23 March - More medals in the Surrey Sprint

Sutton and Cheam swimmers were out in force again on Saturday at the Surrey Age Group Championship sprints at Crystal Palace; 29 swimmers qualifying for 86 events and adding another 7 medals to bring the club's overall medal tally to 31.

William Ward, back to his best after illness, added a complete set of medals to his collection with gold in the Boys Age 13 breaststroke, silver in the 50m backstroke and bronze in the 50m freestyle events, all in personal best times. Michael Rees also on top form, added another silver in the Boys Age 12 50m backstroke and a bronze in the 50m breaststroke to bring his personal tally in this year's County Championships to 13 medals (8 silver, 5 bronze).

It was good to see April Hedges back on form, adding yet another silver in the Girls Age 11 50m backstroke, and Tomas Gibson added another in the Boys Age 12 50m freestyle. This was a particularly impressive swim as Tomas (seeded 7th), went below the 30 second mark for the first time in the preliminary round to reach the final, and then went a second quicker in the final to record his first individual Surrey medal. This was a particularly tough event with less than 1 second covering places 3 to 12, Michael Rees finishing 5th and Kieran Rutter 12th in the same race.

There were also excellent swims from Rosie Heape, Jake Meffan, Michael Rees, Imogen Smith, Charlie Carr, Teao Hughes and Kieran Rutter, all of whom reached finals, whilst Nathan Eves, Joseph Lenihan, Joe Phillpott-Clark and Ace Taylor all made the top 10.

In the BAGCAT Age Group Competition, Michael Rees finished a well-deserved second in the Boys Age 12, with Kieran Rutter and Tomas Gibson (joined at the hip as usual), finishing in 8th and 9th and separated by a single point in the same age group. Teao Hughes finished a very creditable 6th place in the Boys Age 14 BAGCAT competition whilst William Ward finished in 10th place in the Age 13 competition despite a harsh disqualification (from first place!) in an early round and then missing a complete weekend of the Championships through illness.

Very well done also to Toby Beer, Greg Gilbride, Joseph Lenihan, Ollie Griffiths, Roxy Came and Hannah Rees, all of whom qualified for the Surrey Championships for the first time; a brilliant effort.

With just the relays to go in two weeks time, Sutton and Cheam lie in 8th place in the medals table out of the 21 teams who have so far won medals; and in 7th place in the Tinlin Trophy 'Points' table, which being based only on swimmers reaching the top 8 places, is more a measure of the strength and depth in the club. Squad coaches Jim Walker, Helen Andrews and Alec Eves can be well-satisfied with the efforts of their swimmers.

Well done to all our qualifiers: Ace Taylor, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Alice Nicot, April Hedges, Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Erin Andrew, Greg Gilbride, Hannah Rees, Imogen Smith, Jake Meffan, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Joshua Eves, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Pearson, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Rosie Heape, Roxy Came, Samuel Rees, Teao Hughes, Toby Beer, Tomas Gibson, William Ward.

16 and 17 March - Surrey Age Group Championships

Sutton & Cheam had another very profitable weekend at the Surrey Championships with 24 swimmers qualifying for 74 events and adding 11 more medals (2 Gold, 5 Silver and 4 Bronze) to the 13 already won.

Pride of place must go to William Ward who came back with a vengeance after illness ruled him out of last week's events with 2 golds in the Boys Age 13 100m Individual Medley and 200m Breaststroke; a silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 100m butterfly to complete his set, all in personal best times.

Mr Consistent Michael Rees also added another 4 medals to his vast collection with silvers in the Boys age 12 100m backstroke and 200m breaststroke (where he missed gold by under a second), and bronze medals in the 100m freestyle and 100m individual medley also swimming new PBs in the process.

Athena Lewis Gkogka and Teao Hughes added silvers in the Girls 16+ 200m breaststroke and the Boys Age 14 200m butterfly events respectively; and Jake Meffan added another bronze to his collection in the Boys 16+ 100m backstroke in a fast time.

There were 14 other top 8 finishes from Toby Beer, Tomas Gibson, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Lois Martin, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter, Imogen Smith, Ace Taylor, and William Ward to push the club up the points table, and almost every swimmer swam personal bests, which pleased the coaches.

Toby Beer had a noteworthy performance in his first Surreys taking a whopping 14 seconds off his entry time to take 7th place in the Boys Age 9 100m Individual Medley and Sam Rees dipped below the minute in the 100m freestyle for the first time only to tie with another swimmer for 8th place and forced to swim-off for a place in the final. In the swim-off, Sam went even quicker to get below 59 secs but just missed out on a final place. Unlucky Sam but a great swim nevertheless.

A huge WELL DONE to the team: William Ward, Tomas Gibson, Toby Beer, Teao Hughes, Sam Rees, Roxy Came, Rose Heape, Nathan Eves, Natalie Andrew, Michael Rees, Lucy Pearson, Lois Martin, Kieran Rutter, Joshua Eves, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Jake Meffan, Imogen Smith, Erin Andrew, Dario Kan, Daisy Meffan, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Alice Nicot, Alex Wimbush, Adam Smith

09 and 10 March - Surrey Age Group Championships

The second weekend of the 'Surrey's' added 6 more medals to the club's total, bringing Sutton & Cheam's tally to 13 medals so far.

Michael Rees was on top form, with silver medals in the Boys Age 12, 200m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke (in which he missed gold by a fraction of a second); and bronze medals in the 200m Backstroke and 200m Individual Medley events.

Athena Lewis Gkogka added a bronze in the Girls 16 & Over 100m Breaststroke to last weekend's silver and Jake Meffan had an outstanding swim to win another bronze in the 16 & Over 200m Backstroke.

The tally could have been even higher though William Ward and April Hedges, normally 'bankers' for medal placings, were unable to swim.

Jake Meffan only just missed out on another medal finishing 4th in the 200 m Individual Medley and Joseph Lenihan showed his potential coming a close 4th in the Boys Age 11 200m Backstroke. Athena Lewis Gkogka, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter, Nathan Eves, Teao Hughes, Erin Andrew, Tomas Gibson and Adam Smith all had top 8 finishes with Ace Taylor, Imogen Smith, Charlie Carr, Natalie Andrew, Lois Martin, Sam Rees, Daisy Meffan, Alex Wimbush, Dario Kan and Lucy Pearson all putting in some good performances.

In all, nearly 90% of the swimmers managed personal bests, some by huge margins, which was particularly pleasing to squad coaches Jim Walker, Helen Andrews and Alec Eves and so a big well done to all the swimmers.

Second weekend qualifiers: Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Erin Andrew, Imogen Smith, Jake Meffan, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Pearson, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Olli Griffiths, Samuel Rees, Teao Hughes, Tomas Gibson

09 March - Sutton & Cheam players help Surrey to Inter Counties Under 19 Title

Sutton & Cheam's Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli and Ferne O'Brien joined forces with players from Croydon Amphibians to help Surrey to the Inter Counties Water Polo Championship Under 19 title on Saturday.

