Royal Tunbridge Wells Monson (RTWM) Swimming Club swimmers were in action on many fronts last weekend all over the South East of England.

RTWM’s younger swimmers (aged 9-12) travelled to Blackshots Leisure Centre in Essex where Thurrock Swimming Club hosted round II of The National Junior League (M11) Division I. Competing against a recent National Final winning team in Thurrock the competition was always going to be tough and RTWM finished 5th and but for three disqualifications would have finished a very creditable third.

Despite this the team, Captained by Annabel Guye-Johnson and Simon Newton, put in some fine performances with most swims faster than in the previous round achieving: 10 first places; 6 second places and 7 third places from the 48 event programme.

There were three individual wins for Caitlin Fearon (11/U Backstroke and Freestyle and 12/U Freestyle) and single wins for Annabel (12/U) and Stephanie Andrews (11/U) in their respective Breaststroke events. Second places for: Emily Das (10/U 50m Breaststroke); Lucy Reeves (10/U Butterfly); Betty Smith 9/U Butterfly) and Ella Ryan (10/U Freestyle) and third places for: Thomas Leman (10/U Breaststroke); Charlotte Scholes (12/U Butterfly); Freddy Cunningham (9/U Breaststroke); Ella Ryan (10/U Backstroke) Maxim Irving (10/U Backstroke); Ben Fitzsimmons (11/U Freestyle) and Rosie Fenton (12/U Backstroke).

Academy Coach Simon Killick said that “he was pleased with many of the performances but that we obviously need to work to ensure we do not give points away through disqualifications and improve on our weaker events to try and score top three points across the board”.

The swimmers are now looking forward to the consolation final on June 24th and repeating their victory of last year. Savanna Jemmett (13 Years) was the solitary representative at the Bracknell and Woking Level 1 Open Meet at The Aldershot Garrison 50m Pool. Chasing her elusive National Qualifying Times (NQT) she took Gold in the 100m Backstroke and Silver in the 200m Backstroke narrowly missing NQT’s on both occasions.

Savanna did however establish a new club record in the 200m event.

At Medway Park, Gillingham George Hinton (13/14 Years) and Joshua Harrison (13/14 years) competed in the City of Canterbury Swimming Club Level 3 Open Meet. George, swimming a year out of age, continued to improve and impress finishing 2nd to take the Silver in the 50m Backstroke and finished 6th in the 50m and 200m Freestyles.

Meanwhile at K2 Crawley Annabel Guye-Johnson (Marlborough House) and Maxim Irving (Yardley Court) were representing their respective schools at the finals of this year’s Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) Swimming Championships finishing 2nd and 6th in their respective Breaststroke and Freestyle events achieving large personal best performances in the process.

RTWM will next be in action again next weekend at the Swim South East Regional British Gas Age Group Championships to be held at K2 Crawley. Anyone interested finding out more about RTWM can do so on the club web site which can be found at: www.rtwmonson.org.