Swimming
Dolphins make a splash in Hereford

Buy photos » From the left - Aaron Biddle, Sam Cave, Thomas Dean, Joe Essery and Ruth Hadley all performed well at the Worcester County Swimming Association Age Group Championships. (s)

NEW Droitwich Dolphins Swimming Club head coach Chris Hadley celebrated a perfect start to his reign with a fine start at the Worcester County Swimming Association Age Group Championships at Hereford Leisure Pool on Saturday.

Fantastic swims from all five of his swimmers brought five personal bests and four medals in the 800m freestyle, one gold, one silver and two bronze.

The success started in the boys 12-year-old age group with Thomas Dean and Joe Essery.

Despite carrying an injury, Essery swam well to beat Dean to the silver medal in a personal best time of 10-50.89. Dean’s bronze medal swim saw him reduce his personal best by a fantastic 17 seconds, clocking 10-54.33.

Aaron Biddle, 13, won gold in a time of 10-05.36, a new personal best by 26 seconds. It was a satisfying victory over his rivals and sets him on his way to retaining the overall age group winner for the third year running.

Finally it was the turn of the 14-year-olds, Ruth Hadley and Sam Cave. Hadley dipped under the ten-minute barrier in 9-52.70 for a new personal best by 14 seconds, setting both club junior and senior short course records along the way.

Cave set out last with the intention of breaking the club junior short course boys record and swam a fantastic time of 9-37.40. His efforts were rewarded with a bronze, a personal best of 12 seconds and probably the most satisfying one of all, the new club junior short course record for boys.