Leander flounder in Dolphins gold wake (From Bournemouth Echo)

Leander flounder in Dolphins gold wake

6:00am Thursday 11th June 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

BOURNEMOUTH Dolphins found a Street paved with gold as they took another big step towards the fulfilment of coach Graham Bassi’s lofty ambitions.

They left the Somerset town’s Millfield School pool with 16 gold, three silver and seven bronze medals from the first weekend of the South West Regional Age Group Championships.

That was five more golds and two more medals of all colours than even national champions Plymouth Leander, who have been the most successful club in the country in recent years.

No other club won more than seven golds.

Even more impressively, Dolphins’ result was not down to two or three individuals.

No less than 20 Bournemouth swimmers made finals with 17 contributing to the medals tally and 14 winning at least one individual medal.

At least five of them are now ranked one or two in the country.

“To be leading the best club in the country at the halfway stage is a great achievement and I hope we can finish the job this weekend,” said Bassi.

“Our goal is to become one of the top age and youth clubs in the country and I believe we are very close to that in age group swimming.”

Joe Poynter led Dolphins’ tally with four golds including the 14yrs 400m freestyle in which he sliced 0.59sec off his Dorset junior record with a time of 4:09.85.

He also won the 1500m freestyle in 16:31.53, 200m breaststroke (2:39.13) and 200m medley (2:13.87).

Ten-year-old Tom Kingham marked his regionals debut with a golden hat-trick in the 10yrs 100m freestyle and backstroke (1:07.90) and 200m medley.

Bradley Currie won bronze in two of these events (100m free 1:11.13 and 200m medley 3:00.50) but struck gold himself in the 10yrs 400m freestyle (5:15.56).

Dan Speers also won three medals – gold in the 11yrs 200m breaststroke (3:00.40) and medley (2:39.54) and silver in the 400m freestyle (4:59.65).

Amelia Maughan was just 0.02sec outside her Dorset junior record as she won the 13yrs 100m freestyle in 57.59 with team-mate Courtney Rowan claiming the bronze in 1:00.25.

Maughan won a second gold as she finished eight seconds ahead in the 400m freestyle in 4:32.82.

Tess Carter led a one-two in the 13yrs 1500m freestyle taking the gold in 18:58.78 from team-mate Sam Bush’s silver-winning 19:09.02.

Jay Olenicz won the boys’ 13yrs 100m backstroke in 1:05.36.

Gold also went to Jasmine Holmes in the 10yrs 400m freestyle (5:18.79).

Jack Burton added his name to the club’s list of national qualifiers with a silver-winning 2:47.94 in the 12yrs 200m breaststroke.

Bronze medals went to 11-year-olds Oscar Esposti in the 400m freestyle (5:02.01), Ryan McCormack in the 100m freestyle (1:05.12) and Jamie Holmes in the 200m breaststroke (3:07.24).

Dolphins also won medals in both the relays, including gold from the girls’ 4x100m freestyle team of Rowan (1:00.18), Carter (1:06.06, Maughan (57.81) and Bush (1:04.40).

Only Bath University came within eight seconds of their winning time of 4:08.45.

In the boys’ 4x100m freestyle, Dolphins’ took bronze in 3:56.86 through Harry Thorpe (59.14), Olenicz (58.87), Stephen Littlefair (1:02.50) and Poynter (56.35).

• Twelve-year-olds Izzy Frampton and Peter Griffiths both struck gold for Christchurch and New Milton Seagulls.

Frampton won the 12yrs 200m butterfly in 2:34.84 and bronze in the 400m medley (5:41.85).

Griffiths won the 12yrs 1500m freestyle in 19:01.98 and was just outside the medals as he came fourth in the 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle.

• Declan Callahan gave Poole a taste of the podium with a silver medal in the 14yrs 200m butterfly (2:26.73).

He was also fifth in the 400m freestyle (4:36.54) with team-mate Kiran Olenicz fourth in the 10yrs 100m backstroke (1:23.95).

Other finalists – Poole: 10yrs Kiran Olenicz 6th 100m free; Madison Kemp 8th 200m fly. 11yrs Inez Griffin 8th 200m breast 3:20.37.

Seagulls: 12yrs Peter Griffiths 5th 200m medley, 8th 100m free.

Bournemouth Dolphins: 10yrs Tom Kingham 4th 200m breast; Bradley Currie 7th 100m back; Jasmine Holmes 8th 100m free. 11yrs Dan Speers 5th 100m free; Oscar Esposti 4th 100m free, 6th 200m medley; Ryan McCormack 7th 400m free, 8th 200m breast. 12yrs Sophie Cooke 6th 400m free, 7th 100m free; Rachel Hawkins 8th 400m medley 5:59.15. 13yrs Jay Olenicz 7th 100m free; Olivia Esposti 8th 200m breast; Danielle Thwaites 8th 200m fly; Harry Thorpe 6th 100m free, 6th 400m free; Tess Carter 5th 200m fly, 6th 400m free; Sam Bush 8th 400m free.