Prize Day and BBQ

The annual BBQ and Prize Giving will take place on Sunday 12th June at the Blue Circle Boat Club, Magheramorne from 3pm. Tickets on sale now (Adults £5, Children £2.50).

Teletots Subsidiary Final

The Teletots Subsidiary Final takes place on Friday 3rd June 2005 against Templemore and City of Belfast at Queens P E Centre. The bus leaves Larne at 6.45pm and stops at Ballynure at 7pm. Warm up is at 7.30pm and the gala starts at 8pm. A close contest is expected, please support your team.

LARNE SWIMMING CLUB IN RECORD BREAKING FORM by Peter Watson

Larne Swimming Club competitors set the pool on fire at the recent Ulster Age Group Championships. Over the course of the two weekends they set ten new Age Group Championship records and won twenty gold, fourteen silver and twelve bronze medals and capped off a stunning performance with an amazing new Ulster Junior Record in the boys 4 x 50m freestyle relay.

This year it was the boys who set the pace and set all the records. The star of the show was 15 year old Wilson Logan who set five new individual records and won six gold and two silver medals. Wilson's records came in the 200m, 400m & 1500m freestyle, the 200m butterfly and the 400m Individual medley. His 1500m freestyle time of 16.52.84 not only put him under 17 minutes for the first time but broke his own record of 17.19.96 set last year. His other gold medal was in the 200m Individual Medley.

In the same Age Group, Conor Leaney was also in sparkling form with two new records, four golds and three silver medals. Conor's records came in the 100m freestyle and the 200m backstroke. He also won gold in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly.

The other record breaker was Mark Wylie who made his mark in the 11-year age group with a new Championship record of 1.27.56 in the 100m breaststroke. Mark won four golds in the 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and the 200m and 400m individual medley events. He also picked up two silver medals.

In the 15 years boys events, Shane Traill won a silver in the 100m breaststroke and a bronze in the 200m Individual medley and would have had more medals but for two unfortunate disqualifications.

Matthew Harkness won a silver in the 13 year 100m freestyle and Gary Andrews won bronze in the 11 year 100m freestyle. Gavin Williamson made five finals, coming fourth in the 100m & 200m breaststroke and 100m freestyle, fifth in the 100m backstroke and sixth in the 200m freestyle. Owen Williamson and Nick Browne also made finals, Owen coming fourth in the 12 year old 100m breaststroke and Nick fifth in the same event at 16-19 years.

Young Charlotte Hall was the top girl in the Larne squad winning two gold and three silver medals in the 11-year age group. Her golds came in the 100m and 400m freestyle races, with silver in the 200m & 400m individual medley and 100m backstroke events.

Laura Heaton won gold in the 14 years 400m freestyle but was pipped into second in the 800m freestyle and also won bronze in the 100m and 200m freestyle races. Caroline Gordon won gold in the 16-18 year 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 200m breaststroke. Sarah Moore bagged four medals in the 13-year age group; a silver in the 400m individual medley and bronzes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly. Ciara Campbell won a bronze in the 15 year 100m freestyle and was fourth in the 100m backstroke and sixth in the 200m backstroke.

Other finalists were Niamh Gilmore, fourth in the 16-18 year 100m breaststroke; Devon Rainey, fifth in the 13 year 100m backstroke; Eimear Black, sixth in the 14 year 100m backstroke and Helen Watson, eighth in the 16-18 100m butterfly.

In the relay events, the girls 16-18 year team of Kate and Caroline Gordon, Niamh Gilmore and Helen Watson won bronze in both the medley and freestyle races, while the girls 14-15 year team of Laura Heaton, Eimear Black, Shereena Donley and Ciara Campbell won bronze in their freestyle event. The 10/11 year boys team of Andrew Ferguson, Mark Wylie, Gary Andrews and Dale McBurney came fourth in both of their events as did the 12-13 year old boys team of Patrick Brines, Stephen Andrews, Owen Williamson and Matthew Harkness in the Freestyle event.

