Solid display from Junior Fenland League swimmers

West Norfolk Swimming Club’s Junior Fenland League team finished their 2023 campaign with a solid performance in the A Final last month.

Taking place at Whittlesey, the event saw the four teams with the best record across the season’s fixtures compete head to head in one last competition to settle their final league placing for the year.

After an incredibly successful season, Oliver Kenny’s squad found themselves competing against St Ives, Wisbech and the City of Peterborough’s A Team.

Andrej Talapins got the ball rolling in the opening 100m individual medley for the boy’s 12 years category, with Rejus Mazeika providing a second in the boy’s 13 year 50m backstroke.

Harriet Wells struck gold in the girl’s 9 years 50m freestyle, but the search for a third West Norfolk victory was initially illusive.

Joshua Norris, Nellie Chadderton and Arya Richardson secured West Norfolk three runner-up spots in four races. Further silvers followed for Talapins, Chadderton and Cory Hill.

In the boy’s 13 years 50m butterfly, Talapins claimed the club’s third set of full points, racing Euan White of Peterborough down to the wire to take victory by one one-hundredth of a second.

West Norfolk then went on to dominate the closing relay event to end the evening 27 points clear of their nearest challengers Ely and head into the second round of the season sat in second place of the 13-team table – positioned behind table-topping Wisbech on tie break.

Second place finishes were once again delivered in plentiful supply in the races that followed, courtesy of Martha More, Oliver Veale and Richardson, before Mazeika took West Norfolk’s fourth victory in the boy’s 13 years’ 50m freestyle.

Leo Harrington repeated the feat shortly afterwards in the boy’s 9 years’ 50m backstroke to kickstart a strong final run of races which saw further wins from Veale in the boy’s11 years’ 50m breaststroke, Mazeika in the boy’s 13 years 100m IM and Ruby Stewardbrown in the corresponding event for the girls.

West Norfolkwere placed third on the evening’s scoreboard with 144 points, but had done enough to lock down second place in the year’s league table, finishing one point ahead of City of Peterborough.