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PL Level 1 December Meet 2009

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:20:22 +0000

Results available here

PL Double Up On National Club Titles In Taking The British National Youth Club Champions Award Aswell!!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:53:44 +0000

Sheffield, England: So, with PL taking the Top British Club award at the National Age Groups, it would be greedy to win the Top Youth Club title as well wouldn't it? Well, someone has to win it, and why not do the double for the first time. And therefore, a mere seven days after taking one British Club title, PL claimed their second - Top British Youth Club 2009.

Underlined with an incredible 25 medals (12 gold, 10 silver & 3 bronze) at the six-day meet at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield, PL were to beat the next British Club (City of Leeds) by well over 100 points, with the Canadian guest team from Alberta still trailing some 60 points in the Leander wake.

You want to know where those 25 medals came from right?....

With Achieng Ajulu-Bushell and Christian Homer only able to complete two days of racing before heading off to Rome to join Emma Wilkins for the World Championships, there were still some remarkable firsts for the UK's leading swimming programme

Firsts. Never done befores. They're always nice. And PL's first Senior National Champions were to come this time of asking. Achieng's amazing 1:08.60 in the Open 100m Breaststroke saw her claim senior gold by a country mile, alongside the gold in the 14/15 years age group. The time makes her the fastest 15 year old in the world this year. And the heartache of not making the GB team for the World's didn't do Antony James any harm as he ripped through the opposition to set scintillating times to win the 50m Butterfly (23.74) and 100m Butterfly (51.92), the second swim missing the British Senior record by less than 24 hours

David Gregory returned from the European Junior Championships with the bit well and truly between his teeth as the PL lionheart smashed his way to victory in the 15/16 years 100m Backstroke (56.90), 200m Backstroke (2:03.34) and 400m IM (4:25.36), the latter also resulting in a fantastic Senior bronze. Dave's 100m Backstroke efforts ensured a new British Age Group Record. Fellow GB Junior international Calum Jarvis was to successfully defend his National 200m backstroke title, successfully winning the 17/18 years age group (2:03.49) with a silver in the 100m version secured later into the meet

Fabian Whitbread's first ever National title was to come from a finely executed race in the 15/16 years 200m Breaststroke (2:19.34), whilst James Young's efforts in the 200m Freestyle also earnt him a well deserved 17/18 years victory (1:52.84). James was alter top take silver in the 100m Freestyle and anchored the highly successful Leander 'A' Medley relay to victory, where he was joined by David Gregory, Anthony O'Driscoll and Grant Halsall. In the 100m Freestyle heat, James was to secure his first ever British Age Group record, only to see this sneaked away from him later in the final

Silver medals were in abundance, with the rapidly returning Steven Beckerleg on hand to claim his first Senior National medal, finishing second in the Open 200m Freestyle (1:51.14). Grant Halsall was to claim his runners-up spot in the 15/16 years 100m Backstroke, with Joe Parker ensuring a one-two in the 15/16 years 200m Breaststroke with his silver. Anthony O'Driscoll was a further PL silver medallist in the 17/18 years 200m Breaststroke, with Jonny Hill matching this achievement in the 17/18 years 200m IM

In the relay events, PL were to make history once more in becoming the first club to take first and second positions in a British Youth Championships relay final. Closely following home the Leander 'A' team in the 400m Medley relay, the PL 'B' boys were to claim an incredible silver courtesy of Calum Jarvis, Mark Conroy, Sam Straughan and Jonny Hill. The Male 400m Freestyle 'A' team relay were also to take silver with Jonny Hill, James Young, Sam Straughan and Calum Jarvis on the case, as were the same quartet in the 'A' 800m Freestyle relay

To see Hannah Schulz win her first national medal in three years was terrific for her and her team mates, taking bronze in the 14/15 years 200m Breaststroke, whilst Mitchell Adshead impressed at the bottom of the double age band with bronze in the 15/16 years 400m IM

With 61 swims being strong enough to make finals at the six-day meet, there was little to question over PL's strength in depth, particularly with over 40 athletes qualifying to race in the competition this season. The PL team were to take an incredible 57 medals across the National Age and National Youth Championships in 2009

Ambitious swimming athletes from all nations aged 11-18 years wishing to meet their national and international swimming ambitions can apply for Plymouth Leander & Plymouth College Swimming/Education Scholarships via here

Top British Club Award

1. Plymouth Leander 316

2. City of Leeds 207

3. City of Sheffield 170

PL Become British National Age Group Club Champions - And Then Some !!