The first game againt Kent was expected to be tough as Kent have a number of strong players, however, it was surprisingly straightforward and Surrey were in control form the outset, scoring straight from the start, and sprinting into a 3-0 lead. From then on the Surrey team did enough to keep their noses in front and never looked as if they would give up the lead, despite the physical Kent tactics. Final result, a 7-3 win.

The team made heavy weather of the second game against Hampshire, particularly in the first half when it remained close. Though pulling away in the second half and winning fairly comfortably 6-3, in the end, the margin could and should probably have been bigger.

Game 3 was against last year's winners, Sussex who had already lost 2-1 to Kent so as long as Surrey didn't lose by more than 2 goals (and then beat Suffolk), the title was theirs. Despite having what appeared to be a perfectly good goal disallowed this was an easier victory than expected, Surrey winning 4-3 though a late goal for Sussex just before the end made the scoreline somewhat flattering.

The final game was against Suffolk, the weakest team in the event though Surrey were not in the least complacent and raced into a 5-0 lead in no time at all and then took their collective foot off the proverbial gas as the result was assured. The final score an overwhelming 9-3 victory and the title was Surrey's; an excellent result.

Overall, everybody played their part, especially the younger members of the team who have come on significantly since last year, and really contributed to every match. Given that Surrey only had a small squad of 8, and every other team had at least 11, Surrey always looked sharper than the opposition.

Well done girls, a brilliant, well deserved result! Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli and Ferne O'Brien (Sutton & Cheam SC), Mhairi Nurthen, Ellie Danielson, Jai Mei Lee, Sophie Lansley and Ella Pierpoint (Croydon Amphibians)

02 & 03 March - Seven Medals at the Opening weekend of the Surreys

With 18 qualifiers for the first Surrey County Championships weekend, Sutton & Cheam swimmers got the 'Surreys' off to a great start on Saturday with a gold and silver in the gruelling 1500m freestyle event.

Michael Rees got the ball rolling in the Boys 12 year's age group with a battling Silver medal before Nathan Eves went one better to take Gold in the Boys Age 14 event with a 13 second PB.

On Sunday, swimmers added 4 more Silvers and a Bronze to equal last year's total of 7 medals from the opening weekend of the Championships. Michael Rees added 2 more Silvers in the 400m freestyle and Individual Medley events; Nathan Eves added a Silver in the 400m freestyle; Athena Lewis Gkogka, yet another Silver in the 400 IM and Teao Hughes opened his account with a Bronze also in the 400m IM.

It could so easily have been even better. William Ward would surely have taken the club's second gold medal but had the misfortune to be disqualified after 'winning' the Boys age 13 400m Individual medley at a canter. Teao Hughes just missed bronze by little more than a second in the Boys Age 14 freestyle and came agonisingly close again in the 400m freestyle, finishing 4th by just 0.28 seconds! In the Girls 800m event, Athena Lewis Gkogka had another near miss taking 4th place in the Girls Age 16 event; April Hedges finishing 5th in the 11 year Age group.

Michael Rees, Nathan Eves, Teao Hughes, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Sam Rees, Imogen Smith, Kieran Rutter, Erin Andrew and Charlie Carr had 17 top 8 finishes between them whilst Daisy Meffan, Tomas Gibson, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Dario Kan, Joe Phillpott-Clark and Natalie Andrew weren't far behind with some excellent swims and some huge personal best long course times.

With over 30 swimmers qualifying for nearly 250 events altogether and with 7 medals from the first weekend, Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club can look forward to another successful Surreys.

First weekend Qualifiers: Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Erin Andrew, Imogen Smith, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Sam Rees, Teao Hughes, Tomas Gibson, William Ward

24 February - Under 12s retain London Winter League title

Sutton & Cheam's Under 12 water polo team won the London title unbeaten after a gruelling 5 games at Barnet on Sunday.

Wins over Croydon (4-0), Beckenham (7-0), Watford (7-1) and Ealing (7-2) together with a 3-3 draw with Basildon were enough to defend the title, won last year.

Goals from Kieran Rutter (2), Erin Andrew (1) and a debut goal from Archie Donald (1) were enough to beat Croydon in the first game though this didn't tell the whole story; Sutton dominating possession to the extent that Croydon were only occasionally allowed into Sutton's half and goalkeeper Joseph Lenihan never actually touched the ball.

Joseph also kept a second clean sheet in the second game against Beckenham, a comfortable 7-0 win with goals from Dario Kan (3), Kieran Rutter (2), Imogen Smith (1) and Erin Andrew(1).

Game 3 against a strong Watford side was Sutton's best game; Sutton opening the scoring within the first few seconds with a well-worked goal through Kieran Rutter winning the swim-off, passing to Dario Kan and still charging, took the return pass unmarked to make it 1-0 with the opposition wondering what happened.

With Kieran Rutter a rock in defence and the whole team covering back, Watford found it difficult to get into a scoring position and Kieran soon made it 2-0 with a long range shot from his own half but Watford clawed one back to make it 2-1 after a defensive lapse. Erin Andrew and Imogen Smith both had chances to extend the scoring before Dario Kan made it 3-1 just before half-time.

The second half began with a near repeat of the team's first goal, Kieran winning the swim-off, passing to Dario, taking the return but his first time shot was parried by the keeper into the path of Imogen Smith who scored from a superb cross-cage shot from a very narrow angle. Erin Andrew got the 5th via a pass from midfield general Dario Kan, who also supplied the pass shortly afterwards for Jack Conroy to get his debut goal. Erin Andrew got the 7th from a superbly placed lob and Toby Beer's shot nearly made it 8 on the stroke of time though the 'goal' which the whole team and coaches thought had crossed the line was unaccountably not given. Toby's time will come.

Game 4 was the crunch game against second placed-Basildon with Basildon needing the win to go joint top of the table, Sutton effectively needing a draw or better to clinch the title. Effectively the Championship decider, with both teams on the attack, Basildon had the first chance but shot over the bar before Dario Kan then opened the scoring for Sutton direct from a superb long pass by Kieran right over Basildon's defence, for once caught napping. Basildon equalised mid way through the first half, though Dario Kan had the chance to regain the lead but his shot strayed just wide. Joseph Lenihan in goal was then brought into the action with a good save from point-blank range followed by another to keep the score 1-1 at half time with everything to play for.

The second half started just as tightly with both sides cancelling each other out but a Kieran Rutter shot regained the lead for Sutton, only for Basildon to equalise almost immediately. Both sides then swapped chances, Imogen Smith with a shot well-saved by the Basildon keeper and Basildon hitting the Sutton cross-bar before going into the lead for the first time at 2-3 after a rare lapse by Sutton's defence. However, with both defences dominant, Dario Kan had the final say in the Championship decider coolly slotting Sutton's third, giving the opposition keeper no chance. Overall, the 3-3 draw was a fair result between two excellent sides; neither side deserving to lose, both sides having chances to win. Effectively, in three games against Basildon, there was only a single goal between the two sides.

