Strong start to the season for Oldham Aquatics

Oldham Aquatics team

The Oldham Aquatics squad finished the Championships, which were held over three weekends in January and February, with six golds, nine silvers and six bronzes. The events were held across two sites – the Manchester Aquatic Centre and Wavertree Aquatic Centre, Liverpool

Oliver Parry (11), Kimberley Burston (15, from Shaw) and Molly Roodhouse (18) each became county champions, and Oldham boasted a number of other medallists and finalists.

“Our swimmers performed outstandingly well at this year’s County Championships,” says Head Coach Mark Lord. “We managed to beat last year’s medal total inside the first weekend alone and we had a number of standout swims across the event.”

In the Boys 10/11 Year age group, Parry grabbed four golds, a silver and two bronzes with wins in the 200m Individual Medley plus the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke. “During the first weekend, Oliver won five medals from five events and also posted six long course (50m pool) personal bests across the championship; an amazing achievement,” says Lord. “New personal bests helped him win a 50m Backstroke silver as well as bronze in both the 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly.”

Burston won 50m Butterfly in the Girls 15 Year age group while Roodhouse finished first in the 100m Breaststroke in the Girls 17 Year and over age group, with both setting new long course personal bests.

Roodhouse also won silver in the Girls 17 Year and over 200m Individual Medley and 200m Breaststroke, plus bronze in the 50m Butterfly behind teammate Jessica Calderbank, 21, from Bury, who secured silver. Calderbank also finished second in the 200m Butterfly and third in the 100m Freestyle.

The squad, which trains at Oldham Leisure Centre on Middleton Road, will now aim to gain qualification times over the next few months for the Regional Championships at the end of April.

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