PLYMOUTH College are relishing another battle with their big rivals Millfield at the English Schools’ Swimming Association National Relay Finals at London’s Olympic Pool in November.
The two schools have qualified with an equal number of top rank seedings for the event – six each in the 12 relay competition.
Qualifying took place at the South West Regional Championships where Plymouth College came out top with six gold, six silver and two bronze medals.
Millfield won six gold, three silver and five bronze medals.
The only other school to win medals was Tavistock-based Mount Kelly, who collected three silver and five bronzes.
Plymouth College dominated the senior age category (Years 11, 12 and 13) at the regional qualifiers, winning all four relays in both the male and female events.
Plymouth’s senior female medley team were particularly strong, with their A side of Ella Bowkley, Victoria Russell, Laura Stephens and Emma England winning and their B team grabbing bronze.
The city college’s female 200m freestyle quartet of England, Jessica Jackson, Felicity Passon and Anita M’Cartney also comfortably won, with the school’s C team claiming a fine bronze.
It was a similar story in the senior male medley relay, with Kregor Zirk, Federico Poggio, Darren Lim and Tom Fannon simply unstoppable.
Zirk, Fannon and Lim were to link up with Myles Pillage to seal another clear victory in the freestyle equivalent.
In the intermediate age group (Years 9 and 10), Plymouth College’s male medley team of Charlie Boden, Morgan Newman, Sam Dailley and Eanna O’Hara were to clinch gold, with the female title in this age category also secured courtesy of Molly Barton, Tegan Drew, Jazz Harbour and Lucy Armitage.
Silver medals for Plymouth, and a number a mere whisker away from gold, came in the intermediate female freestyle relay and the junior (Years 7 and 8) female medley and freestyle events.
The junior male freestyle and medley relays were also to take silver, as were the intermediate male freestyle relay team.
The national finals will take place on November 21 at the London Aquatics Centre, where Plymouth College pupil Ruta Meilutyte won gold in 2012.
Students aged 11-18 years wishing to benefit from a first class education and a world-class swimming programme via Plymouth College can find out more from www.plymouthcollege.com