The final game against Ealing was something of an anti-climax. Imogen Smith opened the scoring drilling the ball into the bottom right corner from a Kieran Rutter pass. Jack Conroy got the second from an unselfish pass from Dario Kan and Dario himself got the third and Kieran Rutter the fourth after a Jack Conroy shot rebounded off the bar. Archie Donald also went close before Sutton had to see off determined Ealing attacks with Toby Beer neatly taking the ball off an Ealing attacker, and keeper Joseph Lenihan into the action with a good save. Half-time score 4-0.

Early in the second half, Ealing managed to pull one back after a goal mouth melee but Jack Conroy's shot restored the 4 goal advantage before Ealing scored their second. Further goals from Kieran Rutter and Dario Kan on the final whistle made the final score 7-2.

Sutton & Cheam's excellent young side went through the season unbeaten to take the League title with the exemplary final record (Played 15, Won 13, Drawn 2, Goals for 88, Goals against 24). Their performances over the season improved with every game and were testament to their character and teamwork and to a defensive display, easily the best in the league, mature beyond their years. Even in the Championship decider, the players kept their nerve far better than coach Dave Andrews and their parents shouting themselves hoarse on the balcony.

Well done team - a well deserved League title: Joseph Lenihan, Toby Beer, Archie Donald, Erin Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Jack Conroy, Dario Kan, Imogen Smith.

23 February 2013 - Kieran braves the sharks

Although now working in Perth, Western Australia, Sutton & Cheam's Kieran Bayles was in swimming action on Saturday braving the shark-infested (4 fatalities in 2012!) waters of the Indian Ocean in the Annual 'Rottnest Channel' Swim from Cottesloe Beach, Perth WA, to Thomson Bay, Rottnest Island; a distance of 20 kms. After a chilly early morning start, and in a choppy sea, temperature of 25 degrees C, (not that much cooler than Cheam Baths), Kieran and work colleague Ben Burwinkel completed the distance as a team of two in 6:29:37 to finish in 88th place in their category.

09 & 10 February - Natalie wins gold at the ASA Regional Champs

Whilst James MacFarlane was in action for Surrey over the weekend, Sutton & Cheam's Natalie Andrew was also in action for the London Region Academy team at Walsall; resulting in an historic win for London - the London Academy Girls being the first London team ever to win a Regional Championship.

In the tournament, Natalie showed just how versatile she is. Normally an outfield player, she played most of the tournament in goal and earned plaudits not only for her numerous saves but also for her superb awareness and distribution of the ball which launched many attacks.

In the group stages, London, seeded 4th, was drawn against North West B, (seeded 1st), Ireland, Wales and North East. With the two top teams progressing to the semi-finals, First game was against the North East, London winning comfortably 8-2. Second game was against Ireland, an unknown quantity. As the game was the Irish girls' first match of the tournament, their strengths and weaknesses couldn't be assessed and London went down a disappointing 5-2. This loss meant that London then had to win the remaining games to reach the semi-finals. However, confidence was restored against Wales, London winning 10-0.

Next up was the crunch match against tops seeds the North West, who had by then beaten Ireland. The girls were completely unfazed by any pressure and played the game of their lives, winning 6-1.

There followed a very nervous wait for confirmation as to who had made it through to the semis and late that night London received confirmation that they were through in first place due to goal difference between the 3 top teams.

The semi-final against the South East was a real nail-biter and although London was always in the lead the South East were dogged in their determination not to give up and chased to the very end, London winning won 15-13 to reach the final.

And so to the final, a revenge match against the Irish. However, this time, the team was able to scope out the opposition and adapt their tactics to suit. As a result, London triumphed 15-7 to take the title for the first time.

Well done Natalie!

09-Feb London Region Inter Counties under 18

Sutton & Cheam's James MacFarlane helped Surrey to a well-earned silver medal in the London Region under 18 Inter Counties Water Polo Championships at Basingstoke over the weekend. James, playing in goal, played a blinder and despite having the most man-downs Surrey's resolute defence and James' great goal keeping resulted in the team taking the silver medal with a better goal difference than Kent & Sussex; Hants taking the gold.

Well done James!

03 February - Under 14 top 4 play-offs

Sutton & Cheam's under 14 team didn't win any prizes in the top 4 play-offs on Sunday, losing all three games to finish in 4th place in the league though this didn't tell the whole story. A 6-1 defeat by top of the table and unbeaten Beckenham was closer than the score suggests. Beckenham fully deserved their win though Sutton's young team met a Beckenham keeper in superb form, converting only one of numerous shots on goal. In the second half, superb defending restricted the eventual league winners to just two shots on goal, Tomas Gibson scoring the consolation.

In the second game against second-placed Watford, the team was completely out-muscled, by a bigger, stronger and older team, Adam Smith scoring a penalty for Sutton's only goal in a 13-1 defeat.

An unfortunate draw required them to play two tough games back to back and the final game against Croydon was a game too far. With the game following on immediately from the Watford game, Sutton understandably started slowly and Croydon raced to a 3-0 lead by half-time though Sutton squandered several chances with shots off target, and another well-saved by the keeper. Early in the second half, Natalie Andrew earned a penalty, converting it herself to make it 1-3 and Adam Smith got another back to make it 2-3 with all to play for. Natalie Andrew, Adam Smith and Spiros Gkogkas all had chances to equalise before Croydon put it beyond reach with a penalty in the final minute, giving keeper Josh Eves no chance. Final score 2-4.

Although at face value disappointing, to finish in the top 4 in a highly competitive league against older and more experienced opposition was a great effort, particularly considering that all but 3 of the team are eligible to play in the same age group next year, and two of the team, the year after that. The team never gave up battling and at times defended superbly which will stand them in good stead for the future. They will learn from the experience and come back stronger.

Well done team: Josh Eves, Elise Smith, Adam Smith, Natalaie Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Michael Rees, Issie Mettan Ure, Luke Laidlaw, Spiros Gkogkas, Dario Kan, Tomas Gibson.

02 February - Borough Primary School Champs

Sutton & Cheam's juniors had a field day at the London Borough of Sutton Primary School Championships on Saturday, 40 swimmers competed lifting 54 medals and 11 of the 14 borough titles on offer between them.

Our latest Borough Champions are:

Particularly pleasing was the fact that club swimmers took all three podium places in 9 of the 14 events and the top 4 places in 5 events, showing the ever-increasing strength in depth in the club.

