Relay success key to Exeter progress

A MAGNIFICENT team effort helped Exeter City qualify for the final of the Arena National Swimming League Western Premier Division.

Top scoring for the city club were the under-11s girls' team, which scored 31 out of a possible 36 points.

golden girl: Tina Song-Ashdown, pictured racing in the freestyle, won her 50m backstroke event for the Exeter club MATT MINSHULL EE141109_MM01_05
making a splash: Exeter City's Vikki Bishop in action at the Pyramids MATT MINSHULL EE141109_MM01_06

Georgia Cotterill romped to victory in a personal best time of 35.42s in the 50m butterfly and followed that with second in the 50m freestyle.

Tina Song-Ashdown repeated her success from the first round with a win in the 50m backstroke with a time of 36.86s.

Cotterill and Song-Ashdown were joined by Millie Price and Rhiannon Loveman to score maximum points in both the medley and freestyle relays.

National schools champion George Fearnley was the only Exeter double winner on the night with victories in the 100m freestyle (59.07) and 100m butterfly (1:04.21).

The under-15s girls and under-15s boys teams both scored 26 with solid racing.

The medley and freestyle relays of both swam to second place and Sally Whybra in the 100m butterfly, Jess Twose in the 100m backstroke and Simon Cooper in the 100m breaststroke all swam to second place.

George Doggett recorded a PB in the under-11s 50m butterfly, only to finish second, and the under-13s boys team of Fearnley, Elliott Randall, Dan Goodchild and Ed Jackson were excellent in bagging second place in the freestyle relay.

Ryan Tancock took second place in the 100m butterfly in a time of 55.99 and was third in the 100m freestyle with a time of 52.84.

Millfield, third in the national A final last year, were the winners on the night with 216 points. Last year's national B final winners City of Cardiff were second with 205 points and Exeter were third with 188.

Exeter coach Jon Randall said: "We knew we had to swim well to reach the final and I have to say it was a team effort tonight — swimmers, coaches, team managers and supporters.

"The atmosphere was electric and we produced the swimming to match. I'm pretty sure the last set of eight relays was the best ever block of relays I've seen from Exeter .

"We were competitive on every race. The whole team is now looking forward to the final at Millfield in December."