The boys' 14-15 year team of Conor Leaney, Gavin Williamson, Shane Traill and Wilson Logan were the undoubted stars of the show. These four boys teamed up to produce the outstanding performances of the meet in their two relay events. First, they set a new 4 x 50m medley relay record of 1.58.34, taking over three seconds off the old record and pushing it under the two minute mark for the first time. Then, chasing an Ulster Junior (under 18) record in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay, as they waited for their final, they had to watch City of Belfast break the record in the immediately preceding boys 16-18 year event with a time of 1.44.15. This only stiffened their resolve, and, after a final pep talk from Coach Raymond Skillen and urged on by a noisy crowd of Larne supporters, they smashed the five minute old Ulster Junior Record with a time of 1.42.80, also slashing nearly five seconds off the Championship Record in the process. This performance is all the more remarkable as all four boys are only 15, and have three more years as Juniors.

It was a fitting way to round off a fantastic performance by all the Club competitors that confirms Larne's place as one of the top swimming Clubs in Ulster.

Success at final weekend of UAG

Larne Swimming Club's success continued on the final weekend of the Ulster Age Group Championships at the Grove on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May.

Wilson Logan (15) was out on his own when he stormed home to victory and took 1st place in the 200m Butterfly (2.14.93) setting a new Ulster Age Group record. His success continued when he took 1st in the 400m Freestyle recording a time of 4.09.93 and not only did he set a new Ulster Age Group record in the event, he also broke the record in the 16 - 18 year age group! Wilson then went on to set his third Ulster Age Group record of the day when he won the 1500m Freestyle.

Team mate Conor Leaney excelled in the 200m backstroke taking first place in a time of 2.18.00 to set yet another Ulster Age Group record. In the 100m Butterfly Conor took 1st place in a hard fought race with Wilson Logan (2nd) and also took 2nd in the 200m Butterfly and 400m Freestyle recording personal best times in all three events.

Eleven year old Charlotte Hall swam tremendous races and the rewards for her determination were shown in her excellent results. She was placed 1st in the 100m Freestyle, 1st in the 400m Freestyle and 2nd in the 200m Individual Medley and recorded PBs in each race. She is surely a strong contender amongst the girls for the Elizabeth Long Trophy which is presented to the most promising 11 year old swimmer in Ulster.

Mark Wylie, another strong contender for the Elizabeth Long Trophy amongst the 11 year old boys, did himself justice setting a new Ulster Age Group record when he swam a magnificent race taking 1st place in the 100m breaststroke. He also had excellent swims in the 100m Individual Medley in which he was placed 1st and the100m Freestyle (2nd) with club mate Gary Andrews taking 3rd.

Matthew Harkness (12) was placed 2nd in the 100m Freestyle after fighting a very close race with City of Belfast's Gavin Carmichael only to be pipped at the post. Never the less Matthew's swim earned him a fantastic 4 second PB with a time of 1.03.97.

Sixteen year old Caroline Gordon recent success at the Irish Long Course Championships continued at the Ulster Age Groups when she took gold in the 100m Breaststroke with personal best time of 1.17.13.

Other swimmers worthy of mention are sisters Laura & Sophie Heaton and brothers Gavin & Owen Williamson. Laura (14) recorded a 9 second PB and was placed 3rd in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4.37.48; she then took 2nd place in the 800m Freestyle. Sophie (11) swam an excellent race in her 100m backstroke and not only recorded a personal best time (1.30.62) but gained her Irish Age Group (Division 2) qualification time.

Fifteen year old Gavin Williamson continued a successful season, knocking off nearly 15 seconds in his 400 freestyle to clock a new PB of 4.41.69 whilst younger brother Owen (11) slashed his 100m backstroke time by 11 seconds to 1.26.76 and his 100m freestyle by 8 seconds to 1.16.10. These times should stand all four swimmers in good stead when they compete in the Irish Age Groups later in the season.

Numerous PBs were recorded over the weekend proving that the commitment shown by all of Larne’s swim team during the many hours of arduous training sessions to be worth while. Although this was a very successful weekend for the club there was no rest for the swimmers and it was back into the pool at 6am on Monday morning in preparation for their next major meets at the Irish Age Groups in Limerick which are held in June and July.