The team: Toby Beer, Thomas Emery, Sienna Fowler, Sasha Graham, Roxy Came, Oliver Bayliss, Nicholas Amer, Marli Carter, Maddison Lang, Joseph O'sullivan, Joseph Lenihan, Jodie Munro, Jessie Harrington, Jack Wild, Jack Harding, Jack Conroy, Ivie Mai Carter, Isobel Dann, Isabella Morris, Imogen Smith, Harry Laing Ross, Hannah Rees, Greg Gilbride, George Croome, Genevieve Ken Have, Gabrielle Jiminez, Frances Spicer, Eva Serksnaite, Erin Andrew, Emily Vandrau, Emily Bowden, Ellie Brooks, Ben Humphries, Andy Muirhead, Ana-Maria Sewell, Alice Nicot, Alice Cammock

27 January - Under 12s still top

Despite the non-availability of some players, Sutton & Cheam's Under 12 water polo team remain on top of the table after Sunday's tournament at Whitgift School with wins over Ealing (11-2) and Croydon (5-4).

In the first game Kieran Rutter opened the scoring with a screamer, giving the keeper no chance though Ealing replied almost immediately to level the score. This only served to wake Sutton up and goals from Erin Andrew and Luka Jojic made it 3-2 and the goal of the tournament added another with hand to hand passing from Erin Andrew to Kieran Rutter to Edward Oliver and finally to Imogen Smith who slotted it home. A defensive lapse allowed Ealing to pull one back to 4-2 but then 7 unanswered goals from Luka Jojic (3), Kieran Rutter (3), and Erin Andrew put the game beyond reach as Ealing tired. Final score 11-2.

With Luka Jojic and Edward Oliver taking on goal-keeping duties, the second game against Croydon was a see-saw affair with little between the teams. In the first half Kieran Rutter put one over the bar with only the keeper to beat before Erin Andrew opened the scoring with a well-placed shot which wrong-footed the keeper. However, defensive lapses gifted Croydon the equaliser, and then another to make it 1-2 to Croydon at half time.

A tactical change soon bore fruit with an equaliser from Kieran Rutter and another from Imogen Smith allowed Sutton to take the lead once more at 3-2. Sutton then had a goal disallowed and Croydon equalised once more from a long shot to make it 3-3 and then took the lead again with only two minutes of the game remaining. Sutton poured into the attack throwing caution to the winds allowing Kieran Rutter to equalise once more and Erin Andrew to get the winner with no time for Croydon to mount another attack. Final score 5-4.

Kieran Rutter was everywhere, dominating the defence and setting up attack after attack. Although prone to the odd defensive error, and with shooting off-target at times, overall, the team played with huge spirit, coming from behind twice to win the second game, and always quick to turn defence into attack. Kieran Rutter, Erin Andrew, Luka Jojic and Imogen Smith always posed a threat near goal and Edward Oliver, Archie Duncan, Toby Beer and Jack Conroy proved a strong defensive wall.

The wins leave the team at the top of the table two points above Basildon with all to play for in the final tournament next month.

Team: Edward Oliver, Jack Conroy, Erin Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Luka Jojic, Toby Beer, Imogen Smith, Archie Donald.

26 January - Club Presentation evening

Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club held its annual presentation evening on Saturday to recognise the outstanding achievements of its members in 2012.

Dave Morgan was presented with a club tie to mark his contribution to the club over many years and then with Club President Fred Andrews and Life Vice President Ron Moore, presented the members with their awards.

26 January - Westcroft Opening

	Members from Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club had the fabulous opportunity to be amongst the first children to swim in the brand new Westcroft Leisure Centre competition pool at its opening at the weekend. They met and swam with Michael Jamieson, 2012 Olympic breaststroke silver medallist; Fran Leighton and Craig Figes, members of the London 2012 GB Women's and men's water polo teams, as well as Katie Skelton, London 2012 GB Synchronised Swimmer and Kelly-Anne Russell former GB Synchronised Swimming International who choreographed and prepared athletes for the London 2012 games. The club swimmers also had the opportunity to take part in swimming, water polo and synchronised swimming sessions and learnt about life saving techniques. A good time was had by all.

The swimming club is looking forward to more of its members experiencing the new pool from this week when some of their training sessions move to the new centre.

12 & 13 January - Rushmoor Royals Open

30 Sutton & Cheam swimmers made the trip to Aldershot for the Rushmoor Royals Open over the weekend, returning with 25 medals between them, as well as a whole hatful of PBs and County qualifying times.

William Ward (2), Josh Eves (2), Athena Lewis Gkogka, Nathan Eves and Imogen Smith all took gold; Imogen, Josh and Nathan also added silvers to their collection along with Charlie Carr, Rosie Heape, Greg Gilbride, Kieran Rutter, Alex Wimbush and Daisy Meffan; whilst Kieran Rutter, Alex Wimbush, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Nathan Eves and Greg Gilbride all added bronze.

With 55 finalists including Lucy Pearson, Dario Kan, Adam Smith, Jack Conroy, Alice Nicot, Eva Serksnaite and Oliver Bayliss, it was a great day for the club.

Team: Adam Smith, Alexander Wimbush, Alice Cammock, Alice Nicot, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Charlotte Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Edward Oliver, Elise Smith, Emily Vandrau, Eva Serksnaite, Genevieve Ten Have, Greg Gilbride, Hannah Rees, Imogen Smith, Jack Conroy, Jadie Munro, Jake Meffan, Joshua Eves, Kieran Rutter, Lucy Cammock, Lucy Pearson, Nathan Eves, Oliver Bayliss, Oliver Griffiths, Rosie Heape, Roxy Came, Spiros Gkogkas, William Ward.

6th January - Under 12s stay top

Whilst their older clubmates were in action at Whitgift School, Sutton & Cheam's Under 12s took to the water in Barnet in the Under 12 Championships.

A 7-0 win in the first game against Croydon got them off to a flying start with goals from Erin Andrew (4), Kieran Rutter, Imogen Smith and Dario Kan. A 4-4 draw with second in the table Basildon followed with 3 goals from Dario Kan and another from Kieran Rutter though Erin Andrew rattled the post with just 5 seconds remaining which very nearly got the win.

Game 3 against Watford was already conceded as Watford played over-age players though Sutton's youngsters gave it their all losing 3-5 to an older, more experienced team, with Kieran and Dario sharing the goals.

Finally, a 6-2 win over Beckenham with Dario, Imogen and Erin again scoring the goals gave the team another win. The three wins and a draw put the team at the top of the table with two tournaments to go. Edward Oliver, Archie Donald and Kieran Rutter shared goal-keeoing duties. With Joseph Lenihan playing his first tournament for the club and with Jack Conroy, Edward Oliver and Archie Donald playing in only their second, this was a great performance.

