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Seals at West View

Sharks Gala at Chorley

Preston Sharks were once again edged out by Southport in their third Micro League fixture of the season. Eleven points separated the teams at the end, but Preston could take satisfaction from three club records being broken, and no fewer than 38 new personal best times set.

Team manager Steve Heaps said “I am pleased with the way the season is going. The swimmers have again performed well, although there are things we still need to improve on to make us more competitive. We have one more gala of the regular season left and another good show should see us reach the grand final in September.”

Sister and brother Shauntelle and Cameron Austin both broke club records – Shauntelle in the 10 years 25m butterfly and Cameron in the 12 and under 50m butterfly.

Matthew Clarkson completed the set when winning the 12 and under 50m backstroke.

The 12 and under 4x25m medley relay team, made up of Laura Joyce, Charlotte Sinclair, Florie McLeish and Georgia Barton, got the gala off to the best possible start with a victory in the first event and all record PBs to boot. Sinclair was on fire, setting new PBs in all of her events – when second in the 12 and under 50m breaststroke, and third in the 12 and under 4x25m freestyle relay, when Ashley Wareing, who also swam a PB, replaced Joyce. She also swam the fastest time out of both boys and girls to help the cannon team to second place. McLeish also set a PB in the 12 and under 50m butterfly and 4x50m freestyle relay.

As well as breaking a club record, Shauntelle Austin also broke other personal records. The first came in the 10 and under 4x25m medley relay alongside Eleanor Laurence, who also recorded a new PB, Molly McManamon and Abbie Kitcher. Her second came in the winning 10 years 4x25m freestyle relay team, and another followed when second in the individual 50m breaststroke.

Wareing broke another PB in the 11 and under 4x25m freestyle relay. Abbey Huartson, Laura Joyce and Katie Mawdsley all also swam personal bests in the same race. And Mawdsley picked up another PB when second in the 11 and under 50m freestyle.

Other girls to set themselves new fastest time were Ella Brown, Francesca Wright, Kathryn Greenslade and Sheena Patel. Brown’s came in the nine years 4x25m freestyle relay, alongside Wright (PB), Greenslade and Patel, and in the nine years 4x25m medley relay, when Patel also swam a PB. Greenslade hit new heights in the nine years 25m butterfly.

For the boys, the 12 and under 4x25m medley relay team got the evening off to a winning start, with Jack Smith swimming his first of three PBs, alongside Matthew Clarkson, Cameron Austin and Matthew Greenslade. Smith also broke new ground in the 12 and under 50m individual breaststroke, when second, and in the 12 and under 4x25m freestyle relay, along with Austin and Clarkson who also set new fastest times. Austin also posted another PB in the cannon, swimming alongside Lee Reeder, Harry Murphy and Robert Lavelle, who also set a new PB.

Lavelle set another PB when second in the 11 and under 50m breaststroke. Sam McIlwaine set three new personal best times. The first coming alongside Joe Brass, who also swam a PB, Claude Kirton and Lavelle when the 11 and under 4x25freestyle relay team came second. He was also in form when second in the 11 and under 50m butterfly, and in the 11 and under 4x25m medley relay, when Brass also recorded another PB.

Joshua Watson broke new ground when second in the 10 years 4x25m medley relay alongside, Harry Murphy , Marco Santalucia and Matthew Rosbottom. Murphy then swam a PB in the 10 years freestyle relay, alongside the same swimmers who again finished second.

Final result:

Seals at West View

NINE club records and 52 personal bests were broken as Preston Seals finished their Micro League season with a second place in their home water at West View Leisure Centre.

Team manager Ian Lawrence said: “I am extremely pleased with a second place, the whole team performed exceptionally. However with the effort and work that we put into the gala, I feel we should maybe have come away with something more.”

The night started on a winning start when the girls 12 and under 4x25m medley relay team of Shannon McGinty, Aimee Gallagher, Sophie Laurence and Nicole Graveson set a new club record in the opening event. And that effort was mirrored by the 10 and under 4x25m medley relay team comprising Olivia Baron, Alishia Finch, Hayley Graveson and Keara Mulvaney. Ella Huskisson then replaced Mulvaney as another record was set in the freestyle relay.

Finch and Gallagher broke individual Seals records – Finch when winning the 50m breaststroke, and Gallagher when second in the 50m freestyle. Gallagher swam a further PB in the cannon, in which Beth Hargreaves and Charlotte Flynn also setting new bests. Hargreaves and Flynn had previously recorded other PBs. Flynn’s came in the nine years freestyle relay alongside Charlotte Gornall, Bethany McBride (who both also recorded PBs) and Rachel Davis, while Hargreaves broke new ground in the 11 and under 4x25m medley relay, swimming with Emma Keany, who also recorded a PB, Finch and Chloe Brown.

Gornall set another fastest time in the nine years 4x25m medley relay alongside Davis and Lucy Worswick, who both achieved PBs, and Flynn. Davis also swam a new best in the nine years 25m butterfly.

Huskisson set two new personal best times – in the 11 and under freestyle relay, swimming with Chloe Brown, Keany and Hargreaves, and in the 10 years 50m freestyle when she finished in second.

Sophie Laurence recorded a new PB when second in the 12 years and under 50m butterfly as did Hayley Graveson in the 10 years 50m backstroke and Shannon McGinty in the 12 years and under 50m backstroke.

Lena Tunbridge also recorded a new best as part of the 12 and under 4x25m freestyle relay team.

The boys were also in top form, smashing numerous Seals records.

The first came from the nine years 4x25m freestyle relay team comprising Joseph Cunningham-Connolly, Alex Brandwood, Ethan Fielding and Toby Seers.

Oliver Lucas then stepped in for Alex Brandwood to earn a second spot in a record time in the 4x25m medley relay. Cunningham-Connolly and Seers, not content with team records, also respectively set new individual records in the 25m breaststroke and 25m butterfly.

Joseph Ellis recorded three new PBs. The first coming alongside Fielding, Nigel Standing (who both swam PBs) and Henry King in the 10 years 4x25m medley relay, another in the freestyle relay when King also set a PB, and the third in the individual 10years 50m freestyle.

King also set two other PBs – in the individual 10 years 50m breaststroke and in the 11 and under 4x25m freestyle relay alongside Harry Holden, Ben Conlon, who also swam PBs, and Jonah Winn.

Holden also recorded two more PBs, in the 11 and under medley relay and in the individual 11 and under 50m butterfly.

Freddie Carter also set three new fastest times. The first came in the 12 and under 4x25m medley relay, alongside Matthew Baron, who also swam a PB, Joe Wright and Ryan Pratt. Others followed when he won the 12 and under 50m butterfly and in the 12 and under freestyle relay, when Baron picked up another PB.

Pratt recorded a personal best as he won the 12 and under 50m freestyle and Wright broke new ground in the 12 and under 50m breaststroke

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