Essex County Championships 2026 - Weekend 1

Harwich & Dovercourt Swimming Club celebrated a hugely successful opening weekend at the Essex Championships, led by outstanding performances from Emily Turner and the club’s 9/10 year old boys relay team, both of whom delivered exceptional swims on the county stage.

Emily Turner was one of the standout swimmers of the entire championships, producing a remarkable weekend of racing. She claimed two county titles, winning gold in both the 200m breaststroke and the 50m breaststroke, the latter secured in a long-course personal best. Her ability to deliver dominant performances across multiple events marked a superb championships and set the standard for the rest of the squad.

Equally impressive were the 9/10 year old boys relay team of Alex Spear, Jacob Barrowcliffe, Charlie Roxby-Clarke and Louie Brook, who enjoyed a phenomenal weekend, securing two gold medals by winning both the freestyle relay and the medley relay, claiming double County Championship titles and providing one of the standout highlights of the meet.

Adding to the club’s medal success, Head Coach Katie Holmes also featured prominently, securing two bronze medals over the weekend. Competing in the 18/Over age group, Holmes first delivered a strong swim in the 200m breaststroke to earn bronze, before returning later in the championships to claim a second bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke, this time in a long-course personal best.

Beyond the headline podium finishes, Harwich & Dovercourt swimmers consistently delivered top-10 placings and personal best performances across the weekend. Menna Beegan finished 10th in the 50m backstroke with a long-course PB and backed it up with a strong finals swim. Ruby Barratt produced one of the biggest improvements of the championships, finishing 7th in the 200m breaststroke with a significant personal best that also secured a regional qualifying time.

Close behind her, Savannah Barratt also impressed in the 200m breaststroke, placing 9th overall and recording a five-second personal best, a strong performance in a highly competitive field and a clear sign of continued progress.

There were further standout swims from Jemima Garner, who placed 6th in the 200m breaststroke with a personal best and followed this with another top-10 finish in the 50m breaststroke, while Hugo Arthey impressed with 8th-place finishes in both the 200m IM and 100m butterfly, achieving long-course PBs in each event and progressing to finals racing.

Another notable performance came from Harry Baucutt, who placed 8th in the 400m IM, smashing his short-course personal best despite it being his first time racing the event long course, a superb achievement at county level.

Evelyn Gadsby also reached finals in the 50m breaststroke, finishing 8th overall with a personal best and rounding off a strong individual championships.

Reflecting on the weekend, Head Coach Katie Holmes said:

“I couldn’t be prouder of how every swimmer raced over the opening weekend. To come away with county titles, podium finishes, top-ten placings and so many personal bests makes this the strongest start we’ve ever had at the Essex Championships. The commitment and confidence the swimmers showed was exceptional, and it’s been brilliant to see how much progress is being made across the squad.”

Also swimming for Harwich & Dovercourt over the weekend were:

Names are: Laurence Wynne-Jones, Jasmine Hall-Barnett, Tyler Dean, Amelia Waterman, Rosie Hazelton, Finn Muldoon, Shaidon Higgon-Williams, Poppy Tilley, Alex Glover, Taylor King, Eleanor Newman, Herbie Pickersgill, Thomas Mackintosh, Luca Hilton, Evie Wood, Lexi Flook, Remi Hayes, Lottie Jobling, Hattie Freeman, Alice Flatt, Autumn Feeley-Headley, Meabh O’Dea