The National Arena Swimming League - Round 1

Halton SC made an encouraging start to their 2011 National Swimming League Campaign.

Competing in Division 2 of the North West Regional Competition the club had the long trip to Kendal in the South Lakes to contest the first round.

In a tough and keenly fought 6 team gala, Halton finished in a creditable 3^rd place with enough hard earned points to stand at 6^th (out of 18 Teams) in the Overall standings after Round 1. The Club being well placed to make the eight team Final if we are able to consolidate our position in Round 2 at Winsford in November.

In an excellent team performance, Team Captain Will Warburton led from the front with a double first in the Open Mens 100m IM & 100m Backstroke. There were also double first place finishes for Matty Sayle (11 & U Boys 50m Backstroke & 50m Fly), & Luke Nisted ( Boys 15 & U 100m Backstroke & 100m Freestyle).

Luke also anchored the Boys 15 & U team of Tom Patton, Paddy Clegg, Jamie Catharell, and Tom Hough  to two first places in the 200m Medley Team Relay and the 200m Freestyle Relay events to leave finish the gala undefeated.

There were first Place finishes also for Alison Steele in the Girls 13 & U 50m Fly, Thomas Roberts in the Boys 13 & U 50m Fly, James Flaherty in the Mens Open 100m Breaststroke and Tom Patton in the Boys 15 & U  100m Breaststroke.

Personal Best Times were recorded by Luke Nisted, Matty Sayle, Thomas Roberts, Alison Steele, Morgan Grady, Will Woodward and Tom Williams.

Result: 1^st - Bebington 269, 2^nd - Preston 224, 3^rd - Halton 212, 4^th - Dane Valley 134, 5^th - Blackpool 108, 6^th - Ormskirk 73.

The Liverpool and District Swimming & Water Polo Association President’s Competition - Round 2

The club eased into the Final of the President’s competition on Sunday with a solid performance in Round 2 at Everton Park Leisure Centre in Liverpool.

In joint 4^th Place after Round 1 the senior team finished 3^rd in their second round heat to go through in 5^th Place overall to the 8 team Final in November.

Once again new recruit Craig Langley showed his class with two fine wins in the Mens Open 50m Freestyle and 50m Fly events, Will Warburton took first place in the 50m open Backstroke. Luke Nisted took the 15 & U 50m Backstoke event  whilst Nikita Jackson won the 15 & U 50m Breastroke.

There were Personal Best Times for Thomas Roberts in the Boys 13 & U 50m Fly, Paddy Clegg in the 14 & U 50m Freestyle, Jess Donald in the Girls 15 & U 50m Fly and Matty Marnell in the boys 14 & U 50m Fly.

Result: 1^st - Southport 171, 2^nd - Garston 153, 3^rd - Halton 134, 4^th Bebington 116 points.

The Merseyside & District Junior Swimming League - Round 1

In an entertaining and keenly fought gala in what promises to be the closest competition in the Merseyside & District First Division for many years Halton finished in an excellent second place after winning the final Cannon event to pip old rivals Garston SC by 1 point for that coveted second place.

Team Captain Will Warburton once again led the way with two outstanding first place finishes in the Men’s Open 100m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle whilst also anchoring the Mens Open Medley and Relay Teams to a further  two first place finishes to lay the foundation for an excellent team performance at the new Huyton Leisure Park on Sunday.

In a competition that attracts a bonus point for a win there were big first place finishes for Matty Sayle (50m Back & 25m Fly), Luke Nisted (50m Free & 50m Back), who both recorded excellent double wins alongside Will Warburton.

There were also first place finishes for  Will Woodward (50m Free), Issy Winckles (50m Back), Ellie Newby (100 Back) & James Flaherty 100m Breaststroke.

In addition, there were no fewer than 10 second places recorded during the gala keeping the team competitive to the end.

Personal Best times at the event were posted by Lewis Perry, Nikita Jackson, James Cox, Issy Winckles, Ceris Breckell, Thomas Roberts, Ellie Jo Hughes, & Matty Sayle.

There were excellent first swims in this competition for Zara Cowan, Zahra Groves, Owen Price, Luke Sutton, Ben Lovell, Joseph Ware, Simon Asai, Beth Reid, Erin Mitchell and Tom Hough.

In what turned out to be an outstanding Team performance, both in the pool and from the poolside support team through dealing with the onset of sudden illness and injuries,  there were also points winning contributions from Amy Steele,  Eleanor Donald, Sarah Roberts, Paddy Clegg, Tom Patton, Alison Steele, Laura Gorry, Chloe Doolan, Tom Craig, Jamie Catharell, Tom Williams, Ellie Newby, Stacey King, Sadie Smith, Morgan Grady and Abbie Jenkins.

Result: 1^st - Everton SA  187, 2^nd - Halton SC 167, 3^rd - Garston SC 166, 4^th - Prescot SC 158 , 5^th - Liverpool Penguin SC 109.

This competition promises to simmer until next April  when Kingsway hosts the Halton home gala and the final league gala for the season.

Thanks & Regards,

 PP. Neil F