Halesowen clinch Mercian League opener (From Dudley News)

Halesowen clinch Mercian League opener

10:00am Friday 4th May 2012 in Sport

HALESOWEN Swimming Club competitors travelled to Solihull for the Mercian Summer League Round One.

With regional standard swimmers not allowed to compete in the league, it provides a good test of the strength in depth of clubs and Halesowen swimmers did not disappoint.

Individual winners: Nicol Green, Talia Mitchell, Emma Parsons, George Davies, Rhys Richards, Ryan Spoor (all breaststroke); Emma Bird, Sam Bradley-Wood, Ryan Davies (all backstroke); Georgia Bird, Lauren Hill, Jack Simpson (all freestyle). The relay teams were on form, with the age 10 and under girls and boys winning team including Ruby Hanke, Amber Harrision, Imogen Vaughan-Hawkins and Sam Bailey; James Perry, Daniel Smyllie and Jack Vale.

The age 12 and under girls and boys won both medley and freestyle events including Lauren Hill, Molly Kelly, Jakob Baker and James Cuthbert.

The age 14 and under girls team including Emma Elwell and Elizabeth Smyllie won the medley event and the boys team including Max Clapham won the freestyle relay.

The boys open team including Joe Coxon and Reid Piggott won the medley relay.

Final scores: Halesowen 245, Bilston 206, Lichfield 198, Tamworth 148, Womboutne 143, Walsall 101.

For the second time in three years, Halesowen Swimming Club had both A and B teams achieving places in the A final of the Worcester Winter League at Droitwich.

The final four events were nail biting and despite finishing the closing group of relays in first and second place, the points at the end meant Halesowen A finished in second place on the day and overall in the league.

Halesowen B did extremely well with tough competition and finished in fifth place gaining more points this year than in 2010.

Double event winners were Chloe Finch in the butterfly and freestyle and Jacob Darby in the butterfly and breaststroke.

Individual event winners were Jack Simpson and Chloe Robbins in the freestyle, Mark Laing and Lauren Hill in the butterfly and Ruby Fell in the breaststroke.

The 15-year-old relay team, Imogen Davies, Lilian Parsons, Max Rollason, Joe Coxon and Isobel Breslin won both the medley and freestyle events while Becky Spoor, Hannah Cuthbert, Brian Steatham, Richard Phillips and Zach Collins won the open freestyle relay.

Final scores: Stourbridge A 184; Halesowen A 181; Redditch 181; Worcester A 156; Halesowen B 98.

Junior swimmers from Halesowen Swimming Club got their 2012 junior Nuneaton Junior League season off to a flyer.

The swimmers got off to a solid start and by the half-way mark found themselves in second spot and fending-off Coventry.

But the team finished strongly to secure second spot overall.

Double event winners were Imogen Vaughan-Hawkins in the freestyle and backstroke and Ben Meakin in the freestyle and butterfly.

Individual winners were Katy Morrice in the butterfly, Mark Laing in the freestyle and Jack Simpson in the backstroke.

In the relay events, the under 11s boys team including Jakob Baker, James Cuthbert and George Westwood won both medley and freestyle.

The under nines girls team including Ruby Hanke, Melissa and Sophie Parsons won the freestyle, the boys age 12 and under team including George Davies, Jamie Greenwood and Zac Rollson won the medley event and the final freestyle relay event was won by the team including India Hanke, Talia Mitchell and Daniel Smyllie.

Final scores: Northampton 262, Halesowen 222, City of Coventry A 211, Worcester A 165, Braunstone 129, Haden Hill 65.