SWIMMING: Team Luton are at the top of the table

The competition was held over two weekends where the swimmers won 53 gold, 54 silver and 48 bronze medals which was over a quarter of all medals awarded.

The competition was close right up to the final session, but Team Luton managed to hold off their closest rival Modernian SC, who won 49 gold medals.

Nearly a third of Team Luton swimmers won medals and many more set personal best times, although three had to pull out because of injury and illness, Abby Gee, George Henries and Amelia Cundell, while Amy Harris came back for university on the second weekend to compete in the Senior Girls relay team.

In addition to topping the medal table, Team Luton swimmers were Senior County champions in nine events with Nicola Pasquire taking five titles and Matthew Wright four, while there were also junior titles for Ralph Muncer and Nathan Swift.

Four swimmers were awarded Top Swimmer trophies in their respective age groups, which is won by amassing the most final points throughout the competition.

The club’s winners were Jack Juggins in the 10-year-old boys event, Rhys Davidson, 12-year-old boys, Jess Keogh, 12-year-old girls and Lauren Young, 13-year-old girls.

In addition Emilia Dunwoodie was second in the 11-year-old girls, Abbie Barnwell came second in the 13-year-old girls and there were third places for Daniella Njawaja (10-year-old girls), Vivienne Flatt (11-year-old girls) and Eilidh Dunwoodie (12-year-old girls).

The club’s relay teams were also on winning form taking gold in the Womens Open 4x100m freestyle, with the quartet of Beth Currant, Chantal Smith, Lauren Young and Nicola Pasquire, plus the 12/13yr 4x50m freestyle team of Abbie Barnwell, Eilidh Dunwoodie, Chiara Rogers and Lauren Young, along with the U11 4x50m freestyle team of Daniella Njawaya, Susana Opoku-Gyamfi, Vivienne Flatt and Emilia Dunwoodie.

The women also won bronze in the 14/15yrs age group 4x50m medley, silver in the Open 4x100m medley and 4x50m freestyle team.

The men claimed silver in the Open 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley and it was bronze for the U11 4x50m medley team.

The team consisted of swimmers from the following age groups.

10/11yrs: Ben O’Hara, Ben Theron, Daniella Njawaya, Declan Beel, Emilia Dunwoodie, Jack Juggins, Kaitlyn Butterly, Nyles Whyte, Rebecca Ptacek, Samuel Symonds, Susana Opoku-Gyamfi, Vivienne Flatt, Zara Fallon.

12yrs: Ben Cornforth, Eilidh Dunwoodie, Eleanor Robertson, Hannah Armstrong, Henry, Flatt, Ismail Savage, Jacob Hayhurst, Jennifer Brooks, Jessica Keogh, Laila Gilbert, Lauren Donnelly, Lauren Hooker, Maisie Hamilton, Malachi Gilbert, Menna Walmsley, Rhys Davidson.

13yrs: Abbie Barnwell, Anna Fallon, Callum Green, Charlotte Opoku-Gyamfi, Chiara Rogers, Lauren Young.

14yrs: Alfred Mureithi, Eleanor Blakemore, Eoin Compton, Ewan Theron, Freddie Symonds, Guy Muncer, Jade Whitehouse, Jeevan Aujla, Milly Davidson, Shannay Davies.

15yrs: Celyn Walmsley, Godfrey Williams, James Mackerness, Katie Evans, Lewis Tune, Nana Opoku-Gyamfi, Nathan Swift, Ralph Muncer, Rhiann Donnelly.

O16: Alex Mason, Beth Currant, Chantal Smith, Charlotte Kelly, Daniel Lindsay, Emma Cattle, Emma Hobbins, Hannah Kelly, Jamie Fowler, Jamie Wright, Lucy Gee, Matthew Wright, Nicola Pasquire, Ryan Jarvis, Sam Bradley, Tom Burns.

Head coach Pete Woodbridge said: “The performance was the reward for all the hard work put in by the swimmers, many of whom were competing in their first County Championships.”

Meanwhile, Team Luton’s development coach Mandy Gee was pleased with the performance of the younger swimmers and with 73 entrants in total, it meant more swimmers had qualified than in any previous year.

With the Championships over there will be little time to rest for Team Luton as the swimmers have set over 80 qualifying times for the East Region ASA Championships to be held over two weekends in May at Norwich and Luton.