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Swimmers Selected for Welsh Youth and Regional Squads
Two members of the Bridgend County Swim Squad have been selected for the Welsh National Youth Squad for 2006 to 2007.
Sara Lougher from Pantygog who is 12 and 13 year old Bethan Davis from Brackla have been selected after achieving tough qualifying times at the British National Age Group Championships last July. Both swimmers have come through the development squads of the club having joined when they were 9 and 7 years old respectively from the council run swimming lessons programme.
The Youth Squad consists of swimmers aged 12 to 17 years old and this year only fifteen swimmers have been selected with just eight of the swimmers based in Wales. Sara and Bethan will now take part in training camps alongside the Welsh Senior Elite Squad which includes David Davies.
There was more good news with another twelve members of the squad selected for the South East Wales Regional Development and Skills Programme. Those selected for the Regional Development Programme are Hayley Roberts, Rebekah Jones, Victoria Howell, Craig Thomas and Mark Ennis. For the Regional Skills Programme, Chloe Laforges, Lucy Davis, Luke Parkes, Joshua Thomas, Kieran MacKenzie, Matthew Sullivan and Lloyd Jerwood have been selected.
The programme selects the best swimmers from across the region based on qualifying times. These swimmers will know take part in a series of development training camps.
Mark Ennis and Craig Thomas have also been selected along with Bethan Davis and Sara Lougher to represent South Wales in Division 1 of the National Team County Championships to be held in Sheffield at the end of October. Thirty nine teams from Division 1 & 2 will compete in the event, four from Scotland, thirty three from England and two from Wales. For Craigthis follows on from his representation for Welsh Schools at the UK Schools Games in Glasgow back in September.
For a club the size of Bridgend getting fourteen swimmers into these programmes is a great achievement and is a reflection of the effort put in by both swimmers and coaches led by head coach Phil Melhuish.
October 2006
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