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:08:36 +0000

Sheffield, England: Plymouth Leander have become the 2009 British National Age Group Club Champions for the first time over five days of intense competition at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield. Their victory in being named as Great Britain’s leading age group swimming programme was packed with landmark moments, some of which may never be surpassed in British swimming...

Their victory in the Top Club Award at the 2009 British Gas ASA National Age Group Championships saw them win by nearly 130 points, a truly monumental figure. In doing so, they also successfully defended their Top Male Club Award from 2008, also winning this by over 130 points.

PL were to take 32 medals across the course of the meet (13 gold, 11 silver and 8 bronze), arguably the greatest medal haul the competition has ever seen since National Age and National Youth Championships were split into two competitions back in 2002. British Age Group Records were also the order of the day, with Matthew Powell taking both the 14 years 100m Freestyle (52.59) and 100m Butterfly (56.56) records, whilst Jack Smith claimed his first similar British landmark in the 13 years 200m Freestyle (1:58.18). Matthew Rose was to set Scottish National Age Group records in the 13 years 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m Freestyle.

There were further historic moments for the Plymouth club, some of them simply stunning in their magnitude. In the Male 400m Medley relay, PL became the first club to ever take gold and silver with their A and B relay teams in the same event. In the Male 800m Freestyle relay, Leander became the first British age group team to swim under 8 minutes, setting a time some 9 seconds faster than had ever been achieved before.

With 21 athletes on the PL team at the meet, only 3 of these were to return to Plymouth without a medal to their name but each having swum personal best times across the five days. British National gold medals were to go to Jack Smith (13 years 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle & 400m Freestyle), Matthew Powell (14 years 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke & 100m Butterfly), Jessica Liss (13 years 400m IM & 200m Breaststroke), Chloe Davey (12 years 200m Breaststroke), Male 400m Medley relay ‘A’ team (Matthew Powell, Harry Ackland, Oliver Leonard, Jack Smith), Male 400m Freestyle relay (Oliver Leonard, Matthew Rose, Jack Smith, Matthew Powell), Male 800m Freestyle relay comprising of the same quartet and Female 400m Medley relay (Abigail Carne, Jessica Liss, Lara Cosford & Nicole Jones).

Silver medals were also to come thick and fast courtesy of Oliver Leonard (14 years 100m Freestyle & 100m Butterfly), Harry Ackland (13 years 100m & 200m Breaststroke), Jessica Liss (13 years 100m Breaststroke & 200m IM), Reece Dunn (13 years 100m Butterfly), Jade Scott (12 years 100m Breaststroke), Myles Pillage (11 years 100m Freestyle), Jack Smith (13 years 100m Backstroke) and Male 400m Medley relay ‘B’ team (Michael Harris, Niall Grant, Reece Dunn & Matthew Rose).

Eight bronze medals were to seal the impressive 32 medal tally. Matthew Powell (14 years 200m Freestyle), Matthew Rose (14 years 400m Freestyle), Jack Smith (13 years 200m Backstroke), Michael Harris (14 years 100m Backstroke), Niall Grant (13 years 100m Breaststroke), Chloe Davey (12 years 100m Breaststroke), Myles Pillage (11 years 100m Backstroke) and Jade Scott (12 years 200m Breaststroke) rounded off one of the most impressive medal hauls ever likely to be seen at the meet for years and years to come.

Head Coach Jon Rudd said, “This is a huge achievement for us and indeed for any British club. We are so proud of our achievements and in leading British swimming at both an age group and youth level, we cannot wait to see what we can achieve once the Life Centre is up and running with its 10 lane 50m pool. That is the last piece in the jigsaw to cement our city’s standing at the very top of UK swimming”. Rudd went on the say, “We must pay homage to the tremendous support of Plymouth College in our achievements. As we have seen with Tom Daley out in Rome in recent days, their fantastic work behind the scenes is key in assisting us to develop athletes such as these, many of whom I am sure will feature in the 2016 Olympic Games and beyond”.

