City of Sunderland swimmer Ben Hutchinson dominated the ten year old breaststroke events at the Tynemouth Spring Meet, claiming a hat trick of gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200m races and he capped a successful weekend with a fourth gold medal in the 50m butterfly event, a silver medal for the 100m freestyle and two bronze medals for the 200m freestyle and 50m backstroke events. Fellow ten year old Callum Dann also took four gold medals in the 50 and 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 200m butterfly, while Ryan Brewster (12) took a breaststroke double for the 100 and 200m events, together with a 50m freestyle gold, 100m freestyle and butterfly silvers and a 100m backstroke bronze.

In the twelve year old girl category Hannah Costello and Jennifer Sharp were in fine form to both grab a golden double – Hannah for 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly and Jennifer for the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly events. Hannah also won silver medals for the 100m butterfly and the backstroke and breaststroke at 200m, together with a bronze for the 200m freestyle, while Jennifer completed her medal haul with 100m bronze medals in the freestyle and breaststroke events.

More gold medals were won by ten year olds Jasmine Moss in the 100m backstroke, Natalya Sharp in the 200m breaststroke and Eve Larsen in the 50m butterfly. The three girls also enjoyed further success with Jasmine claiming silver medals in the 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke and 50m butterfly and bronze medals in the 50m backstroke and 100m breaststroke. Natalya took the 200m freestyle and butterfly silvers together with 100m freestyle and breaststroke bronze medals, while Eve chipped in with a 200m backstroke silver medal.

Twelve year old James Brewerton struck gold in the 100m backstroke adding to a 200m breaststroke bronze, while thirteen year old Jack Tallentire repeated the gold, bronze combination, this time in the 200m and 50m freestyle. Fourteen year old Adam Derbyshire completed the city’s haul of gold with a podium topping performance in the 100m backstroke.

Other medal winners for the City of Sunderland were; Joseph Robins (9) one silver, one bronze, Joshua Wright (9) one bronze, Aimee Hanson (10)one silver, one bronze, Bethany Star-Cooper (11) two silver, Jade Shovlin (11) one silver, Stevie Robins (11) one bronze, Elana Tait (12) one bronze, Will Robinson (12) one silver, one bronze, Christina Castledine (13) two silver, two bronze, Rachel Robinson (13) two silver, Robert McDonnell (13) four silver, Gerald McCullough (13) three silver, Morgan Donaldson (13) one bronze and Daniel Richardson (13) one bronze.

Coach Steve Marshall said, ’This was an impressive performance from all those involved. As the season progresses, we are seeing more and more of our swimmers stepping up and doing a great job’.

Left: (3rd)Athlete unknown. Centre: (Winner) Matthew Bell Right :( 2nd) Lewis Wiseman Ord

City of Sunderland’s Matthew Bell (17) and Alex Robinson (17) both shone at the first Open water event of the season. Matthew claimed 1st place touching out City of Newcastle’s Lewis Wiseman-Ord to claim the gold. Alex grabbed herself Silver in the women’s event showing her ever developing Open Water style.


Left: Ian Thorpe Behind: Alex Robinson and Matthew Bell 

The Sunderland swimmers gained valuable experience from this event as they continue to explore the world of Open Water swimming. It was a great opportunity to watch the worlds elite first hand take to the race course.
British Olympic medallist Kerri-Anne Payne and nine-time world champion Thomas Lurz put on a super show.
The other elite swimmers did not disappoint in front of the live BBC TV cameras - Payne winning a superb women's race from close British rival Cassie Patten with Germany's Lurz triumphant in an equally tight men's contest that featured a whole hot of British talent.
Payne, who won silver in the 10k open water event in Bejing, and Patten, bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics, went head-to-head in a thrilling contest that also involved Switzerland's Swann Oberson, who was 6th at the Olympics.
The men's race was dominated in similarly emphatic style by Lurz, the reigning event champion.
He was pressed fairly closely for the first 1000m or so of the race by a pack of highly-talented open water swimmers in what is certainly the strongest field yet assembled in the British Gas Great Swim Series.
Top Britons Tom Allen and Dave Davies, who had beaten Lurz to the silver medal at Beijing, led the contenders with France's Julien Sauvage - third in last year's Salford event - and Greece's Spyridon Gianniotis fettering well.
Also showing well were Britons Dan Fogg and Dave Carry plus another Frenchman Sebastien Roualt, Belgium's Brian Ryckeman and Bulgaria's English Channel swim record holder Petar Stoychev.
The event is part of the five-swim British Gas Great Swim series, which continues with the British Gas Great East Swim (11 June), the British Gas Great North Swim (17-19 June), the British Gas Great London Swim (2 July) and the British Gas Great Scottish Swim (24 September).