Team: Jack Conroy, Erin Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Edward Oliver, Dario Kan, Imogen Smith, Archie Donald, Joseph Lenihan

6th January - Under 14s reach play-offs

Sunday saw Sutton & Cheam's under 12 and Under 14 teams in action again after the Christmas lay-off.

An under strength Under 14 team played well in parts with a win, draw and a loss which was still enough to reach the top League 4 play-offs, later in the season.

Sutton paid the price for some errant shooting particularly in the first half against Croydon with 6 shots on goal, none of which found the net. Sutton then took the lead three times with three goals from Tomas Gibson only for Croydon to equalise each time and although Spiros Gkogkas had the chance to gain the win with a shot that grazed the far post, it wasn't to be and the team had to be satisfied with a 3-3 draw. This was a game that got away.

In the second game against Ealing, Sutton's young team had it all its own way. Goals from Michael Rees (5), Adam Smith (2), Spiros Gkogkas (2), Natalie Andrew, Tomas Gibson and Issie Mettan-Ure resulted in a 12-2 win. The foundation of the game was a superb defensive display by Adam Smith who bossed the game from midfield. Excellent shooting, particularly by Michael Rees who was on sharp form; great teamwork and a solid defensive display gave Ealing very few chances, which gave keeper Josh Eves very little to do.

The final game against a strong Enfield side was a tough game with very little between the sides. Sutton took the lead from an opportunist goal by Tomas Gibson and the score held at 1-0 until Enfield was awarded a penalty which was converted to make it 1-1. Sutton then went behind before Michael Rees equalised from a man-up, and Enfield took the lead once more only for Spiros Gkogkas to equalise to make it 3-3 deep into the second half. With both defences on top until this point, Sutton charged forwards going for the win only to be caught on the break to go a goal behind and just seconds later conceded another in just the same way, when pushing forwards for the equaliser. The final score of 3-5 could just as easily have been reversed.

With all but three of the team able to play in the same age next year, to reach the top four play-offs was a great performance to delight coach Ollie Andrews.

Well done team: Josh Eves, Elise Smith, Spiros Gkogkas, Natalie Andrew, Adam Smith, Michael Rees, Issie Mettan-Ure, Luke Laidlaw, Tomas Gibson.

16th December - Inter Counties Water Polo Championships

Some of Sutton's young water polo stars were in action again on Sunday, joining players from Croydon to represent Surrey at the 2012 Inter-Counties Championships held at Whitgift School, Croydon.

At Under 14, Adam Smith, Spiros Gkogkas, Michael Rees, Tomas Gibson, Kieran Rutter, Dario Kan and Josh Eves all gained County caps. A 4-8 defeat by a very strong Kent side in the first game was followed by a good 9-6 win over Sussex which ultimately placed them second in the Championship; an exceptional result by a young team considering that 7 of the team will be able to compete for Surrey in the same age group next year.

The boys were joined by club mates Natalie Andrew (13) and Elise Smith (12) who were selected to represent the Surrey Girls Under 16 team; the two youngest players on the team. Despite their youth, Natalie and Elise played superbly. Sutton's Issie Mettan-Ure was also selected but unfortunately had to pull out through injury but will get her chance again.

Although Surrey's young team lost both their games to Sussex (7-13) and Kent (5-10), to place them third, they were always in the game, kept battling, were never over-awed and gained invaluable experience for next year, when 8 of the team will remain eligible to play in the same age group.

Well done everyone!

9th December - Four out of Four for Under 12s

Sutton & Cheam's Under 12 water polo team got the London Winter League season off to a flyer with four wins out of four at the weekend to top the league table.

With 5 players making their water polo debuts, the first game against a strong Basildon side was always going to be tough but the youngsters showed their mettle coming from behind twice to take the lead early in the second half only for Basildon to level the score. With things getting tense deep in the second half, several good chances were squandered before Erin Andrew scored her second to make it 5-4, though Edward Oliver in goal had to make a good save from a long-range shot to secure the win. Scorers were Dario Kan, Erin Andrew (2), Kieran Rutter and Imogen Smith.

With the team gaining in confidence, the second game against Watford very one-sided, Sutton racing to a 4-0 half time lead with goals from Kieran Rutter and Dario Kan (3). With Archie Donald in goal in the second half, Imogen Smith soon made it 5-0 but a man-up allowed Watford to get on the scoreboard (5-1) and they nearly got a second after a wayward Sutton pass went to the opposition, but Jack Conroy made a great block on a goal-bound shot to leave the scoreboard untroubled. Dario Kan then got his 4th of the game from a Toby Beer pass to make it 6-1, and Luka Jojic scored his debut goal to make it 7-1 before Archie Donald made a great save right on the stroke of full-time. Final score 7-1.

The third game against Croydon was a low-scoring affair as chance after chance went begging. At half time the score was 1-0 though with Luka Jojic hitting the post, Imogen Smith hitting the bar and Kieran Rutter shooting straight at the goalkeeper in quick succession, the score could have been higher. With only a single goal in it, Croydon were always dangerous and a defensive error allowed them to equalise mid way though the second half with a hard shot which gave keeper Toby Beer no chance. Yet another Sutton chance went begging and Kieran Rutter had a 'goal' disallowed for encroachment into 2 metres before making the game safe with a great shot from a Dario Kan pass. Final score 2-1.

With Kieran Rutter in the role of midfield 'playmaker', Sutton shot into a 2-0 lead early in the final game against Beckenham to settle the nerves, both goals coming from Luka Jojic. Edward Oliver nearly got his name on the score sheet himself before sending a pin-point pass to Dario Kan who made no mistake in making it 3-0. Erin Andrew in goal first half had very little to do. In the second half, Beckenham put everything into attack but Sutton's defensive wall of Kieran Rutter, Toby Beer, Archie Donald and Jack Conroy were having none of it. Imogen Smith soon made it 5-0 before Beckenham scored a late consolation goal to make it 5-1. In the dying seconds of the game, Jack Conroy had to make a great tackle in a goal-mouth melee, taking the ball off his opponent's hand in the act of shooting to keep the score the same.

Overall the team played with exceptional maturity; the performance being based on a solid defence with every player back behind the ball, a fast counter attack coach and a great team spirit which delighted coach, Dave Andrews.

Well done team: Toby Beer, Jack Conroy, Erin Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Edward Oliver, Dario Kan, Luka Jojic, Imogen Smith, Archie Donald.

2nd December - Under 14 team still winning

Two more wins for Sutton & Cheam's Under 14s place them 4th in the League table with games in hand over two of the three teams above them. However, the team did not have it all their own way and had to battle for the points. With Josh Eves in goal, in the opener against Chelmsford, Sutton raced to a 3-0 lead with goals from Tomas Gibson, Michael Rees and Adam Smith. This could easily have been more had wayward shots been on target. Soon after the break, Chelmsford got one back to make it 3-1 but Adam Smith restored the 3 goal advantage to make it 4-1 at half time. Early in the second half however, the team lost its way conceding 4 quick goals with only a single goal from a Natalie Andrews lob to make it 5-5 with everything to play for. A tactical change by Dave Andrews did the trick and Sutton regained the lead from a Michael Rees penalty and a Tomas Gibson shot to make it 7-5 before Chelmsford pulled one back in the last seconds of the game to make it 7-6, the final score.

