Becky pays surprise visit to see Sherwood shine

And, to add to the excitement in the pool, as part of the club’s 80th year celebrations, Sherwood’s double Gold Medal Olympian Becky, paid a surprise visit and chatted poolside about her fond memories of swimming at the club as a youngster.

She offered advice and inspiration to the hundreds of swimmers who then enjoyed possibly the largest number of selfies and tee-shirt and cap signings ever undertaken in an hour.

Sherwood swimmers Joseph Lewis and Suranne Cave, both aged 10, presented Becky with a black & gold-themed bouquet of flowers and a gold 80th year commemorative swimming cap.

In another, special poolside presentation, Brian Barnett received an engraved, cut glass award from club president Eileen Guilor, to commemorate his retirement after 34 years of service at the Robin Hood Open Meet.

In the pool, 12-year-old Lily Boseley led the Sherwood medal fest with eight gold medals from eight events (50m & 100m freestyle, 50m 100m & 200m backstroke, 50m & 100m butterfly & 200m individual medley), earning herself a prestigious sixth overall in the top female swimmer competition.

Just behind Lily in the medal tally, Joseph Lewis (10) also had an outstanding meeting, taking seven medals home including four golds (50, 100m & 200m backstroke & 50m freestyle) and three silvers (50m breaststroke, 400m freestyle & 200m individual medley) finishing fifth in the top male swimmer competition.

Other Sherwood medallists included 10-year-olds Dawid Sroka (silver 100m & 200m backstroke, bronze 50m backstroke, 100m & 200m freestyle), Owen Harding (silver 100m butterfly) & Alex Slaney (bronze 50m breaststroke), 11-year-olds Joseph Sadler (bronze 50m freestyle), Rebecca Hyatt (silver 50m breaststroke) & Millie Standen (bronze 50m freestyle), 12-year-olds Adam Pring (silver 100m butterfly & bronze 50m breaststroke) & Abbie Scott (bronze 400m freestyle), 13-year-old Holly Whitehead (bronze 100m freestyle), 14-year-old Elliot Clogg (gold 200m individual medley & 100m backstroke, silver 400m freestyle & 50m butterfly), 15yr olds Declan Smith (silver 100m & 200m breaststroke & bronze 100m & 200m freestyle) & Amelia Sale (gold 200m backstroke & bronze 200m individual medley) and Jade Clarke (silver 50m backstroke & bronze 100m backstroke) & Lewis Steptoe (silver 200m freestyle) in the 16years/over age group.

Just sitting outside of the top three medals places, but earning valuable points to contribute to the top male and female team awards were Jack Armsby, Thomas Fletcher, Kieran Harby, Matthew Hull, Owen Ottaway, Owen Ben Sladen, Connor Smith, Owen Wakefield, Bailey Ward, Erica Brown, Suranne Cave, Emily James, Emily Keen, Grace Lynk, Imogen Lynk, Sophie Malbon, Olivia Slaney, Evie Timms, Amelia Tunnicliffe, Emily Waldram & Jade Young.

Head coach, Ian Negus, said: “After the summer break, this top level meet sets the benchmark for our swimmers in a tough, competitive environment.

“There were some outstanding performances and the opportunity to swim in a 50m pool helps build solid platforms to work from for competitions held at a regional and national level next year.”

Sherwood has also been recently celebrating achievements away from the Open Meet including a fourth consecutive round win in the Nottinghamshire Sports Centre League.

On an individual swimmer basis, Lily Boseley and Owen Ottaway (13) have both recently been selected to represent Nottinghamshire at the British Gas National Inter-County Swimming Championships later this month and, following their performances in the 2013/2014 season, have both been selected to join British Swimming’s England Talent Development Programme.

Also, Elliot Clogg (14) will represent Yorkshire at the British Gas National Inter-County Swimming Championships and progresses to the Regional Beacon phase in the England Talent Development Programme.

Recent club and individual successes on such a grand scale nicely sets the squad up for the first round of the Country’s premier swimming competition, the National Arena League, in which Sherwood will compete in Biggleswade next weekend to try and earn a place in the regional final. They finished fifth in the regional final in 2012 – the club’s best ever result in a national competition.