Corsham C Battle to the End!

It was back to business for Corsham’s C team, which travelled to Bradford on Avon to face the home team, Devizes and Calne Alpha in the 3^rd round of this years Wilts ASA Moonraker summer league. This was the first time I have seen the team in action and a mighty impressive outfit they are. When they were not swimming, they were cheering on their fellow swimmers, an infectious habit which bred so many smiles, no matter what the result. And if extra points were to be awarded for the noisiest team, Corsham would have won hands down!

 And now I have a problem. Having handed my team sheet in, some of the less familiar swimmers may not get a mention. So apologies before I start and even if you don’t get a mention, your contribution was as important as those who names I can remember. I think this was the first time the Open girls were so well represented, with some excellent swims from Emma Connor, Katie Hall & Charlotte Parker, ably supported by Amelia Lias in the relay events. The Open “boys” (sorry, men!) were as enthusiastic as ever, with Sean Browne, Stuart Gibbs, Oliver Little (an inspiration to the younger swimmers) and Oscar Matcham all turning in good results. Turning to the under 14 & 16 girls, both Alex Moore & Kirsty Stanley won their respective butterfly events and were instrumental in wining the medley relay. There were backed up by Amy Kitchener, Catherine McPherson and Lois Watts, who put in some good performances on back and breaststroke.  Leading lights for the boys in that age group were Elliott Berning, Jake Feirn, Oliver Little & Leo Matcham, who also enjoyed success in the individual medley.  And last, but no means least, well done to Matthew Lines who did so well in all his events, including a very plucky 50 metre ‘fly.

 So on to the youngest age group, where it is obvious that the Club has some talent in reserve, which will bubble to the surface in a couple of year’s time. So well done Aisling, Bethany, Emma, Hannah, Kara, Harry, Jack, Michael & Sean. You played a vital role in tonight’s gala and can be proud of your contributions.

 The end result was very close, with Corsham losing out on second place (by a single point!) to Devizes. Well done to Bradford for winning and how nice it was to see Calne Alpha making an impression in such a short space of time, following their enforced closure.  Well done to the poolside support team, so ably led by team manager Amanda Little. Thanks also to Julia who has persevered with arranging the team, despite the difficulties faced with less swimmers than she would have liked in previous rounds.

 A final thought. Having spent many hours in various pools throughout Wiltshire, we are so lucky to have our home base at the Springfield Centre. I would urge as many of you as possible, therefore, to come along to Town Hall on Thursday 9^th September, at 7PM, to put forward your views on the future of the Centre post 2015. It might be some way off, but if we can draw up plans now and convince Wilts County Council of the value of the facility to the local community, it likely that we can become a centre of excellence and build on something which our children’s children will still be using in years to come.

 Well done “C” team – proud of ya!

 Alan Hall