The talented South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club members picked up 67 medals and numerous personal best (PB) times at the Rob Welbourn Open Meet over the weekend.
In what was their first open meeting since March 2020, the Spalding-based club sent a team of 40 to the Deepings Swimming Club-hosted event at Grantham.
It was a performance that delighted SLCSC head coach Keith Haynes, who feels the future is bright.
He said: “Our junior swimmers have really stepped up and swam tremendously well, this augurs well for the future of the club and we hope many of our younger swimmers will have continued success at county, regional and national levels in the coming years.”
One of the stars of the weekend was Charlie Bisby, who set the pool alight with his performances.
Swimming in a total of 11 events in the boys’ 9/10 years age group, he grabbed gold in every single one – sweeping to victory across a range of distances and strokes with his golds coming in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, the 50m and 100m butterfly, the 50m and 100m backstroke, the 50m and 100m breaststroke and also in both the 100m and 200m Individual Medley (IM).
All of his victories were achieved with PB times.
Kitty Lamb also produced some stunning swims, claiming ten golds from ten outings in the 9/10 years age group. The rising star topped the podium in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, the 50m and 100m breaststroke, the 50m and 100m backstroke, the 50m butterfly and also in the 100m and 200m IM.
Her older brother Frank Lamb swam in just three 11/12 years events, but was able to claim a medal in each one.
He took a silver in the 50m butterfly in a new PB time of 35.01secs, then went on to claim gold in the 100m freestyle and broke the 70-second barrier for the first time with another PB of 1.09.27mins. Lamb then claimed a second gold medal in the 200m IM in a PB of 2.45.29mins.
Sigourney Bolton, meanwhile, collected six medals in the girls’ 11/12 years group.
That included a hat-trick of gold medals with wins in the 50m and 200m breaststroke, plus the 200m IM. Silvers followed in the 100m breaststroke and the 100m backstroke, as well as a bronze in the 100m IM.
Another to claim six medals in the same group was Hannah Bruce. PB swims helped her to golds in the 100m and 200m freestyle events, while she bagged silver in the 50m freestyle (PB) and three bronzes in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and the 50m butterfly.
Meanwhile, boys’ 9/10 years swimmer Francesco Monaco picked up an incredible nine medals.
He struck gold in the 200m breaststroke with an 11-second PB and collected five silver medals, which came in the 100m and 200m freestyle, the 50m and 100m backstroke and the 200m IM.
He also added three bronze medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and the 50m butterfly.
Lexie Hamilton, meanwhile, struck gold in the 200m butterfly (PB) – one of the most demanding events on the programme.
The girls’ 11/12 years age group swimmer also added a silver medal in the 200m backstroke, also in a PB.
Elsewhere, Owen Sadler was on excellent form and set new PB times in all of his events. He swept to gold in the 200m backstroke, before adding silver in the shorter 100m backstroke.
Team-mate Stefano Fiore was competing in the boys’ 13/14 years age group and produced a host of new PB times as he claimed seven medals. He took took three silver medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke and the 100m butterfly, then four bronze medals in the 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and the 200m IM.
Will Vere also claimed a bronze in the boys’ 11/12 years age group 200m backstroke in a new PB.
Lucy Wilson made it a hat-trick of medals in the girls’ 11/12 years group as she claimed silver in the 200m IM (PB) and bronze medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle, again with new PB times.
Erin Siggee has overcome illness and prolonged injury and was back to her very best at the weekend. She collected two medals in the girls’ 13/14 years age group with a silver medal in the 50m breaststroke and a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke in new PB times.
In the girls’ 9/10 years age group, team-mate Heidi Woodrow took home two medals as she claimed silver in the 100m breaststroke with a huge 16-second PB and a bronze in the 100m IM with an 18-second PB.
Kieran Ng, meanwhile, had to wait until the end of the weekend to make it onto the podium.
In the boys’ 11/12 years age group he set a big new PB in the 200m breaststroke to take the silver medal.
Emily Briggs produced strong performances throughout the weekend and made it a podium finish in the 200m backstroke with a PB to claim the bronze medal in the girls’ 11/12 years group.
Archie Robinson was the final medallist of the weekend. He charged through his 100m breaststroke to set an eight-second PB and take bronze in the boys’ 11/12 years age group.
