Southampton duo aid in a Hampshire Three-peat at Inter-Counties

James MacTavish

The close of another annual cycle for the Masters...and arguably the fiercest competition of the year! Upon every second weekend in November, all the Counties of England coalesce within their respective regions to take part in the Inter-County Masters Championships, with venues ranging from Millfield School in Glastonbury to the newly opened Sandwell Commonwealth Centre in Birmingham. Up for the taking are both the Regional crowns, but also the honourable title of Top County across all Thirty-Two ceremonials - a title that Hampshire and the Channel Islands snatched in 2023 for only the second time in the event's history.

What always makes these collective events so interesting is the shift in club alliegience over the 12 month period...as is typical, Masters swimmers are nomadic, and with Higher Education and Job opportunities often resulting in new membership elsewhere in the Country, bright talent can find new County colours, and turn results aroudn in an instant. Add to that, the sheer amount of organising that need go into pulling together a twenty-five strong team across all age-groups (from Senior divisions at 18-24yrs, right up to veterans over 75yrs!) and stitching of relays for various cumulative events, it is frequently the case that successful Counties from the previous year end up struggling to field a full complement, let alone defend titles.

Did this happen to Hampshire and the Channel Islands - thankfully, no...not quite. Thanks to the quick dexterity of Captain Martin Bennell (Basingstoke Bluefins) and his tireless championing of the event across our skill-stacked region, the South East division championship came the way of the Red and Yellow (those are the Hampshire colours...in case anyone was wondering!) once again and our third in a row , the glorious London Aquatics Centre once again the stage for victory. Amongst the proficient posse was Amanda Rush (55-59yrs) and Melissa Halford (25-29yrs), selected from Southampton Masters and putting in the shifts over the four hours worth of 50m splash-and-dashing...Rush taking second place over the 55-64yrs 50m Backstroke (00.36.37) and Dolby matching over the 25-34yrs 50m Butterfly (00.29.03) and Third over the 50m Freestyle (00.27.07)...Dolby not once dropping off the 27-second mark over both individual and relay Freestyle commitments. This all amongst some of the tightest finishes to an Inter-County Masters Championships this Secretary has ever seen...with splendid displays from both Middlesex and Surrey ASA, and the finale coming down to a mere handful of points awarded in the flurry of finishing relays.

When full National results were published a week later, it was sadly not quite to be for Hampshire / Channel Islands overall, as a resurgent Devon ASA reclaimed the premier position from 2022, and a tally of times from across England saw Surrey's efforts on the day pay off as the rankings pulled them into a desevered second place...Hampshire ASA coming in a close third with less than twenty overall points in it!

2025 will see Hampshire / Channel Islands themselves play host...and thankfully, given the central nature of the venerable Olympic Pool in the Captial, the scene will be neatly set for a good showdown next year, and no doubt the last minute scramble for new alliegences - remember, Hampshire and our Island compatriots boast some of the best individual clubs in Britain, and that's without including the prowess of the aligned Royal Navy and Army...the event always falling on Remembrance Sunday, somewhat awkwardly for Armed Forces recruitment! To achieve selection admist stern competition within this rapidly growing Aquatics discipline is worthy of note in itself, so congratulations again to Rush and Halford, and those nominated on the reserve list (Southampton had a few of those too...and you never know come the day, what might happen, so keep the date free!)

South East Regional Results :

1. Hampshire / Channel Islands : 416

2. Surrey : 408

3. Middlesex : 331.5

4. Berkshire and Buckinghamshire : 312

5. Sussex : 212.5

6. Oxfordshire : 187

7. Kent : 166

National Inter-County Results :

1. Devon : 1972

2. Surrey : 1963.5

3. Hampshire : 1951.5