouraging results towards the later stages of the competition. Matthew Henry was back in action again this time in the 200m Backstroke where he reached the final in a new personal best. Matthew, one of the youngest qualifiers finished in 8^th place improving on his heat time. Matthew’s overall time of 2.11.18 was a 4 second improvement on his previous best. Kelly’s Team Captain, Luke Wakefield, swam his best ever Nationals, his performances got better and better. Luke’s time in the 100m Freestyle of 53.95 was the first time he had broken the 55 second barrier along with another barrier breaking swim in the 50m Freestyle were he recorded a 24.95. 

The final day of the national championships showed Kelly’s potential to win a national relay title in the 4x100m Medley Team. Matthew Henry, Jack Cockerton, Luke Wakefield and Tom Howe all produced best times to take over 7 seconds off their entry time of 4.12.5 lowering it to a 4.05.18 beating big guns such as the City of Leeds and Hatfield. With two of the swimmers still having 3 more years in the Youth age group this was a terrific performance. Other best performances during the week were recorded by Jonathan Wills in 50m Freestyle in a time of 25.20.