The second weekend of the Cumbria Swimming 2024 Age Groups and County Championships saw Workington Pool once again filled with swimmers.
They were competing head-to-head in the remaining county championship events and in the team relays.
The highlight of the weekend was the visit of Wendy Burrell Cumbria’s first Olympic Swimmer who returned to the county to present the recently refurbished Wendy Burrell Trophy which was last presented in 1980.
The Cumberland Newspaper donated trophy was recently re-discovered in the clearance of the Carlisle James Street Pool pre demolition.
Revised criteria were established based on performance at the County Championships allowing it to be reintroduced to swimming whilst recognising Wendy’s many swimming achievements.
The trophy cleaned and now resplendent on its new plinth was presented by Wendy in front of 500 fellow competitors and spectators.
The winner was Amber Rigg (Cockermouth SC) who amassed 150 individual championship points. She had dominated the ladies’ events over the two-weekends winning no less than 13 of the 18 Female Senior titles and all five of the Female Junior titles, a remarkable achievement for the former Carlisle Aquatics Swimmer.
Runner-up was Scarlet Robinson (Copeland SC) who achieved 136 points and took the ladies 1500m Freestyle title with Olivia O’Mahony 3rd as well as winner of the 50m and 400m Freestyle titles.
Ethan Allpress, 83 points (Ulverston), Max Henderson 79 points and Jackson Jardine 75 points (both Cockermouth) placed 4th-6th respectively.
Wendy (now Firman), who is also n ex-Carlisle Secondary swimmer was accompanied by her sister Debbie Walker.
The two were guests of honour, along with former County Presidents Jim Messenger and Terry
Lambert for the Sunday afternoon relay events which saw the presentation to Cockermouth SC of the Cumbria and Tommy Hatch trophies awarded to the best performing teams in both the 2024 County Championship and Age Group Events.
As part of the presentation Wendy herself was given the honour of becoming the first inductee into the Cumbria Swimming Hall of Fame which was established by the county as part of its 100-year celebrations in 2023.
Wendy was presented her award by current County President Rosie Huggon and Jim Messenger from the County Recognition panel.
On receipt of her award Wendy addressed a packed pool to share her memories of her swimming career including the Mexico 68 Olympics.
In the pool the remaining Ladies individual titles were taken by Jamie-Leigh Tyson 800m Freestyle and Lily Smith 200m Butterfly (both Ulverston)
The Open-Men’s competition was a more closely fought affair across the events with Elliot Routledge winning seven titles including the Men’s Blue-Ribbon event the 100m Freestyle.
The distance events were dominated by Jackson Jardine (Cockermouth) who won five titles in the 200 400, 800 and 1500m Freestyle as well as the 400m Individual medley.
Ethen Allpress (Ulverston) collected two titles in the 200 and the gruelling 200m Butterfly.
The balcony spectators were, however, on their feet for the final of the Men’s 50m Breaststroke where the scoreboard indicated a dead heat between Copeland’s Adam Kelly and Finley Quayle who both recorded times of 32.01 seconds with Oliver Dyson (3rd ) and Ethan
Allpress (4th ) only a few inches behind. Adam and Finley topped the podium together sharing the title.
Other winners in the Open-Men’s event included Lennon Bell (Kendal), Oliver Dyson (Cockermouth), and Finley Quayle who all took individual titles.
The Sunday afternoon team relays were keenly contested with the Female Open events being shared between Cockermouth A and Copeland A and in the Men’s events Ulverston A and Workington A gaining the upper hand.
The final event of the 2024 Championships saw Cockermouth A taking the Cannon Event.
Focus in the next few months switches to the Junior Swimmers aged 9-12 with all eight Cumbrian clubs competing in the Cumbria Diddy League Competition. Round 1 takes place 16-March with the Grand Final at Workington Pool in June.
This year sees the County’s 50th birthday following its transition from the Cumberland and Westmorland Swimming Association in 1974 following the county boundary changes.
Building on the success of the 100-year events, including the 2023 Festival of Swimming, plans are afoot for a similar event to celebrate the occasion in July.