Top British Club Award

1: Plymouth Leander 331

2: City of Sheffield 204

3: Stockport Metro 191

PL Annual Dinner & Dance Tickets Go On Sale

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:46:25 +0000

Plymouth, England: On Saturday 21st November 2009, Plymouth Leander has pleasure in inviting you to its annual dinner dance at Boringdon Hall. This promises to be a truly memorable evening, open to all members and friends of Plymouth Leander, past and present, aged 15 and above.

To make the evening the best it can be, interested parties are asked to make up their own tables of 10 for dinner. If it isn't possible to make up a whole table, we could help by completing it for you. Dress code is Black Tie and evening wear, dine and dance, 7.00pm for a 7.30pm sitting and carriages at midnight. Reduced price accommodation is available on request

We wish everyone to be able to attend this event who wishes to. Bearing this in mind, payments for tickets can be paid on a weekly or monthly basis at your discretion, with the final payment by the 1st October 2009. Unfortunately, any funds paid in cannot be refunded

Tickets for this memorable evening are £38 pounds per person

Please book early for tickets by emailing Jane Whitbread at janewhitbread7@googlemail.com or call on 07971 162371

The Plymouth Leander 20 Year Reunion - It's On!!

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:23:52 +0000

Plymouth, England: We've never had a full on reunion, so this is it!

This September, it's 20 years since Jon became Head Coach of Plymouth Leander. From the former days of Ballards and Seaton through to becoming the strongest swimming club in the UK, we have much to celebrate and remember - but we need all you old boys and old girls back to do it.

So... if you're a former swimmer, current swimmer, coach or former coach or you've been part of ther club over the last two decades, come and have a couple, nah, make that several drinks with us!

Drinking, eating and reminiscing through to the early hours on Friday 18th September 2009 at the Stonehouse Creek Community Club in Plymouth (PL1 3SF), we need you to bring your photos, bring your memories and bring your wallets! The event starts at 7.00pm and we've got a bar 'til 2.00am. Entry is by ticket only and we're restricted to 300 - you'll be surprised how quick that fills up. Tickets are £10.00 per head (which includes your eats) and £6.00 for under 18's...

Send cheques made payable to 'Plymouth Leander Social Fund' to Jane Whitbread at 24 Jellicoe Road, Plymouth, Devon PL5 3UU with your name and address and we'll put a ticket in the post to you. First come first served guys!! Any queries, you can call Jane on 07971 162371

Finally, any memorabilia relating to Jon's 20 years at PL (photos etc) PLEASE e-mail to janewhitbread7@googlemail.com

No excuses - it'll be another 20 years 'til we do it again, so let's all be there!!

Come On PL! - National Swimming League Cup Champions of England & Wales 2009!!

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:12:16 +0000

Sheffield, England: Plymouth Leander won the 40th National Swimming League Cup Final of England and Wales at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield in front of a packed spectators gallery. This, their second successive National Club Champions title sees them join an elite group of only four English swimming clubs who have managed to win the Cup Final in two successive years.

Read on...

A 41 point margin over second placed Stockport Metro was a greater than expected margin of victory, particularly with Stockport’s recent success in gaining status as one of British Swimming’s Intensive Training Centres. It was therefore particularly pleasing for the PL coaches to see their team beat Stockport in ten of the fourteen senior events.

The Plymouth honours were not to stop with the coveted League Cup; the Relay challenge trophy was also to go the way of the PL ‘blue army’, some 29 seconds clear of their nearest rivals in the accumulated times of the eight relays. The Top Male Performance at the meet was awarded to Antony James’ 53.55 to win the Open 100m Butterfly, whilst Sam Straughan was also to win the Top Male athlete in the 15 years age group.

