South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club added 142 more medals to their impressive tally at the third and final weekend of the Lincolnshire County Championships.
Held at Louth, the Spalding-based club put in a gargantuan effort over the weekend to end up with a hefty haul of 179 medals from the three rounds.
This incredible showing led to South Lincs being named top club at the championships – an incredible accolade for the team based at the Castle Sports Complex.
Kitty Lamb led the way in the girls’ 11 years and under age group, as she stormed to no less than 12 gold medals from as many swims and set ten new personal best (PB) times in the process.
She made her biggest improvement in the 200m backstroke with a five-second PB on her way to a gold, while also setting a big new best in the 200m IM.
Lamb won her gold medals across the 50m, 100m and 200m distances in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. There was also gold in the 50m butterfly and the 100m and 200m IM.
Charlie Bisby was also a big winner in the 11 years and under age group as he picked up nine gold medals from nine swims.
He struck gold in the 100m backstroke and 200m IM events, setting big new PBs of more than two seconds on both. Bisby then collected gold medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle, 100m and 200m backstroke, the 50m and 100m breaststroke, the 50m butterfly and the 100m and 200m IM.
Emma Croker collected seven gold medals over the final weekend of competition in the girls’ 16 years and over age group. She struck gold in her three favoured freestyle events, the 50m (PB), 100m (PB) and 200m distances.
There were also gold medals for Croker in the 50m and 100m backstroke, again both in new PB times.
She then showed her prowess over the sprint distances in butterfly as she took gold in both the 50m and 100m.
Lucy Wilson was competing in her first county championships in the girls’ 12 years age group and swam to no less than six gold medals.
She took top spot on the podium in the 100m and 200m freestyle (both PBs) and added further gold medals in the 200m breaststroke and the 100m butterfly and both the 100m and 200m IM (also PBs).
Wilson also added three silver and two bronze medals for her personal haul.
Elsewhere, Rico Bringeman (boys’ 16 years and over) collected a haul of four gold medals.
He was victorious in the 200m freestyle, both the 100m and 200m butterfly and the 200m IM – and also collected five silver medals and three bronze medals over the course of the weekend.
Bringeman clocked three new PB times, with the 50m and 100m freestyle swims, which were both club records.
Ellisha Cookson also put in some fine performances in the girls’ 16 years and over age group. She struck gold on four occasions, showing her complete dominance of the breaststroke events, winning the 50m, 100m and 200m distances to win both her age group and the ladies’ Senior Championship.
She also took the gold medal in the 100m IM and added two silvers to her personal haul.
In the 200m butterfly the race came down to the final stroke where Cookson was just touched out for the gold medal, but set a big new PB.
Team-mate Alex Sadler won a hat-trick of gold medals in the boys’ 15 years group – all of them in PB times.
A new best in the 200m freestyle helped him claim his first gold medal, with a further PB in the 100m butterfly sealing a second success.
Sadler’s third gold came in 200m butterfly (PB), while he also collected seven silver medals and one bronze medal.
Frank Lamb had a hugely successful weekend also collecting a hat-trick of gold medals in the boys’ 13 years age group.
He was top of the podium in the 200m IM (PB), the 100m IM (PB) and the 100m freestyle (PB) – as well as collecting six silvers and four bronze medals.
Oscar Goldsmith had to reduce his programme in the boys’ 14 years category due to injury, but still came away with three gold medals.
His first gold medal came in the 200m IM (PB), where he clocked an impressive new club record.
Goldsmith backed this up with gold in the 200m freestyle (PB), before his final gold medal came in his favoured 200m butterfly (PB) with another club record.
He also collected three silver and two bronze medals from his other events over the weekend.
In the boys’ 13 years age group, Matteo Monaco proved himself to be the master of the backstroke.
He sped to victory in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events and set new PB times in all three distances.
He also collected two silvers and one bronze medal.
Younger brother Francesco Monaco (11 years and under) was the youngest South Lincs swimmer at County Championships – but that didn’t stop him becoming a county champion.
He topped the podium in the 200m freestyle (PB), then followed that up by striking gold in the 200m breaststroke (PB), while also collecting one silver and five bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Hannah Bruce was a double gold medallist in the girls’ 13 years age group.
She took her first gold medal in the 200m IM, producing a stunning swim to lower her PB by more than eight seconds.
Her second gold medal was in the 200m freestyle, where she clocked another huge PB by more than five seconds.
Bruce also collected three bronze medals in the 100m freestyle, the 100m butterfly and the 100m individual medley, all in new PBs.
Alfie Bisby was also a gold medallist over the course of the weekend, setting a PB in the boys’ 15 years age group 100m breaststroke.
He had a busy weekend, claiming no fewer than four silver medals and six bronze medals across a range of events and strokes. His biggest improvement came in the 200m freestyle where he lowered his PB by almost three seconds for silver.
Aaron Sadler was competing in the boys’ 12 years age group and showed his butterfly skills over the weekend, claiming three medals in this stroke.
He set a huge 12-second PB in the 200m butterfly to take the silver medal, another PB in the 100m butterfly for bronze and a third new best in the 50m butterfly for another silver.
Fellow South Lincs swimmer Luke Blanchard took a 200m butterfly silver medal in the boys’ 16 years and over age group.
He also claimed bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and the 200m IM.
Alfie Robinson showed his backstroke prowess as he won a stunning silver medal in the boys’ 16 years and over age group of the 50m backstroke with an excellent new PB.
There were also PB times for him in the 100m and 200m backstroke to secure a brace of bronze medals.
Also putting in a strong showing was Sigourney Bolton, who showed her breaststroke skills in the girls’ 13 years age group as she claimed a bronze in the 50m breaststroke and a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke (PB).
Oliver Sorrell claimed a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke in the boys’ 15 years age group and a bronze in the 100m butterfly, both in new PB times.
Another impressive performer was Daisy Rummery, who won a hat-trick of bronze medals in the girls’ 16 years and over age group.
She took her medals across the backstroke events, setting new personal best times in both the 50m and 100m backstroke distances on her way to her podium finishes.
There was also a bronze medal for Mollie Briggs in the girls’ 16 years and over age group in the 200m butterfly, while Lexie Hamilton took her first county championship medal in the girls’ 13 years age group of the 200m butterfly as she struck bronze in a new PB.
Lucie Lund also took a bronze medal in the 200m butterfly in the girls’ 15 years age group with a big new PB, while Sophie Wilson bagged a bronze in the girls’ 14 years age group of the 200m freestyle.
South Lincs head coach Keith Haynes said: “It has been an amazing County Championships for South Lincs.
“The swimmers have performed exceptionally well. Our target was to better our medal haul from 2020 and we have beaten it by a substantial amount, taking a total of 77 gold, 46 silver and 53 bronze medals.
“There were so many new personal best times achieved by the swimmers across the age groups, it is really positive to see all our members making this kind of progress in their swimming.”
