Enfield swimmers celebrate qualifying for national finals (From Enfield Independent)
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Enfield swimmers celebrate qualifying for national finals
8:40am Tuesday 29th November 2011 in News
Enfield swimming winners with Edmonton Phoneix head coach Barry Thomas, with a trophy that another team from the same swimming club won on the same weekend as the Crawley Gala took place.
TWO young Enfield swimmers are celebrating after qualifying for national finals at the first attempt of the season.
Enfield Grammar School pupil Harry Jenner, 16, notched up a National qualifying time in the 100m butterfly, and Elliot Bertram, 13, from Ashmole Academy matched his efforts with qualifying time in the 1,500m freestyle event.
Both boys will be eligible to compete in the ASA Nationals in Sheffield next summer thanks to the times chalked up at the competition in Crawley on November 19 and 20.
Harry said: “I was really pleased to get the time, but I wanted to go quicker and I think I can.
“Now that I have a national time I can use the rest of the season to try to go faster.”
Elliot and Harry have both competed in the nationals before, and this time will compete under the new banner of Enfield Swim Squad following the merger of their club Edmonton Phoenix with Griffins Swimming Club.
Fellow Phoenix swimmers with eyes on national glory notched up a haul of medals from the Crawley meeting.
Twelve-year-old Mia Hawkes came within one hundredth of a second of a national qualifying time in winning a silver medal in the 100m freestyle.
Merryhills Primary school pupils Meghan Byrne, 11, came away from the event with four gold medals and three bronze, setting three club records on the way.
Charlotte Newman, 15, scooped a gold medal and two silvers, Enfield Grammar School pupil Ryan McCarthy won two silver medals and 14-year-old Toby Pasmore won a gold and a bronze.
Head coach Barry Thomas congratulated the swimmers on their achievements, and said the newly merged club can now look forward to even more success in the future.
He said: “To have two national qualifiers this early in the season is pretty good, we are very pleased.
“The merger will give our swimmers an opportunity to compete with the big clubs in London. They can now go to the next level and not just make the nationals but be able to win medals as well.”
