City of Oxford hosted the first of their 7 Development Meets for the 2017/2018 season at the Leys Pool Leisure Center on Sunday 15th October, allowing the young (ages 8 to 15) swimmers to start getting times in their first events and push for potential times for the Oxon & Noth Bucks County Championships in 2018.

Joining the City of Oxford Swimming Club at this short course (25m pool) event were swimmers from Abingdon & Vale Swimming Club, Banbury Swimming Club, Four Shires Swimming Club, Wantage White Horses Swimming Club and Witney Swimming Club for three and half hours of tantalizing competitive swimming over 8 events. With all these swimmers and supporters at the poolside, the atmosphere was loud, buoyant and exciting throughout.

Fast swims were seen throughout as the swimmers showed their coaches and parents their skills they’ve been honing during training and put them to the test. Resulting in Oxford girls getting thirteen 1^ST places of which seven came from the 100m and 50m Butterfly events. Leading the way were swimmers Eleni Ioannou (10), Ellen Tranter (12) & Panqain Ashton (13), who pushed hard through the water and achieved two first places in the three events they had entered.

Academy & Rising Stars Coach Liz Basterfiled – “It was great to have so many new and existing swimmers in the pool, if they remember the feedback they were given after each race and focus on this in their training. We are going to see plenty of PB’s at Development Meet 2 in November.”

Girls 200m Backstroke 1^st place Panqian Ashton (13), 100m Butterfly Eleni Ioannou (10), Ellen Tranter (12), Panqian Ashton (13), Mai Thomas (14), Hannah Austen (15), 2^nd place Scarlett Shorter (9) Eleni Ioannou (10), Liva Barlow-Olsen (12), 3^rd place Katie Wilkinson (9), Ella Joyce (11), Anna Hens (13), Macey Green (14). Girls 50m Breaststroke 1^st Place Emma Sherwood (10), Fiorella Pucks-Fazel (10), Nisaratn (Petch) Rojch (14), 2^nd Place Zofia Conway (9), Nina Brown (11), Ellen Tranter (12), Macey Green (14), 3^rd place Neretva Spengler (9), Bella Green (10), Anna Hens (13), Emma Jowett (14), Girls 100m Freestyle 1^st Place Eleni Ioannou (10), Mary Cater (11), 2^nd Place Emma Sherwood (10), Anna Hens (13), Hannah Austen (15), 3^rd place Zofia Conway (9), Alison Gannon (10), Nisaraten (Petch) Rojch (14). Girls 100m Butterfly 3^rd place Alice Ratcliffe (13). Girls 50m Butterfly Ellen Tranter (12) and Hannah Austen (15), 2^nd place Zofia Conway (9), Tara Audit (10), Mary cater (11), Mai Thomas (14), 3^rd place Scarlett Shorter (9), Panqian Ashton (13).

Boys 200m Freestyle 2^nd place Alex Underwood (13). Boys 100m Backstroke 2^nd place Gabriel Richmond (8), Ted Bowling (10), Benjamin Henning (11), James Brooks (12), 3^rd place Monty Salmon (9), David Feng (11). Boys 100m Breaststroke 1^st place Ben Harkness (9), 2^nd place Cameron Middleton (9), Angelos Agko (10), Thomas Johnson (11), 3^rd place Monty Salmon (9), Barnaby Turner (10), Alex Underwood (13). Boys 50m Breaststroke 2^nd place Benjamin Henning (11). Boys 50m Butterfly 3^rd Ted Bowling (10).

A big thank you goes to our coaches, officials and volunteers who help makes these development meets run smoothly.

Link to official press release: COSC Development Meet 1 191017 – Press Release