British Gas ASA NER Bagcat Championships
Over the Weekends of 4th/5th and 11th/12th of June Rotherham Metro swimmers competed in the North East Regional swimming championships meet at Ponds Forge. This is the last chance for many swimmers to claim their National qualifying times enabling them to enter the British Age group championships. The event consists of heats with the top ten in each age group contesting the final.
The 200 Butterfly is considered to be one of the hardest events however the three Metro swimmers taking part in this event claimed two Gold’s and Bronze between them. Fourteen year old Matthew Sotheran timed his swim to perfection in the heats to claim his national time and then went one better in the final by taking the Gold medal. Thirteen year-old George Russell is fast becoming an expert at this event and in the final he proved it by pulling back a 2 second margin at the 100 metre point to power home in Gold medal position posting the fastest 200 Fly time by any thirteen year-old in Britain this year. George also claimed Bronze medals in the 100 Fly and 400IM. Holly Sotheran (12) yet again proved what a fantastic Fly swimmer she is by taking the Bronze in the 200 and once again going under the National qualifying time and also claimed the Silver in the 100 Fly. Twelve year-old Backstroke specialist Robert Pearson was a second outside his National time in his 100 Backstroke heat but in the final he powered home to take the Bronze medal on his way to claiming his second national time.
Finalists
George Russell (13) 200IM 7th, 100 Freestyle 8th, 200 Freestyle 10th, Rebecca Finnie (11) 200 Freestyle 5th, 100 Backstroke 9th, Holly Sotheran (12) 400IM 5th, Matthew Sotheran 100 freestyle 5th, 400Im 5th and Robert Pearson 100 Backstroke 5th.
In the relay events Rotherham probably fielded the youngest teams in the girls 13 and under and boys 14 and under events however the girls consisting of Chloe Rooker, Rebecca Finnie, Alice Aucott and Holly Sotheran finished 9th in the 400 Freestyle and 11th in the 400IM with Abbie Hull swimming in place of Chloe. The boys consisting of Robert Pearson, Matthew Sotheran, George Russell and Josh Hillman only contested the 400IM coming home in a very creditable 8th position. Rotherham’s youngest swimmer at the event was Jack McGann (11) who came home in an excellent 12th position in the 100 Freestyle.