Beccles Kingfishers are flying high

Published: 1:06 AM July 18, 2014 Updated: 8:09 PM October 10, 2020

Beccles Kingfishers - Credit: Archant

Beccles Kingfishers finished off an amazing season by taking the Division Two Summer League title.

A squad of just 12 junior swimmers took on the club’s last gala before the summer break. The small squad of six girls and six boys made the trip to Felixstowe, but what they lacked in numbers they soon made up for in their performance in the pool.

Poppy Allen, Lauren Rogers, Matti Beamish-Mann, Lucy Adcock, Lily Ellard and Kiera Jessop made up a very young girls’ team, which saw all of them at some point during the evening having to swim up an age group. Poppy and Lauren were the ones that led the way for the girls as the more senior swimmers. Both took on a handful of events each, with Lauren picking up a couple of third places and Poppy winning her 50 Butterfly event. The other four girls, who are all 10 and under, shared out the remaining eight events between them, with Lily bringing home two second places and Kiera winning her 50 Breaststroke event.

For the boys, a slightly more senior six made up of Harry Bond, Chester Leeming, Josh Thurston-Woolnough, Thomas Bond, Ollie Woodock and Daniel Thurston-Woolnough dominated the boys’ events. Daniel, off the back of his previous weekend’s success, brought home four out of four wins in the 12 and under age group. His brother Josh, in the 11-and-under age group, took a first in his 50 freestyle event, joined by Chester in his 50 Breaststroke race. Ollie, competing in five individual events, gained two second and two third places for the team. Likewise, brothers Harry and Thomas also added to the points tally with their strong swims.

Not only did the squad produce some great times, but the quality of swimming was really shown in that the squad didn’t pick up a single disqualification during the whole event. This proved vital on the night as the squad won by a narrow four points ahead of Lowestoft and Oulton Broad.