Match Report – Micro ‘A’ Team [19 June]
[Thanks to our poolside reporter – Jayne Elliott]
Leyland A team’s fourth and final match of the 2022 North West Micro League season was held at Leyland Leisure Centre on Sunday 19th June.
Having missed two years of the competition due to COVID restrictions it’s been a very different experience for our 12-year-old swimmers who swam their first year in the competition as the youngest in the team and then their second year in Micro as the oldest! This year’s fixtures fell badly (according to Yasmin Elliott) who has told me on more than one occasion that her friends have been deprived of ‘the right’ to sit on the back seat of the coach and buy sweets for all the swimmers by having two matches at Leyland and the others at local pools which didn’t justify the hire of a coach.
Putting that aside – and having offered to put her and the rest of the 12-year-old swimmers on the number 111 bus from Eccleston to Leyland – they all arrived at Leyland on Sunday – with suitable poolside snacks (probably) – on time for their final match.
With three matches already completed the league table was close – with Southport A leading by 1 point. Leyland’s last match was against Preston, Ormskirk and Fleetwood so the team knew that they would have to go all out to secure as many points as they could before Southport swim next weekend against the remaining teams in the league.
So how did they do?
We won’t know if they won the league until next weekend, but they certainly couldn’t have tried any harder.
I counted 86 individual swims (which includes the relay legs) with a staggering 40 personal best times recorded!!
Out of 47 events Leyland won 27 and were second in another 13 and they won the match convincingly.
It’s always difficult to pick out individuals when they all did so well but here are a few personal highlights.
Leading by example were the twelve-year-old swimmers with Megan Ellis, Maiya Taylor, Yasmin Elliott and Beth Adam winning the opening event of the afternoon followed by Finlay Warburton, Matthew Johnson, Johnny Wright and Seb Hailwood with another win.
Megan Ellis won both the 50 freestyle and 50 back, Beth Adam won the breaststroke and Johnny Wright the butterfly. Finlay Warburton was second in the breaststroke and backstroke and Yasmin Elliott second in the butterfly. Getting pbs gets harder as you get older (I know they are only 12!) but between the eight of them they got 12pbs and ‘a bucket load of points’!
Turning to our 9 year old swimmers the future looks bright! Erin Morris was undefeated in all four matches and her freestyle and backstroke are a joy to watch. Thomas Owens was the same – 8 individual swims over four matches and won them all!
It’s easy to forget that the 10-year-olds are also effectively in their first year of Micro and it was great to see Elsie Kay fight hard to win the 50 metre butterfly in a new personal best time and Athena Johnstone win the 50 metre breaststroke in another of the teams personal best times.
To be honest though I only had half an eye on Athena because the real entertainment was at the top end of the pool!
Behind every success this year has been the Head Coach/Team Manager Gill and an army of poolside helpers.
Stood by the blocks throughout the whole match with clipboard, pen and stopwatch at the ready and making sure everyone knew what they were doing was Gill. On this occasion she was supported by Vicki Wood and Steph Johnstone who adjusted goggles, checked everyone was ok and cheered like mad. I wish I’d been allowed to record the proceedings when Athena was 15 metres from the end of her breaststroke race – I thought the three of them were going to fall into the pool as they shouted and encouraged her right to the end.
Having watched that with amusement I watched more closely how Gill and the poolside helpers at both ends of the pool supported and encouraged every single swimmer and the huge smiles on all their faces. Catherine Bates and Helen Dunbavin must both have sore throats after the match!
Despite the fact that the win was never under threat the team never stopped trying their absolute hardest.
The eleven year old swimmers certainly look ready to take charge next year with some great performances and pbs for Philippa Rankin, Rosa Dunbavin, Felicity Coward, Finlay Metcalfe, Oliver Owens and Henry Hodkinson.
The penultimate events saw the 12-year-olds win both their relays and it was then on to the cannon. With the match won you’d be forgiven for thinking that the cannon didn’t matter but pride is at stake and with the rest of the team cheering them on it was down to Erin Morris, Thomas Owens, Elsie Kay, Max Roberts, Philippa Rankin, Finlay Metcalfe, Megan Ellis and Seb Hailwood to storm home for a convincing final win.
Well done to the whole team – we all know that your coach was very proud of you!
Final Results:
1st – Leyland A – 161 points
2nd – Preston A – 108 points
3rd – Fleetwood A – 101 points
4th Ormskirk A – 92 points