REDDITCH SC triumphed over 10 other clubs in the Worcester County Relay competition to claim the Bert Owen Shield at Central Baths in Wolverhampton.
The club won the Bert Owen Shield for the first time in their history to end Worcester SC’s eight-year hold on the competition after finishing on 187 points, 27 points clear of second-placed Stourbridge SC.
And the event, which has been held annually since 1986, saw 84 races take place with 200-metre freestyle and medley relays contested by boys, girls, masters and mixed teams with competitors aged nine and above
Head Coach Jon Fletcher said: “I am absolutely delighted with our performance. Our skills were excellent throughout and we proved that we are strong in all areas by winning the Top Club.
“With it being the first time in our history to win it, it continues to show we are on the right track and progress is being made.
“All of our squads are working hard and this is the reward for doing so. It was a really enjoyable day with great competition from other clubs in the county.
“The only downside of winning the competition is that after the club’s recent successes in other swimming competitions, the club’s trophy display cabinet is overfull.
“What a great problem for any club to have!”
Prior to that success, Redditch finished sixth in the finals of the PGL competition at the GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester.
Competing against seven other club’s from the region, Redditch’s swimmers, aged from nine to 14-years-old, achieved several personal best times.
However, event rules dictate that swimmers will receive a ‘speeding ticket’ if they swim too fast which means those points will not count to the team’s overall total.
This meant Redditch were not serious contenders on the day with 62 events held over 25 and 50-metre distances as well as team relays.
Junior Squad Coach, Adrian Rodd said: “There was great team spirit on the day. I wanted our swimmers to go out there and swim as fast as they could and I’m very proud when a swimmer achieves a personal best time.
“It was great to see the progression that so many of our swimmers have made through this competition. That’s what competitive swimming is all about and Redditch is consistently showing that we are getting better at getting faster.”
