Report by Shirley Coop
A packed spectator gallery witnessed some exciting racing at the recent ‘Duel in the Pool’ at the NSC, which saw the three main clubs on the Island going head to head.
It was the girls that lead the way, with plenty of close finishes and several consideration times for next years NatWest Island Games achieved, and just as importantly, several younger swimmers showing they have the potential to achieve these times over the coming months.
The first race of the evening ticked all the boxes for fast times and close finishes. The senior 200m individual medley saw Poppy Evans and Heather Miller, swimming for Ramseian, being challenged by Charlotte Atkinson for Douglas.
Miller took the lead on the butterfly leg, with Atkinson coming through on the backstroke to touch first at the half way mark, leaving Evans three seconds down. But no one could touch Evans on the breaststroke, where she converted a three second deficit into a half a second lead over Miller.
Not to be outdone by her older, more experienced, rivals Atkinson had the fastest freestyle leg, but couldn’t quite catch Evans, whose winning time of 2 min 30.57 gave her a margin of just three hundredths of a second. Miller finished third in 2 min 30.79. All three girls were inside the NatWest Island Games consideration time. Later on, Atkinson had two clear wins in the 12/13 years 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.
Thirteen year old Stephanie Brew (Ramseian) had two chances at the 100m breaststroke, as the rules of the competition allow for swimmers to compete in one event in the next age group up. First off in the 12/13 age group, she produced a pb of 1 min 20.66, coming home ahead of Laura Kinley for Douglas. Later in the evening, she raised her game again and was unlucky not to dip below the 1 min 20 mark, beating her older rivals with 1 min 20.05.
The 100m backstroke races also saw some good results. In the 15 and over race Olivia Rawlinson finished first in 1 min 08.88, ahead of her Ramseian clubmate Heather Miller with 1 min 09.84. Hannah Howitt took victory in the corresponding 14/15 years race, with 1 min 09.48. Rawlinson was also first home in the 100m butterfly.
The closest race in the senior boys events was the 15 and over 100m breaststroke. Tom Kelly, for Southern, took an early lead and just managed to hold off from a fast finishing Tom Isaac, for Douglas, and Connor Christian for Ramseian.
Also in the senior events, Andrew Isaac (Douglas) had victories in the 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly, but was pushed all the way by Christian in the longer event. Douglas had another double winner, with Phillip Harrison taking the 100m backstroke and 100m freestyle.
Guy Davies was a double winner for Southern, taking the 100m butterfly in both the 12/13 years and 14/15 years, whilst his team mate Luke Guthrie won the 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke in the older age group.
As usual, there was close competition in the 9/11 years 50m races, with Amy Stoutt for Ramseian and Ben Kebbell for Douglas both having two wins. Stoutt in the backstroke and freestyle and Kebbell in the butterfly and breaststroke.
Overall results show Douglas coming out on top with 322 points compared to Ramseians 300 ? and Southern 268.
Many thanks to the organisers and all the officials who made the competition possible. There is an incredible amount of behind the scenes work involved in what is already a very busy calendar!
Results in Full
Winners (Girls listed first) 15 and over, 200m individual medley, P. Evans (R) 2min 30.57, A. Isaac (D) 2:27.16. 100m butterfly, O. Rawlinson (R) 1:11.07, A. Isaac 1:03.98. 100m backstroke, O. Rawlinson 1:08.88, P. Harrison (D) 1:04.39. 100m breaststroke, L. Ricciardi (R) 1:25.66, T. Kelly (S) 1:16.16. 100m freestyle, H. Miller (R) 1:02.89, P. Harrison 57.79. 14/15 years, 100m backstroke, H. Howitt (S) 1:09.48, A. Corkill (S) 1:17.83. 100m butterfly, A. Callow (R) 1:15.44, G. Davies (S) 1:25.29. 100m freestyle, L. Trimble (S) 1:06.07, L. Guthrie (S) 1:02.41. 100m breaststroke S. Brew (R) 1:20.05, L. Guthrie 1:21.27. 12/13 years 100m breaststroke, S. Brew 1:20.66, B. Donaldson (D) 1:28.44. 100m backstroke, C. Atkinson (D) 1:12.67, M. Copperelli 1:14.66. 100m butterfly, A. Kelly (D) 1:15.84, G. Davies 1:24.02. 100m freestyle, C. Atkinson 1:03.57, D. Wilson (D) 1:06.32. 9/11 years 50m backstroke, A. Stoutt (R) 39.83, C. Jaques (R) 41.08. 50m butterfly, A. Stoutt 43.99, B. Kebbell (D) 37.57. 50m breaststroke, K. Marshall (D) 48.84, B. Kebbell 41.65. 50m freestyle, A. Kinley (D) 33.03, J. Laing (S) 35.09.
