Essex Mini-League 2025 – Round 1

Harwich swimming club were in top form when they travelled to Witham to compete in the first round of the 2025 Essex Mini League. Other teams competing were Borough of Southend, Witham, Clacton and Woodham.

With many young swimmers competing for the club for the first time they did not disappoint and the hard work in training paid off with swimmers cutting seconds off their personal bests. 15 first places and 13 second places secured Harwich the top spot with 170 points, with BOSS a close second with 166 points.

10 year old Meabh O’Dea secured 2 first places in the 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle and with excellent relay splits this earned her the accolade of swimmer of the gala.

A 2 second personal best ensured Herbie Pickersgill picked up maximum points in the 10 & under 50m freestyle. First places kept on coming with Isabelle Race winning the 11 & under 50m freestyle and Leo Young in the boys event, cutting 6 seconds off his personal best. Katie Holmes followed this up with a first place in the girls open 50m backstroke, her least favoured event.

Poppy Tilley slashed 4 seconds off her pb in the 13 & under 50m backstroke winning in style. Jemima Garner swam a confident race in the girls open 100m freestyle gaining maximum points. Oliver Pickersgill swam a brilliant 50m breaststroke in the open age group to add to the first places.

The relay events did not disappoint. The nine years boys team of Charlie Roxby-Clarke, Louie Brooke, Jacob Barrowcliffe and Alex Spear gained a first and second in the medley and freestyle events. The boys and girls open 4 × 2 × 1 freestyle relay teams of Harry Tilley, Sean Bibby, Barney Weston and Hugo Arthey for the boys and Molly Richardson, Jemima Garner, Katie Holmes and Menna Beegan for the girls trounced the opposition gaining maximum points in both events. The Boys 6 × 1 butterfly team finished first as did the boys and girls 6 × 1 breaststroke relay teams and the 13 & under boys freestyle relay team also excelled.

Good individual second places came from Finn Muldoon in the 11 & under 50m backstroke cutting 2 seconds off his previous best; Evelyn Gadsby in the 13 & under 100m freestyle, nearly 3 seconds off her best; Sean Bibby in the open 50m backstroke; and Rosie Hazelton in the 11 & under 50m butterfly.

Swimmers who smashed their personal bests were Alex Glover in the 50m backstroke, Tyler Dean in the 50m butterfly, Bailey Hall-Barnett and Menna Beegan in the 50m butterfly, Finn Muldoon and Amelia Waterman in the 50m breaststroke.

Swimmers representing the club in their very first gala and excelling were Ela Young, Imogen Sands, Lottie Jobling and Emma Wynne-Jones.

Final points: