Twenty two BSSC swimmers recently qualified to compete against the top swimmers from the six eastern Counties of England – Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk – at the 2023 Swim England East Region Long Course (50m) Championships.
The BSSC swimmers stepped up to the challenge of the occasion, ensuring BSSC finished 20th out of 39 clubs and was the 3rd ranked Hertfordshire club. Individually the swimmers secured many personal bests, had 25 top eight finishes and also brought home ten medals:
- 14 years: Dylan Davenport Bronze 50m/100m Freestyle
- 15 years: Ella Greatbatch Silver 50m/100m/200m Breaststroke
- 16 years: Kirsty Neill Gold 200m Breaststroke, Silver 100m Breaststroke
- 17+ years: Lucy Wheeler Gold 200m Freestyle; Emma Fields Silver 50m Butterfly; Niamh James Silver 200m Backstroke
- Top eight finishes: Molly Greatbatch, Dylan Davenport, Ella Greatbatch, Jakey Hayes, Kirsty Neill, Callum Cox, Callum Davis, Emma Fields, Jago Derrington, Lucy Wheeler, Niamh James
There were so many great performances, but special mention must go to Molly Greatbatch for reaching her first Regionals final in the 200m Breaststroke and to Dylan Davenport who was on superb form on the final weekend, securing two Bronze medals and a 4th place, swimming personal best times in all of seven of his races, breaking his own 12/13 year old BSSC records for 50m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle and taking the 50m Freestyle club record that had stood since 2008. Jago Derrington also broke his own Open club record for the 1500m Freestyle that he had set in March 2023 whilst breaking a record that had stood since 2005.
Full list of swimmers:
- 11/12 Yrs: Lois Fields
- 13 Yrs: Elliot Hall, Molly Greatbatch
- 14 Yrs: Dylan Davenport
- 15 Yrs: Brandon MacDonald-Williams, Ella Greatbatch
- 16 Yrs: Alice Longman, George Grimwood, George Taylor, Jacob Hayes, Kirsty Neill
- 17+ Yrs: Callum Cox, Callum Davis, Dan Chada, David Badcock, Emma Fields, Grace Mason, Jago Derrington, Lauren Gore, Lucy Wheeler, Miriam Moukdad, Niamh James
