Three members of Stratford Sharks, George Brear (18), Joe Evans (16) and Michael Ankrett (16) along with Head Coach Mike Cole, recently travelled to the new East Midlands International Pool in Corby to compete in the Midlands Region Short Course (25m) Championships.

  A high standard competition sees the best swimmers from the nine counties making up the East & West Midlands A.S.A Regions competing in events in which they have attained demanding qualifying times. The three Sharks swimmers were competing in the extremely tough Open Age Group (16 and over) against representatives from some of the countries top performance squads which this year included Loughborough University.

  First into action was Joe Evans (16) setting a new short course personal best (pb) for 17th place in the 400m freestyle. George Brear (18) then set a new pb in the 50m breaststroke to finish 9th and first reserve for the afternoon’s final in which he subsequently swam to take an impressive 7th place. Evans, Brear and Michael Ankrett (16) then contested the 100m freestyle, finishing 27th, 39th and 89th respectively in a large field of 134 competitors. Ankrett then went on to set a new pb in the 50m fly.

  On the second day, Joe Evans and Michael Ankrett contested the 200m freestyle finishing 18th & 80th with Evans gaining a new pb and the qualifying time to compete in this event in the National Youth Championships next summer. George Brear was in action in the 100m breaststroke just missing out on another final finishing 10th with Joe Evans just short of his pb in the 100m fly for 21st. George Brear and Michael Ankrett both achieved new pb’s in the 50m freestyle for 28th & 73rd before Brear added another pb in the 100m individual medley finishing 14th.