The second game against Watford followed a similar pattern, Sutton again racing to a 3-1 lead with Tomas Gibson scoring a screamer from a fine pass by Issie Mettan-Ure, Natalie Andrew scoring from another lob and Adam Smith joining in with yet another lob which completely wrong-footed the keeper. A defensive lapse reduced the lead to a single goal before Spiros Gkogkas gained the ball in his own half and swam the length of the pool to make it 4-2, Michael Rees made it 5-2 and Kieran Rutter found Natalie Andrew on her own in front of goal for Natalie to make it 6-2, getting her hat-trick in the process. The teams traded goals to make it 7-3 before Sutton took the foot off the gas, and always in control, went on to win 7-6. The wins put the team into a strong position to reach the top 4 play-offs.

With no fewer than 8 of the team eligible to play in the same age group next year (and 2 the year after that), the performance of the team was astonishing.

Team: Natalie Andrew, Adam Smith, Elise Smith, Spiros Gkogkas, Luke Laidlaw, Michael Rees, Issie Mettan Ure, Josh Eves, Tomas Gibson, Kieran Rutter, Dario Kan

24th November Sutton & Cheam Top Visiting Club at the Horsham Christmas Open

Proud coaches Jim Walker & Helen Andrews collecting the Top Visiting Club trophy!

Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club took their largest team yet to the Atlantis Christmas Cracker Open Meet in Horsham at the weekend and walked away with the trophy for top visiting club!
36 of the club's swimmers, ranging between the ages of 9 to 18, took part in the 2 day event completing 231 races between them and winning an amazing 41 Gold, 25 Silver and 25 Bronze medals in the process. The Sutton & Cheam team were the top visiting club by over 500 points.

11 year old April Hedges and 12 year old Lois Martin also won the Top Girl trophies in their respective age groups for their 50 metre swims. Well done everyone!

Erin Andrew (10), Natalie Andrew (13), Lucy Cammock (11), Gregory Colquhoun (12), Jack Conroy (9), Killian Courtney (16), Jan Cowell (9), James DeBrunner (17), Joshua Eves (12), Tomas Gibson (11), Spiros Gkogkas (13), Oliver Griffiths (11), Katie Heape (12), April Hedges (11), Teao Hughes (13), Dario Kan (11), Luke Laidlaw (12), Joseph Lenihan (10), Athena Lewis Gkogka (16), Lois Martin (12), Daisy Meffan (12), Jake Meffan (16), Alice Nicot (11), Lucy Pearson (12), Joe Phillpott-Clark (14), Michael Rees (12), Samuel Rees (15), Kieran Rutter (11), Adam Smith (13), Elise Smith (11), Imogen Smith (10), Ace Taylor (18), Emily Vandrau (11), William Ward (13), Juliette Williamson (14), Alexander Wimbush (14)

17th November - Sutton & Cheam dominate the Borough Championships

Sutton & Cheam Swimmers dominated the Annual Borough Championships once more, taking 29 of the 32 Borough titles, and winning 89 individual medals between as well as both club relays.

Fourteen swimmers shared the titles as follows:

In addition, Lois Martin, Natalie Andrew, April Hedges, Katie Heape, Daisy Meffan and Lucy Pearson teamed up to win the Girls Swimming Club Under 14 yrs 6 x 1 Freestyle Relay whilst Joe Phillpott-Clark, Jake Meffan, Sam Rees, James De Brunner and Teao Hughes won the Mens' Swimming Club Medley Relay for Sutton & Cheam.

The event was also held as a graded meet and no fewer than 40 swimmers won medals. To demonstrate their strength in depth, Sutton & Cheam swimmers finished in the top 5 places in 4 events, 1st, 2nd & 3rd in another 12 events and 1st & 2nd in a further 9 events. In the club relay events, the winning girls were joined on the podium by their club mates Rebecca Salter, Elise Smith, Melanie Rodrigues, Andrea Rodrigues, Imogen Smith and Erin Andrew who took the silver medal. In the Men's relay event, Sutton & Cheam entered 5 teams and the gold winning team were joined on the podium by Michael Rees, Killian Courtney, Dario Kan, Alex Wimbush and Tomas Gibson who took the silver, and Olly Griffiths, Josh Eves, Ethan Richardson, Kieran Rutter and Spiros Gkogkas winning the bronze.

In what was very nearly a repeat of last year, Sutton's 'Golden Oldies' team of James Pearson, Dave Andrews, Leigh Parkes, Tom Garrett and Stephen Bayles finished in second place only to get disqualified subsequently for a faulty take-over.

To crown a great night for the club, Sutton & Cheam's Kieran Rutter, Dario Kan, Tomas Gibson and Michael Rees were presented with the LBSSA Worsell Memorial Bowl (awarded to the young person (or persons) who are considered to have done the most in the year concerned for swimming in the Borough), for their performance in the Surrey Age Group Championships, where they took the Gold Medal in the Under 12 freestyle relay.

11th November - London Region Inter Counties Under 16 Boys

Sutton & Cheam's Isaac Tidy and Joe Phillpott-Clark were the latest players to get called up to represent Surrey in the London Region Inter Counties Under 16 Water Polo Championships held at Whitgift School on Sunday.

Both players scored in a 14-2 demolition of Hampshire in the first game, and went on to beat Kent 3-2 before losing to Middlesex 4-3 in a closely fought game. With Kent beating Middlesex 4-2 and both Kent and Middlesex also beating Hampshire, it meant that Kent, Middlesex and Surrey all finished with near identical records, all teams having won 2, losing 1 of their three games.

However, with Kent beating Middlesex who in turn beat Surrey who beat Kent, the Championship came down to goals scored, Kent taking the title on goal difference from Middlesex, who just pipped Surrey into third place on goals scored.

21st October - British Water Polo League

Sutton & Cheam's first team made the top 5 in BWPL Divison 2 at Lancaster at the weekend beating Welsh Wanderers 14-10 and Croydon 17-10 before losing to league leaders Sheffield 17-12 in the final game. The team now plays in the Championship 1 phase and are guaranteed their place in Division 2 next season.

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	GD
City of Sheffield	7	7	0	0	93	60	14	+33
Welsh Wanderers	7	4	0	3	88	61	8	+27
Caledonia	7	4	0	3	83	78	8	+5
Sutton & Cheam	7	4	0	3	75	74	8	+1
Hucknall	7	3	0	4	57	71	6	-14
Croydon Amphibians	7	2	0	5	72	91	4	-19
*Rotherham Metro	7	3	0	4	55	52	2	+3
Exeter City	7	1	0	6	61	97	2	-36

14th October - Winter League Under 14 Polo

Sunday saw the first game of the Winter Water Polo League for the club's Under 14 side, who came away with two wins and a loss out of the 3 games they played to place them joint second in the table on goal difference.