City of Sunderland swimmer Beth Nicholson took an amazing nine gold medals and the ten year old top girl award, at the Tenth Middlesbrough Open, held in Middlesbrough’s Neptune Pool. Beth’s golden performances came in the; 100, 200 and 400m freestyle, 100 and 200m backstroke, 100 and 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley events - with a silver in the 100m breaststroke event, to round off a terrific weekend.

Top eleven year old boy, Thomas Burns took six gold medals in the 200 and 400m freestyle, 100 and 200m backstroke and 100 and 200m breaststroke events with a silver at 100m butterfly, while Callum Dann topped the podium in the 100 and 200m butterfly, 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle events, with second spot finishes in the 100m freestyle and the 200m breaststroke, on his way to taking the ten year old top boy award.

Jodi Bunker took the top eleven year old girl award after golden hat trick in the 200m individual medley and the 100 and 200m breaststroke events, silver in the 200m backstroke, 100 and 200m butterfly and bronze for the 100m backstroke and the 100, 200 and 400m freestyle. The Sunderland team were well represented in the twelve year old girl category with Freya Rayner taking 100m gold medals in the backstroke and butterfly with silver in the 100m freestyle and 200m backstroke events. Freya also won the prestigious ‘skins’ multi stroke knockout event. Twelve year old top girl award winner Lauren Patterson took silver medals in the 200 and 400m freestyle and bronze for the 100m freestyle event, while Gabrielle Burdess took a bronze hat trick in the 200 and 400m freestyle and 200m breaststroke races. In the 200m butterfly event, Jennifer Sharp took the silver medal with Hannah Costello taking the bronze.

In the seventeen and over category, Jonathan Carlisle and Daniel Heeley battled for supremacy, with Jonathan taking first place in the ‘skins’ 200m individual medley qualifying event and he repeated this in an exciting duel between the two Sunderland swimmers in the ‘skins’ final. Daniel exacted revenge taking gold in the 100m freestyle with Jonathan taking the bronze medal - but Jonathan went on to take two further gold medals in the 100 and 200m backstoke events.

Long distance specialists Danielle Huskisson and Alexendra Robinson demonstrated their versatility in the sixteen and over group, with success in the short distance events. Danielle took double gold in the 100m freestyle and backstroke, triple silver in the 200m backstroke and the 200 and 400m freestyle and 100m bronze medals in the breaststroke and butterfly events – all on her way to taking the top girl and ‘skins’ titles. Meanwhile, Alexandra won five silver medals in the 100m backstroke, 100 and 200m breaststroke and butterfly with bronze medals coming in the 200 and 400m freestyle events.

Thirteen year old Ashlyn Liddle took a butterfly bronze double at 100 and 200m distance, while Joe Middleton took two silver for the 400m freestyle and 200m breaststroke to add to four bronze in the 100 and 200m freestyle and the 100m backstroke and breaststroke events. Twelve year old Callum Reveley and thirteen year old James Burns rounded off an impressive performance by the Sunderland swimmers with respective 100m freestyle silver and 400m freestyle bronze medals.

Head Coach Alastair Johnson expressed his delight at the weekend's performances, "We wanted the swimmers to race lots of events to practice their race skills particularly their pacing, turns and sprints. Overall we had a great personal best time strike rate with some outstanding results. It was great to see so many of our emerging stars win their age group categories."

Next Committee Meeting.. June 2011
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