Vikings win gala

A YOUNG and relatively inexperienced team from Aylsham Vikings travelled to Great Yarmouth to compete in the first round of the Beckett Trophy Gala and won by just two points.

With team spirits high, the 10-year-old girls took a clean sweep of events in their age group. Eleanor Latta stormed home in the 25 yards backstroke and also touched first in the freestyle. Jaimee Woodhouse finished strongly in the 25 yards butterfly, while Elizabeth Cooper edged out A Broughton of Yarmouth by a fingertip in the 25 yards breaststroke, both girls being awarded the same time.

It was a similar story in the events for 11-year-old girls with Emily Bowyer winning convincingly in the 50m backstroke and freestyle and Hannah Bacon victorious in the butterfly and breaststroke, winning the latter by a six-second margin.

The boys also had some notable victories. Joseph Tagliaferro notched up two wins taking the 10 years 25m butterfly and breaststroke events with considerable ease, and Harry Gillingwater proved unstoppable in the boys 11 years 50m butterfly.

At the half way stage, Vikings were third with only three points separating the top three teams.

The Vikings continued to produce top individual performances. Terry Chadwick fought hard to hold off his rival to gain maximum points in the 11 years freestyle. Catherine Ruff decimated the rest of the field in the equivalent girls' event, touching in a time of 31.45 sec. Maike Gerdes also swam powerfully to touch first in the girls' 13 years backstroke.

Two of the youngest team members, Hannah Cooper and Sophie Read, won the nine year old girls' backstroke and freestyle events respectively.

With just the relays remaining and a handful of points separating Aylsham Vikings and Long Stratton Sharks, the Viking youngsters swam determinedly to secure a well-earned.

Result: Aylsham Vikings 116, Long Stratton Sharks 114, Great Yarmouth 101, Lowestoft 51.