MASTERS SHINE AT SHREWSBURY
Eight City of Chesters swimmers braved the arctic conditions to make it to Shrewsbury for the first masters gala of the new decade on Saturday 9th January. Brenda Walker was the sole female representative and she flew the flag in style, topping the 70-74 age group in the 100mtrs I.M.,100mtrs B/S, 50mtrs Brst, 50mtrs Fly and 50mtrs F/S (in which she set a meet record.)
Husband Tom also had an excellent meet, coming first in the 75-79 age group in the 100mtrs B/S, 100mtrs Brst, 50mtrs Fly and 50mtrs F/S. He not only set meet records in all his races but also set a new British record in the 100mtrs Brst. Top dog honours in the same age group however, went to Brian Shenstone, who came 1st in the 100mtrs I.M.,100mtrs F/S, 50mtrs B/S (in which he set a meet record), 25mtrs Fly and 25mtrs Brst.
Moving down the age brackets, Tony Orme and Victor Parfrement went head to head in the 65-69 age group, both putting in excellent performances, with Tony gaining 1sts in the 25 mtrs F/S and Brst, 2nd in the 25mtrs B/S and Fly and 4th in the 100mtrs I.M. Victor set a meet record to win the 50mtrs Brst, also coming 1st in the 50mtrs B/S. He claimed 2nd spot in the 50mtrs Fly and 3rd spot in the 100mtrs I.M. and 50mtrs F/S.
Tony Fields rolled back the years in the 60-64 age group to win the 50mtrs F/S, coming 2nd in the 100mtrs Brst and 50mtrs B/S, with a 3rd in the 25mtrs Fly and a 5th in the 100mtrs I.M.
In a very competitive 40-44 age group, John Darby achieved 8th spot in 3 of his races, the 100mtrs I.M., 50mtrs Fly and 50mtrs Brst. In clinching 5th place in the 100mtrs F/S he swam his fastest in 2 and a half years.
Last but by no means least, Chris Malpass swam superbly in the 30-34 age group, coming 1st in all of his races and in the process setting meet records in the 100mtrs Fly, F/S and I.M., 50mtrs B/S and 25mtrs Brst.
The swimmer's efforts were rewarded with 7th position in the overall team standings.
(Photo shows Back Row from L to R Tom Walker, Chris Malpass and John Darby, Front Row from L to R Tony Fields, Victor Parfrement, Brenda Walker, Tony Orme and Brian Shenstone.)