With this being the 40th year of the competition, to break six meet records was also a significant achievement from the Plymouth team. Both the Male 13 years 200m Medley and Freestyle relay meet best times were obliterated, one of which had stood since 1992, whilst the Male 15 years meet records were also taken in the two relay events. Antony James’ aforementioned Butterfly performance was to take 0.45 off James Hickman’s 2001 standard, whilst Sam Straughan’s 58.91 sliced 0.71 off Luke Wood’s 2007 mark in the 15 years 100m Backstroke.

With 22 wins across the 50 events, Plymouth Leander Head Coach Jon Rudd was clearly delighted with his team’s efforts. “To win the most significant team event in domestic swimming for a second successive year is a very special achievement for us. Our swimmers work hard and work smart and are always up for one of the few competitions were it’s about ‘us’ as a unit. We are a tight knit group of individuals in this regard. Our opponents were both strong and hungry and that makes this result all the more credible”.

Rudd went on to say, “I believe that our coaching team is arguably the best in the country. I simply lead a team of very talented and dedicated coaches without whom this programme would not flourish and be where it is today. The support extended to us by Plymouth College is also second to none and this victory is as much theirs as it is Plymouth Leander’s.”

Ambitious young athletes with National and International aspirations (aged 11–18 years) can apply for substantial swimming and education scholarships with Plymouth College and Plymouth Leander via here and full results of the meet can be found here

The National Swimming League 40th Cup Final 2009
1. Plymouth Leander 400
2. Stockport Metro 359
3. Millfield School 322
4. City of Liverpool 316
5. Guildford City 305
6. Hatfield 268
7. Team Ipswich 237
8. Bournemouth Dolphins 210
9. Nottingham Leander 172
10. Boldmere 161

And in the news elsewhere...

Sam Brings Down Foz and Liam's British Records In One Weekend!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:39:16 +0000

Haslemere, England: Two of Great Britain’s most iconic swimming figures had their British Junior short course records taken at the Haslemere Open as Plymouth Leander’s Sam Straughan set about two of the former marks held by Liam Tanc0ck and Mark Foster.

Now surely that's worth a read...

On day one of the meet, Straughan was to take the British Junior 50m Backstroke record down to 26.11, formerly Tanc0cks 26.22 set in Sheffield back in 2000. On the second day of the meet, Foster’s 50m Butterfly twenty two-year standing of 25.48 set in Bonn in 1986 was clipped by the young Plymouth star to 25.47.

Straughan is part of the highly acclaimed Plymouth Leander/Plymouth College swimming scholarship programme, recently plauded by Chris Martin, British Swimming’s Development Coach for having “perhaps the best set up in the UK for developing such swimmers”. Now in his second year in the scheme, the 15 year old GCSE student is showing great promise in a number of areas, having lowered the long course British Age Group records for 200m and 400m IM earlier in the year.

Jon Rudd, Head Coach of Plymouth Leander said “It’s really uplifting when you have athletes who take records from such luminaries as Mark and Liam, even though they are not Olympic events. He’s in good company on that record sheet and the fact that he has also set British records in long course middle distance IM’s means that no-one will be pigeon holding him too early, and that’s just how we would want it”.

It was a nice touch for Liam to send his best wishes to Sam (via James Edmonds at the BUSA Championships) for taking the much covetted record.

PL's Achieng Ajulu-Bushell and Antony James were announced as the Top Male and Top Female swimmers of the meet for their performances in the 50m Breaststroke and 100m Butterfly respectively, whilst Leander were also named as the run-away winners of the Top Club Award.

Aspiring National and International swimmers interested in secondary school education and swimming scholarships with the UK’s leading swimming academy should contact Jon Rudd on 0044 1752 203243

Full results for the 2008 Haslemere Open can be found here

**Top Club Award**
1	Plymouth Leander	1585
2	Millfield School	731
3	Leatherhead	581
4	Millfield Prep	523
5	Haslemere	475
6	Crawley	457
7	Kiingston Royals	390
8	Bracknell & Wokingham	372
9	Basingstoke Bluefins	303
10	Locks Heath	209

Jarvis Takes Silver At Commonwealth Youth Games!

