Crawley Town Life Saving Club came back with a bang after two-year break

The Championships are run over two days; Saturday is the Youth competition featuring a six individual and three team events and Sunday is the Open and Masters competition featuring a further six individual, one paired and four team events.

As such, it tests competitors and officials to their limit. For example, Jack Sadberry was in the water warming up at 7.00 am on Saturday morning to swim all six individuals races plus three relays finishing at 8.00 pm that evening only to return for 7.30am for Sunday morning’s warm-up to support the Club’s Open team by racing a further five individual, one paired and four team events to help Crawley to victory.

Crawley Town’s total medal haul was 31 Golds, 35 Silvers and 17 Bronzes with 45/49 Masters competitor, Marsha Bayliss-Culter, being Crawley Town’s top medal winner with four individual titles: 100m Obstacles, 50m Manikin Carry, !00m Carry and 100m Tow with Fins, one Gold medal ahead of 55/59 Masters teammate Donna Wickens, whose three individual Golds (100m Obstacles, 50 Manikin Carry and 100m Rescue Medley) gained her a third European and British record.

In the Open, it was once again Sam Lawman with a Gold in the 100m Manikin Tow with Fins and three Silvers in the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins, 100m Rescue Medley, and as subject to Alex Jackson in the 12.5m Line Throw.

For the Youth, Jack Sadberry took Gold in the 100m Manikin Carry with Fins, in a British record time, plus a Silver on the Saturday and then unbelievably returned to the pool for Sunday’s Open and Masters Championships and repeated the performance.

Youth - In general, performances at the Championships were immense, including the first sub two-minute 200m Obstacles swim by a GB swimmer, meaning Jack’s Gold in the U19 age group on Saturday was Crawley Town’s Youth’s only individual title.

However, Jack supported by Iker Lopez, Michael Campbell and David Leggitt won three Silvers in the Obstacles, Manikin Carry and Medley Rescue relays. Individual Silvers were also won by Crawley Town’s youngest competitor, Asier Lopez, in the U15 100m Obstacles and 100m Carry with Fins events.

In the U17 age group, Meabh Rodgers won Silver in the 200m Super Lifesaver with David gaining Silver in the 100m Manikin Tow with Fins.

In the U19 age group, Freya Rocks gained two Silvers in the explosive 50m Manikin Carry and the lung busting 100m Rescue Medley. Crawley Town also picked up four National Bronze Youth medals: Meabh for the 50m Manikin Carry and 100m Manikin Carry with Fins, plus two from David in the 200m Obstacles and 50m Manikin Carry.

Open - In addition to Sam, Crawley Town’s other National title winners were Sally Carter in the 200m Super Lifesaver, Meabh in the 100m Rescue Medley and Martin Schofield with Jack Sadberry in the 12.5m Line Throw.

The Open Men’s relay teams comprising Sam, Jack, Martin, Alex, Richard Jagger and Thomas Leggitt ruled supreme taking all three titles in the Obstacles, Manikin and Medley relays. Sam and Thomas then teamed up with Sally and Meabh in the mixed Lifesaving relay to take a convincing Gold, with B team, Frankie, Emily, Jack and David Butler taking a hard-fought Bronze.

Open Silver medallist was Jack in the 100m Manikin Tow with Fins and Frankie with Sally in the 12.5m Line Throw. Sally then teamed up with Meabh, Freya and Emily Goodwin to clinch Silver in the 4 x 25m Manikin Carry and Bronze in the Rescue Medley relay.

Open Bronze medallists were Emily in the 50m Manikin Carry, Richard in the 200m Super Lifesaver, David in the 100m Rescue Medley and David’s elder brother Thomas in GB’s fastest ever 200m Obstacles race.

Thomas, still a Youth, remarkably swam the Irish National Competitive Swimming Championships on Saturday, before catching a plane on Saturday evening to swim in the SLS-GB Open Lifesaving Championships on the Sunday, swimming possibly the fastest 50m freestyle of the Championships in the first leg of the Medley relay with a time of 23.77 seconds, the fastest straight 50m freestyle time ever recorded by a Crawley Town Youth competitor.

Masters – To top up Marsha’s and Donna’s Golds, Vanessa Eagland took the National title in the 50/54 Masters 100m Manikin Tow with Fins. Without doubt, the largest cheer of the Championships went to Crawley Town’s remarkable Maureen Fakley, who at the age of 86, gained Silver in the 60+ age group for the 100m Manikin Tow with Fins.

Jennifer Amos teamed up with Donna, Marsha and Vanessa to win Silvers and Bronzes in the 4 x 50m Obstacles and Rescue Medley relays.

There now remains one last opportunity for Crawley Town’s competitors to impress the GBR selectors in the pool for the Lifesaving World Championships 2022. The SLS Wales Stillwater Championships will again be held in Swansea over two days beginning on 28 May.