The team was a little ring-rusty in the first game against an excellent Beckenham side. At half time the score was 2-4 with Adam Smith and Michael Rees the scorers, though Sutton's shooting was way off target, scoring only 2 of 7 shots on goal, Beckenham converting all 4 of their shots. Unfortunately, the second half was more of the same with over ambitious passes going straight to the opposition, and shots going everywhere but near the goal. The final score of 2-8 owed as much to our naivety in defence, poor passing and poor finishing as it did to the opposition's dominance. Enough said about that game.

Dave Andrews' team talk did the trick and the second game against Basildon was much more like it, Sutton racing to a 4-0 lead in as many minutes. Adam Smith scored the first to make it 1-0 and Josh Eves in goal made a great save at the other end before Natalie 'Pinkie' Andrew made it 2-0 with a great solo effort swimming the length of the pool before slotting the ball into the net beyond the keeper's reach. Adam Smith put one into the side netting; Spiros Gkogkas added a third and Tomas Gibson made it 4-0 before Basildon got one back after a defensive error nut before half time.

Early in the second half, another defensive lapse gifted Basildon a second before Spiros made it 5-2 from a man-up and a great pass from Michael Rees, and then returned the compliment, countering and passing to Michael who made no mistake in making it 6-2.

Basildon then managed to close to 6-4 again the result of poor defending before Natalie Andrew made it 7-4 from a Kieran Rutter pass and Tomas Gibson made it 8-4 as the full-time whistle went.

Sutton saved their best game till last against Watford 'A'. Sutton dominated the opening minutes of the first period with no fewer than 5 shots on goal, none of which troubled the Watford keeper before Adam Smith hit the cross bar and Michael Smith had an easy tap in off the rebound to make it 1-0, which remained the score at half-time. This merely stung Watford into action and Sutton soon found themselves 1-2 behind through poor marking and then wasted an excellent chance to even the score from a man up but the chance went begging. Great defence by Adam Smith kept Watford out before shot from Tomas Gibson hit the post and rebounded straight to Spiros Gkogka who made no mistake to make the score 2-2.

Sutton then threw everything into attack and another excellent chance went begging when a pass went astray before a superb pass from Dario Kan found an unmarked Michael Rees who coolly slotted the ball past the Watford keeper in the dying seconds of the game. Final score 3-2.

Team: Natalie Andrew, Adam Smith, Elise Smith, Spiros Gkogkas, Luke Laidlaw, Michael Rees, Josh Eves, Tomas Gibson, Kieran Rutter, Dario Kan

13th October - National Arena League

Saturday saw the first round of the National Arena Swimming League held at Enfield and although Sutton & Cheam, with a young and under strength team struggled against some of the top swimming teams in the country, they never let their heads drop and battled to some superb performances, coming away with personal bests galore.

Pride of place must go to 13 year-old William Ward who took a magnificent first place in the Under 14 100m breast stroke in a very fast time. There were also excellent 2nd places for April Hedges, Michael Rees and Teao Hughes and Michael, William and Teao were joined by Tomas Gibson to take 2nd place in both the Under 14 relays.

Well done to: , Ace Taylor , Alex Wimbush , Alice Nicot , April Hedges , Athena Lewis Gkogka , Charlie Carr , Daisy Meffan , Dario Kan , Erin Andrew , Eve Tidy , Imogen Smith , Jacob Tidy , Jake Meffan , James De Brunner , Joe Phillpott Clark , Joseph Lenihan , Juliette Williamson , Kieran Rutter , Lois Martin , Lucy Pearson , Michael Rees , Natalie Andrew , Ollie Griffiths , Rosie Heape , Samuel Rees , Teao Hughes , Tomas Gibson , William Ward

16th September- Under 13s win London League Title

Sutton & Cheam Under 13s duly won the London League title at the weekend by a single point from Watford though lost their 100% record in the process. The final record was played 12, won 10, drawn 1, lost 1, goals for 92, goals against 27.

The first game was against a well-drilled Watford side who scored twice early in the first half, the result of poor 'pit' defending, to lead 2-0 at the interval. The second half was evens, 2-2 with goals from Dario Kan and Tomas Gibson which lead to a 2-4 defeat, the first in a run of 21 games.

Not to run down an excellent Watford side but throughout the game the Sutton team was on the end of some atrocious refereeing decisions which continually gave possession to the opposition.

The second game against Croydon went much better with Sutton scoring virtually at will. George Brown got the first after a fine Dario Kan steal with Michael Rees getting the second and Issie Mettan-Ure the third. Josh Eves in goal was then brought into the action making a good save from one of Croydon's few attempts on goal before George Brown then made it 4-0 from a Tomas Gibson pass, and Dario Kan made it 5-0 by half time coolly slotting the ball past the keeper.

Early in the second half, Kieran Rutter added a 6th and Erin Andrew very nearly made it 7, with a solo effort swimming almost the length of the pool only to shoot just wide. Great defence by Imogen Smith broke up a Croydon attack and Luke Laidlaw added a 7th and Kieran Rutter made it 8-0 from an unselfish pass from Elise Smith. Imogen Smith got her first and the team's 9th goal before Croydon got their only goal of the game from a long range shot which just dipped under the bar with Sutton's keeper Josh Eves unsighted. Issie Mettan-Ure then scored her second, Elise Smith added another and George Brown made the final score 12-1 with just 0.8 seconds left of the match.

The final league game of the season against Ealing followed a similar pattern, Sutton winning 14-0 with goals from Dario Kan (3), George Brown (3), Michael Rees (3), Tomas Gibson (2), Imogen Smith (2), Erin Andrew (1). Sutton's defence was excellent , restricting Ealing to taking long range shots at goal but keeper Josh Eves was more than up to it to keep his sheet clean.

Overall, the end of the unbeaten run was no bad thing and there were some huge positives with every single player getting on the score sheet apart from keeper Josh Eves, who made some great saves as well as keeping a clean sheet in the final game.

Team: Kieran Rutter, Elise Smith, Luke Laidlaw, Erin Andrew, Josh Eves, Michael Rees, Issie Mettan-Ure, Dario Kan, Imogen Smith, George Brown, Tomas Gibson.

15th September - Rother League Round 3

Sutton & Cheam finished the Rother League season with a solid 3rd place in the final round held at Woking on Saturday, just a few points behind second-placed Staines and well clear of the other teams. This placed the club overall second in the League, the highest position they have ever finished, retaining their Division 1 status for next season.