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:27:26 +0000

Pune, India: The exciting prospect that is Calum Jarvis was to return from the 2009 Commonwealth Youth Games with a silver medal round his neck and some highly promising early season times under tough conditions in the sweltering Indian heat. PL were to have six athletes selected to compete at the meet from five different nations, with Calum Jarvis (Wales) joined by David Gregory (England), Grant Halsall (Isle of Man) and Heather Millar (Isle of Man) also taking great International experience from the occasion. Achieng Ajulu-Bushell (Kenya) and Christian Homer (Trinidad & Tobago) opted to decline their country’s selections due to academic commitments.

All six of the PL athletes are swimming scholars in the highly successful Plymouth Leander/Plymouth College swimming scholarship programme. The four-day meet was held in an outdoor venue and under stressful conditions, including rats in the accommodation and the actual site for the Games still under construction during the Opening Ceremony.

Calum’s silver was to come courtesy of the Welsh 4 x 200m Freestyle relay, in which he anchored the quartet to their medal behind Australia. Earlier in the meet he had just missed an individual medal in the 200m Backstroke (2:06.44) for fourth and agonisingly hit the same position again in the 100m Backstroke (58.87). Personal best timse in the 50m Backstroke and 50m Freestyle were also encouraging swims for the young hopeful.

David Gregory’s international debut was also a successful affair. Having to withdraw from Great Britain’s End of Year Tour to Australia in 2007 through a back injury had driven Dave to his first actual international cap as he competed in several finals for England throughout the meet. Fifth spot in the 100m Backstroke (59.20) was followed up with sixth in the 200m IM (2:10.65) and eighth in the 200m Backstroke (2:09.99). Dave was also to lead off the England 400m Medley relay with an inspired 58.99 Backstroke leg, inside the time of his individual final swim in this event, typical of his lionhearted nature.

Heather Millar was unable to put a foot wrong in Isle of Man colours as she swam to personal best times in all of her events, her highest position being eleventh in the 200m Freestyle. Grant Halsall was also to just miss out on finals, finishing as reserve for the 200m Backstroke final.

Full results for the meet can be found here

Emma Ready For Senior British Test At 2008 European Short Course!

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:10:58 +0000

Rijeka, Croatia: It’s been a rollercoaster ride for Emma Wilkins since her major breakthrough at the British Championships in April of this year and it hasn’t stopped yet with the announcement that she will form part of the British team that will travel to the LEN European Short Course Championships from 11th – 14th December in Rijeka, Croatia.

Emma, who is sponsored by Wilkinsons Stores, will feature amongst a large British contingent, including thirteen British athletes from the Beijing Olympics, all appreciating that this is the starting point on their journey towards London 2012.

Having just missed out on Olympic selection for the Beijing 400m Freestyle relay, (Emma finished sixth in the 100m Freestyle at the Trials and GB took five athletes to the Games), Emma was a finalist at the World Junior Championships in Monterrey, Mexico during July alongside fellow PL stars Zoe Hester and Achieng Ajulu-Bushell. It was only a matter of days before she claimed her first Senior British cap as part of the GB team travelling to the International Tri-Meet in Quebec City, Canada, where, taking on some of the top sprint athletes from France and Canada, she returned for a well earned summer break with four silver medals to her name. PL team mates Antony James and Zoe Hester also formed part of the same GB squad in Quebec.

Emma will compete in three events over the four days in Rijeka, the 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle and as part of the 200m Freestyle relay. A fourth swim could be on the cards as part of the 200m Medley relay based on her performance in the individual 50m Freestyle at the Championships.

Further details on the European Short Course Championships can be found here

National Swimming League 'B' Team - PL Start The Division 2 Onslaught!

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:15:28 +0000

Plymouth, England: It was a historical day in Plymouth Leander’s history when their first ever ‘B’ team stepped into the National Swimming League fray last year and decimated Division 3. Bolstered by a home draw at Plymouth's Central Park Pools in Division 2 this time round, their foot had to be firmly on the pedal from the very start.

“We want to make League history”, claims Head Coach Jon Rudd. “The first Club to ever have two teams in the Premier Division – and within three years. That’s our intention”. So can the leap frog from Division 3, to 2, to 1 and then to the Premier occur by 2010?

Once again, it would seem so...

