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Outstanding achievement celebrated at Littledown

March 10, 2025   By


Always a showcase for local talent, this year’s Dorset County Championships at Littledown was no exception with a special presentation held on Saturday 8 February to acknowledge outstanding achievements of our members, some of which were retrospective and others more recent.

The presentation began with Halle Harris and Oliver Jones, both of Poole SC, together with Seagulls’ Jonathan Thring all of whom had set a bevy of new County Records. Awards also went to Oliver Jones for his First International Selection representing Team England in Dubai in 2023 and Poole’s Charlie Meek who represented Team England in Sweden in 2024.

Moving on to Para-Swimming, Zack Sturgess of BCS received recognition for setting a new British Swimming LC Record in 200m Butterfly, and awards went to West Dorset’s Harry Stewart for First International Selection for Team GB at the Para Swimming European Championships in Madeira 2024 and again representing Team GB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Finally, a massive and very warm welcome was given to 2024 Paris Paralympian and 100m Breaststroke gold medallist, Leo McCrea of Bournemouth Collegiate.

Our all-important coaches were not forgotten with an award for coaching excellence going to Leo’s coach from Bournemouth Collegiate, James Ryan. Next, for her First International Selection as Team England Group Coach at the Swedish Grand Prix 2024, came Jan Hutchings of Poole and last but not least, exceptional coaching awards for selection as Team England Head Coach for the Commonwealth Youth Games 2023, British Swimming Head Coach Toronto 2023 and Team England Head Coach Luxembourg 2024, were presented to Barry Alldrick.

The final awards of the day went to some of Dorset County ASA’s die-hard Open Water and Masters swimmers. The first, for a six-man Channel Relay Swim in 2023 which, with an average age of 77 years and 105 days, resulted in a Guinness World Record for The Oldest Male Relay Team, went to Poole Masters’ Robert Lloyd-Evans and his team-mate Bob Roberts from Weyport Masters. The next, for a solo Channel Swim in August 2024 which she completed in 12 hr 10 mins, went to Wendy Bates from Seagulls Masters and finally, for their First International Selection representing Great Britain at the World Ice Swimming Championships in Italy in January 2025, and competing in water temperature of around 2C, awards for exceptional achievement – and endurance! – were presented to Seagulls’ Wendy Bates and Elizabeth Mills of Poole Masters.

The Dorset County ASA Achievement Awards were presented by DCASA President Karen Yendole, together with the President of Swim England South West Region Maurice Leaver and President of Somerset ASA, Paul Chillingworth.

Photos (courtesy of Deby Sturgess):
Presidents (top left, l-r): Paul Chillingworth, Maurice Cleaver and DCASA President Karen Yendole.
Coaches (lower left, l-r): Barry Alldrick, Jan Hutchings and James Ryan.
Para-Swimmers (top right, l-r): Zack Sturgess, Harry Stewart and Leo McCrea.
Masters: lower right, l-r): Elizabeth Mills, Robert Lloyd-Evans and Wendy Bates.

Dorset County Championships 2025

January 23, 2025   By


President: Karen Yendole

Programmes & Timetable

Day 1: Sunday 2 February at Dorchester Programme

Day 2:  Saturday 8 February at Littledown Programme

Day 3: Sunday 9 February at Littledown Programme

    Day 4: Sunday 16 February at Dorchester Programme

Day 5: Saturday 22 February at Littledown Programme

Visiting Presidents:

Maurice Cleaver, Swim England South West

Paul Chillingworth, Somerset ASA

Day 6: Sunday 23 February at Littledown Programme

LIVE RESULTS HERE

General Information

Dorset County Championships CBTs

Dorset County Championships Trophies Presentations

A chilly few days for Liz and Wendy

January 21, 2025   By


Two Dorset Masters swimmers have just completed a chilly few days taking part in the Sixth International World Ice Swimming Championships 2025 in Molveno, Italy having been selected to represent GB. With the water hovering around 2C most days and the air temperature sub-zero, Liz Mills from Poole SC and Seagulls’ Wendy Bates nevertheless took to the water with Wendy telling the BBC that “Once you warm up, the buzz is such a good feeling afterwards.”

Ice swimming events take place in all four strokes, but swimmers do not dive at the start and they push off, rather than tumble, on turns; the longest distance is 1km.

Competing in the 45-49 years age group, Liz brought home silver and bronze medals in the 100m Butterfly and 50m Butterfly respectively, while finishing in fifth place in the 200m Individual Medley. In the 40-44 years age group, Wendy took fourth (500m Freestyle), seventh (250m Freestyle) and eighth (100m Freestyle) places. With 48 countries and 750 swimmers taking part, a significant achievement for both. Well done ladies!

Liz and Wendy train together at Shaftesbury Lido as well as with their home clubs. However, we doubt ice has to be removed from the pool very often before they can dive in!

Photo: L-R Dorset Masters swimmers Liz Mills and Wendy Bates.

Dorset Masters (and friends) set new World Record

November 30, 2024   By


A six-man relay team that included two Dorset Masters has set a new Guinness World Record for swimming the English Channel.

Departing from Shakespeare Beach in Dover on 8 October 2023 at 2.42 am and arriving at Sangatte, France at 7.47 pm, 81-year old Robert Lloyd Evans from Poole SC and 76-year old Weyport Masters Bob Roberts, together with team-mates of equally senior years from 74 to 80 years of age, made the arduous crossing in an impressive 17 hours 5 minutes.

The record was set under the auspices of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation and the team, known as ‘One Foot in the Wave 3’, was piloted by Simon Ellis onboard High Hopes.

With an average age of 77 years 105 days, this bettered the previous record (average age of 73 years 318 days) set by ‘The Septuagenarians’ on 7 September 2015, a team of British swimmers which also included the-then 72-year old Robert Lloyd-Evans.

The oldest solo male to swim across the English Channel is South African Otto Thaning who made the swim aged 73 years 177 days on 6 September 2014.

The female solo record is still held by another Dorset swimmer and Triathlon Age Group World Champion, Weyport Master Linda Ashmore who swam the Channel aged 71 years 305 days on 21 August 2018.

Photo: (L-R) Brits Bob Roberts (b: 1947), Chris Stockdale (b: 1943), Andy Nation (b:1949), Kevin Murphy (b:1949), Robert Lloyd-Evans (b: 1942), and Australian Don Riddington (b: 1945).