Newmarket Swimming Club enjoy plenty of success at County Championships
Newmarket Swimming Club had a record number of 42 swimmers in action at the recent Suffolk County Championships, which were hosted by pools in Norwich and Ipswich over the course of four weekends.
Romilly Marks produced the club’s most notable performance of the opening weekend in Norwich, where her display was good enough to clinch gold in the 1,500m freestyle.
That was the first of 10 gold medals that Newmarket managed to scoop at the events, with the other nine coming during the shorter distance races in Ipswich.
Thomas Deaton doubled up to take the top prize in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, while Adrija Raudonyte came out on top in a tough 400m individual medley.
Another of the club’s gold medallists was Ciara Gill-Ryan, who triumphed in the 17 and over 100m butterfly.
Gill-Ryan said of her success: “Counties is an important meet for many of the swimmers at Newmarket, some going to gain qualification times, some for medals and some for the experience.
“With the counties being slightly earlier this year, it did make getting back into shape after Christmas slightly more urgent but seeing the performances at the championships, it was reassuring that this was done.
“Personally, a win in the 100m fly was the highlight of my swimming career so far.
“It is an amazing feeling to finally achieve the title of county champion after eight years of attending the championships.
“To progress from just attending the meet, to racing for a title has been an amazing experience. I think you should never stop working for your dream as a bit of hard work goes a long way in the sport.
“It is also inspiring to see the younger members of the team competing so well at such a young age.
“It is exciting to imagine all of the amazing things that they will go on to achieve in the years to come and how they will maintain the legacy of a club that has already progressed so far in recent years.”
Overall the club managed to finish in fifth position, while Joseph Bavey came second in the individual 15-year-old age group.
* Newmarket Masters swimmers won 16 gold, six silver and one bronze medal at their Suffolk County Championships. Suzy Mallen was the club’s top performer with three golds, three silvers and one bronze.
* Newmarket Swimming Club is seeking new sponsors – contact suffolkmasters@yahoo.co.uk for more information.