The Plymouth Leander ‘B’ team commenced their Western Division Two campaign with a fine victory, recording no fewer than 31 race victories from the 50 events on the card and eventually finishing in top spot, some 68 points clear of second place.

Three members of the girls team weighed in with two victories from their individual events: Sammy Conroy got the team off to a flying start with victory in the 100m IM and then added another victory in the 100m Breaststroke. Natalie Steele made her debut for PL and swam to two impressive wins, in the 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle. Hannah Schulz also recorded two individual wins, in the 15 years 100m Butterfly and 100m Breaststroke.

Further girl’s victories came from Megan Bushnell in the Open 100m Backstroke, Emma Williams in the 15 years 100m Backstroke, Kelcey Pillage in the 13 years 50m Butterfly, Sinead Davies in the 50m Breaststroke in this age band, Abi Carne in the 13 years 50m Backstroke and, last but not least, Lara Cosford in the 13 years 50m Freestyle. Dani Baker also swam powerfully to come home second in the 11 years 50m Backstroke.

Donal Drought led the way for the boys as the Irish International recorded excellent victories in both the Open 100m IM and 100m Freestyle events. Louis Nicholls finished first in the Open 100m Backstroke and then also took second in the 100m Butterfly. Fabian Whitbread was first in the Open 100m Breaststroke whilst National Champion Mitchell Adshead took top spot in the 15 years 100m Breaststroke. Jordan Sharples was to win the 100m Freestyle in the 15 years age group on his PL debut since moving from Stockport Metro, whilst Alex Simon was first in the 100m Butterfly and Joe Patching brought home the win in the 15 years 100m Backstroke. Alex Pillage was first in the 50m Backstroke in the 11 years age group.

Harry Ackland claimed two second place finishes in 13 years races, in the 50m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly, with Billy Patching coming home second in the 13 years 50m Freestyle. Joshua Carnell was also a runner-up in the 13 years 50m Backstroke.

In the relay events. the PL 'B's' looked a true Premier Division force, swimming to no fewer than ten firsts and two second place finishes. In the Girls 13 years age group, the team of Abi Carne, Sinead Davies, Kelcey Pillage and Lara Cosford were victorious in the 200m Medley event, whilst Rebekah James joined the fold to take first place in the Freestyle relay. The boys 13 years team of Joshua Carnell, Harry Ackland, Lawrence Jackson and Billy Patching took second place in both their 200m Freestyle and Medley events.

The girls 15 years team of Emma Williams, Laura Hudson, Hannah Cunningham and Hannah Schulz won the 200m Freestyle relay, while Emma Williams, Hannah Schulz, Laura Hudson and Laura Froshaug combined to bring home the win in the Medley event. The boys 15 years team were also victorious in both of their events, with Joe Patching, Alex Simon, Mitchell Adshead and Jordan Sharples winning the 200m Medley relay, with Aaron Rickhaus in on the action for the equivalent Freestyle relay victory.

In the Girls Open relays, the team of Megan Bushnell, Sammy Conroy, Natalie Steele and Laura Froshaug won the 200m Medley event, whilst Holly Campbell, Megan Bushnell, Sammy Conroy, Hannah Schulz, Natalie Steele and Charlotte Foulds were to triumph in the 6x50m Freestyle relay.

The Boys Open relay team of Donal Drought, Steve Bambrick, Louis Nicholls and Ainsley Morgan won the 200m Medley event before adding Fabian Whitbread and Chris Ryan to their ranks to finish off the round off with victory in the 6x50m Freestyle relay.

So, a great start to the season for the ‘B’ team, with a vast number of new best times for many of the swimmers. A good number of athletes were either swimming up an age group or in the lower end of their own age range, yet it never showed. Bring on that Division 2 Final; Division 1, you're next!!

National (Western) Swimming League Division 2 Round 1 - Central Park Pools, Plymouth
Pos	Team	Points
1st	Plymouth Leander ‘B’	259
2nd	Bodmin Dragons	191
3rd	Christchurch Seagulls	172
4th	West Wiltshire Force 5 'B'	161
5th	Newton Abbot	152
6th	Torridgeside	108