SWIMMING - brave display

IT was always going to be a David and Goliath contest. A skeleton Hailsham squad, depleted by holidays and injury, faced the might of both Hastings A and B teams in a friendly relay gala at the hosts Summerfield pool.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Jul 2001, 18:17 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 22:41 BST

Nevertheless, the Canaries showed they were unfazed by the strength of the opposition, posting a fine win in the first race - the girls 11 and under freestyle.

Lorna Eggleston, Ellie Shaikh, Lauren Howell and Iona Maxwell delivered the goods, and later followed up by leading home in breaststroke and medley.

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Next to taste triumph were the 13/U boys. Philip Smith, Nathan Roe, Tom Planterose and Jack Waller united their talents to come first in breaststroke.

They swam as a perfect team, going on to become the only visiting quartet to win all their four events with further excellent victories in medley, fly and freestyle.

Magic moments for Hailsham were relatively few and far between, the usual pattern being a win for Hastings A, runners-up position for the Canaries and Hastings B trailing in third place. Todd Leckie, Stuart Kemp, Adam Stoakley and under-age Jack Waller upset this regrettable routine, taking a spirited 15/U butterfly win.

The mid-meet scoreline confirmed the Hastings A lead, but Hailsham were tantalisingly close under the circumstances and they pulled out all the stops in the second half of the evening.

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The senior girls gave hope to Hailsham hearts. Jo Griggs, Sarah Wibley, Kelly Purdie and Lindsey Waller gained a fingertip verdict in butterfly, and further wins in medley and freestyle, boosting the Canaries points tally.

With Hailsham seriously under-staffed, there were heroic performances from several swimmers who competed in races above their category. Notably, 13-year-olds Stuart Kemp and Adam Stoakley with Todd Leckie (14), who did themselves credit with deft displays in the open events, while Jack Waller, Nathan Roe (both 11) and Philip Smith (10) took part in 15/U relays.

Making her debut in away competition was Danielle Landauer, who swam excellent freestyle, breaststroke and fly races in the 13/U age-group.

The final scores confirmed the Hastings A-team s overall win with 246 points, with Hailsham slightly adrift on 225 and the hosts B-squad finishing on 166.

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The Canaries close runner-up spot was scant consolation after a tremendous team effort, but the odds were always stacked against them and they could take satisfaction from a gutsy all-round performance.

Published: 31.5.01 Sussex Newspapers Ltd

Related topics:Hailsham