The Cumbria Age Groups and County Championships saw the return to the county of Cumbria’s 1968 Mexico Olympian Wendy Burrell for the final weekend of the competition.
Wendy presented awards to the top female swimmers and presented a special award to Cockermouth Swimming Club coach Eleanor Walsh BEM.
Eleanor was inducted into the Cumbria Swimming Hall of Fame and fittingly presented with her award by Wendy, who she helped coach and support in her 1968 and 1970 Olympic and Commonwealth games campaigns.
The event held over two weekends at the Workington pool saw swimmers from Cumbria’s eight swimming clubs compete in 36 individual events along with the team relays on the final Sunday.
The Male-Open County Championship events were dominated in the Freestyle discipline by Jackson Jardine, of Cockermouth, who won five titles at distances from 100m up to the 1,500m, only Workington’s Kamil Rees prevented a clean sweep taking the 50m title in the close fought splash and dash event which saw all eight finalists hit the wall in a blanket finish.
In the other disciplines Workington’s Elliot Routledge took all three titles in the backstroke, Copeland’s Adam Kelly dominated in the breaststroke winning the 50m and 100m titles.
Oscar Hodgson, of Cockermouth, and Fergus Bell, of Ulverston, got in on the act taking the 50m and 100m butterfly titles respectively, however Jackson took his tally to six titles with a 200m fly win.
The individual medley was dominated at 100m and 200m by Oscar, however the gruelling 400, event provided Jackson with a seventh title of the championships for the Whitehaven-based swimmer.
Oscar picked up three of the five titles in the Junior Championships to add to his three senior titles.
The Female County Championship events were dominated by Amber Rigg and Olivia O’Mahony, both Cockermouth, who between them won 14 of the 18 ladies titles.
Only Lilly Smith, of Ulverston, 50m and 200m fly and Scarlett Robinson, of Ulverston & Copeland, 800m and 1,500m freestyle with two victories each prevented a clean sweep by the Cockermouth girls.
Amber dominated in the breaststroke taking all three titles 50m-200m the 200m freestyle, the 50m and 200 backstroke along with 100m and 400m IM. Oliva also excelled taking the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and fly titles along with the 200m IM.
In the Junior Championship events, Isobella Fowles, of Cockermouth, won four of the five titles, with Lilly Broadfoot, of Ulverston, preventing a clean sweep taking the 100m butterfly title.
Around 250 swimmers in total competed over the two weekends across the age group events with age categories at 10/11/12/13/14/15 and 16 and over.
This year as well as the converted Age Group Badges for first, second and third, the girls were competing for the Wendy Burrell Trophy and the Boys-Open for the new Raymond Watson Trophy.
The new trophy was introduced by Cumbria ASA in recognition of the late Raymond Watson who had given over 50 years’ service to Kendal-Troutbeck and the County Swimming Association in numerous roles.
Top female Age Group swimmer was Isobella Fowles, of Cockermouth, who edged out club compatriot Ellie Woodcock into second, with Barrow’s Norah Graham finishing third. Wendy presented the girls their awards.
In the male-open category the inaugural winner of the Raymond Watson Trophy was Workington’s Ben Davidson by the narrowest of margins – 2 points – from Olly Swarbrick, of Barrow, with Farron Bigrigg from Cockermouth finishing third.
Ben was presented the trophy by Raymond’s daughter Carol Robertson.
Overall winners of the Cumbria Trophy (County Championship points) were Cockermouth with Ulverston 2nd and Workington in 3rd position.
In the Tommy Hatch Trophy (Age Group points) Cockermouth were again winners with Ulverston 2nd and Carlisle Aquatics 3rd.
Cockermouth was presented the respective trophies by the new incoming county president Ian Richardson, of Copeland Swimming Club, who received the presidential chains during the first weekend of the event from outgoing president Rosie Huggon, of Penrith Swimming Club.
Ian’s first duty as president was to induct Rosie in to the Cumbria Swimming Hall of Fame for her lifelong swimming and coaching achievements.
In addition to Rosie, her late mother Jenny Birtle (Penrith), John Freestone and Keith Chisholm (Copeland) along with Sean Balmer BEM (Cockermouth) were all recognised for their outstanding contribution to aquatic sport and inducted in to the Hall of Fame.
They join Judy Pearson and the late Graham Pearson (both Carlisle) who were inducted recently at the Carlisle Master Event earlier this year.
Rosie and Jenny’s association with Penrith go back to the days before the current Penrith pool when the club swam and competed in the River Eamont at Frenchfield in the town.
The swimming focus in the county now turns to The Ulverston Open, March 1 and March 2 at Kendal, Copeland Griffin Gala March 8, and the three rounds of the County Diddy League starting March 15 (Barrow and Whitehaven) for swimmers in the nine to 11 years age group.
This year’s Diddy League Grand final will be held at the new Sands Pool in Carlisle which will also incorporate a trial Sprint League event for the 12-Open swimmers.
