Otters float to the top
From the Echo, first published Thursday 16th Oct 2003.
FERNDOWN Otters confirmed their status as Dorset's leading club when they comfortably saw off local rivals Bournemouth Dolphins and Poole in the National Speedo League¹s Premier Division West.
Otters were without three of their leading swimmers - Karen Legg and Alex Savage (GB training duties) and Sadie Howes (illness) - but still managed to come second to last year's league runners-up Plymouth Leander at the Rossmore pool in Parkstone.Ferndown achieved 12 wins and 16 second places in the 50 events and are currently fourth in the Premier Division table.
Emily Freeman, 13, was the busiest Otter in town, appearing in three age groups including the women's 100m freestyle and open relays.
She won both her events in her own 13/u age group - the 100m backstroke in 1:10.4 and the 100m freestyle in 1:02.71.
She was also second in the 15/u 100m freestyle in 1:02.19, a result matched by 14-year-old David West in 58.83.
Hayley Morris delivered a victory on her least favourite event, the women's 100 breaststroke (1:17.19) and was second in the 100 butterfly (1:06.7).
Keeley Sheppard won the open 100m backstroke in 1:06.7 and was second in 200m medley (2:24).
The 15/u age group also brought wins from George Melling in the 100 butterfly (1:06.26) and Katy Jeffery in 100 breaststroke (1:18.51) while in the 13/u section Nicole Scott won the 100 fly in 1:09.2.
Individual second places included Matt Cummings' 1:23 in the 13/u 100 breaststroke (1:23), Craig Freeman's 33.06 in 10-11yrs 50 freestyle (33.06), Ashley Mace's 1:05.5 in the 13/u 100 free and Seth Chappels' 51.80 in the men's 100 free.
They also had two wins and six second places in the relays.Tom Cunningham played a starring role as a Bournemouth Dolphins squad missing four key swimmers secured fourth place, 12 points behind a much improved Swindon Dolphins.
Bournemouth placed first or second in 17 of the 50 events but paid the price for a lack of depth in certain age groups.
Cunningham, 19, won both his events in season's best times.
He opened with a thrilling victory in the men's 200m individual medley, one second ahead of Swindon's Andy Manley and two seconds in front of Ferndown's Seth Chappels, who lost ground on his weaker back and breaststroke legs.
Cunningham's second win came in the 100m butterfly in 58.28.He also swam well in the relays, clocking 30.89 on the backstroke leg of the medley and 23.8 to hold the fast-closing Chappels on the anchor leg of the 6 x 50m freestyle in which Bournemouth were third and Ferndown fourth.
Eleven-year-old Kimberley Rowles was also a double winner, setting PBs in both the 10-11yrs 50m back and breaststroke (35.88 and 42.84).
She also anchored the 11yrs 4 x 50m freestyle team to victory with a split of 31.69.
This team also featured Katrina Macdonald (34.53), Fran Crompton (34.94) and Anya Fenge-Davis (33.50).Amy Rees had a busy and successful night, coming first in the 15yrs 100m butterfly in a best 1:08.44 and second in the backstroke (1:10.63) as well as swimming the women's medley and relays.
Disqualifications for Ferndown and Plymouth handed an unexpected win to Bournemouth's women's medley relay team of Lucy Kember (back 33.7), Zoe Davies (breast 36.7), Corinna Colmer (fly 31.38) and Ashleigh Osborne-Scott (free 29.50).
Newly-promoted Poole knew it would be hard-going against four of last year's Premier Division finalists and so it proved.They were well in contention in many events and managed to avoid last place in the gala, albeit by a single point.
But at the sharp end points were hard to come by and they registered just one victory and five second places.
The single win belonged to Sarah Meaker in the 15/u 100m freestyle in which she set a new club age group record of 1:10.92 - one of 12 PBs recorded by Poole swimmers.
Two of the second places came from Sophie Notley in the 10-11yrs 50m butterfly and freestyle (39.07 and 33.08) and a third in the same age group from Claire Rafferty in the 50m backstroke (36.08).
Chris Wilson achieved a fine second place in the men's 100m backstroke (1:05.03) and Martha Holman was second in the women's 100m breaststroke (1:19.23).
Third places went to Lara Maskell in the 13/u 100m back (1:12.80), Claire Rafferty in the 10-11yrs 50m breast (44.03) and the women's 4 x 50m medley team of Stephanie Loveitt, Martha Holman, Karen Yendole and Hayley Maskell (2:15.43).Result: Plymouth Leander 228, Ferndown Otters 208, Swindon Dolphins 189, Bournemouth Dolphins 177, Poole 122, Soundwell 121.
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