The performance of Sutton's juniors was particularly impressive, finishing in second place to a strong Woking team. Sutton's seniors finished a fighting 4th, again just a few points behind 3rd placed Elmbridge.

Individual first places went to April Hedges, Kieran Rutter, Dario Kan, Tomas Gibson, William Ward and Ace Taylor. The boys Under 12 Freestyle relay team of Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter, Josh Eves and Tomas Gibson; and the Boys Under 14 Medley Relay team of Michael Rees, William Ward, Teao Hughes and Nathan Eves also gained first places.

The excellent result was down to the efforts of the whole team. In particular, April Hedges (11) and Lois Martin (12) literally swam above themselves, April finishing an astonishing 3rd in the Under 16 backstroke and Lois an equally superb 4th in the Under 16 butterfly. Similarly, April, Lois and Charlie Carr all had 8 swims with Athena Lewis Gkogka, Killian Courtney and Natalie Andrew not far behind, a fantastic, much appreciated effort.

Well done team: Ace Taylor, Alex Wimbush, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Brooke Tafazolli, Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Eve Tidy, Imogen Smith, Jacob Tidy, James DeBrunner, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Josh Eves, Kieran Rutter, Killian Courtney, Lois Martin, Lucy Pearson, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Sam Rees, Teao Hughes, Tomas Gibson, William Ward

8th September - Quiz Night a huge success

With never more than 1 or 2 points in it, and with the lead changing hands throughout the evening, Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club's 3rd Quiz Night went to the wire on Saturday night at the Riddell Memorial Hall, Walton 0n the Hill.

At the end of the final round, the "Old Speckled Hens" and the "Mighty McMeffans" were in joint top spot, the "Old Speckled Hens" just taking the title by a whisker on the tie break (more by luck than judgement). Early leaders "Going For Gold" took 3rd place not far behind.

The evening was a great success and thanks are due to Sophie Taylor for organising the event and to Helen Andrews for providing the superb buffet.

A good time was had by all and funds were raised for the club.

4th September - Matt wins London Swimming Athlete of the Year Award

Sutton & Cheam's Matt Holland has been awarded the London Region Athlete of the Year (Waterpolo) 2012, after his selection for the London 2012 Olympics.

S&C at London 2012

The GB Men's Water Polo Team including Sutton & Cheam's Matt Holland in goal were up against it in the Olympic tournament. Losses to Romania (13-4), Serbia (21-7), USA (13-7), Hungary (17-6) and Montenegro (13-4) meant that GB did not qualify for the final knockout medal round.

However when taking into account that Serbia ultimately won the Bronze medal, Montenegro finished 4th, Hungary 5th and USA 8th, together with all the difficulties surrounding the team's lack of funding, as Dave Andrews commented "the team performed beyond expectations against highly-motivated professional nations with many more years of high-quality preparation behind them"

The team performed incredibly well at times, holding Serbia to 5-5 to midway through the 2nd quarter before running out of steam in the second half, and doing quite the reverse against the USA, conceding 5 unanswered goals in the first quarter, only to lose the final three periods by just a single goal, 7-8, Matt playing his part with a series of fine saves.

Many club members were there to support Matt and the team, and to soak up the atmosphere of London 2012.

Matt with Sutton & Cheam players over the years back row: Colin King, Dave Andrews, Stefan Radwanski, Nigel Gornall, Peter Paolella, guest Jack Waller, Andy 'Mole' Lawrence, John Salter - Front row: Stephen Bayles, Charlie Thurley, Kieran Bayles.

Left to Right: Nigel Gornall, John Salter, Peter Paolella, Kieran Bayles, Matt Holland, Stephen Bayles, Greg Dodds, Dave Craven, Chris Evans with Charllie Thurley.

Former Sutton & Cheam and Great Britain Water Polo Captain Phil Howden cheering on son Rhys in action for the Australian Olympic Team who finished in 8th place.

It's amazing who you can meet! Kieran and Stephen Bayles with Olympic legend Steve Redgrave at GB House

22nd July - Under 13's winning streak continues.

Sutton & Cheam's Under 12 Water Polo Team's remarkable winning streak continued over the weekend with three more wins to make it 21 out of 21 so far.

A big thank you first of all to Michael Rees who raced back from competing in the ASA National Age Group Swimming Championships in Sheffield to be with his team and was immediately in action in the first game against Basildon with a strong shot from a wide angle which forced the Basildon keeper into an excellent save. Tomas Gibson opened the scoring from a Dario Kan pass before Michael Rees scored twice in quick succession to make it 3-0 at half time. Early in the second half, Dario got his first and the team's 4th and Erin Andrew made it 5 - 0 with a well-aimed lob which took the keeper (and the spectators) completely by surprise. The score could have been higher with Imogen Smith hitting the bar after a great steal and with Michael Rees and Elise Smith both shooting wide. Keeper Josh Eves had little to do until the dying seconds of the game when Basildon surged forwards for a late consolation, only for Josh to make an excellent save to keep his sheet clean.

In the second game against Croydon, Dario Kan hit the post early on and nearly scored from the rebound, forcing the Croydon keeper into a great save. Tomas Gibson opened the scoring before Croydon equalised with a long-range shot. This merely stung Sutton & Cheam's youngsters into action, Tomas Gibson making it 2-1 and Josh Eves, now out on pitch, completing a first half hat-trick and Dario Kan got another to make it 6-1 by half time. Early in the second half, Dario made it 7 and Josh Eves got his 4th from a tap-in before the goal of the tournament with a succession of passes between Imogen Smith, Erin Andrew, Tomas Gibson and Dario Kan who made no mistake in making it 9-1 with the Croydon defence at sixes and sevens. Imogen Smith then earned a penalty and converted it to make it 10, Michael Rees made it 11 after a great defensive steal by Dario Kan and after a long pass out by goalkeeper Kieran Rutter to Michael Rees, Michael found Erin Andrew who made it 12-1 and on the stroke of full-time, Michael made it 13 with a shot from well inside his own half which just dipped under the bar. Kieran Rutter in goal, had very little to do.

Sutton & Cheam's final opponent, Enfield, an all boys team, had already conceded the final match by playing over-age players in their line-up but Sutton played the fixture which was a humdinger with the lead changing hands throughout the game. Sutton soon found themselves a goal behind from a direct shot from a 5m foul. Tomas Gibson then put a shot over the bar before Issie Mettan Ure equalised. Poor defending then allowed Enfield a second goal though Tomas Gibson nearly scored the equaliser with a hard shot which the Enfield keeper just got his fingertips to. Both Josh Eves and Tomas had shots over the bar before Michael Rees made it 2-2 just before half time with a shot from half way. Sutton and Cheam went behind again early in the second half before Dario Kan made an important steal and passed to Josh Eves for the equaliser. Late in the half, Sutton & Cheam went ahead for the first time 4 - 3 with a goal by Issie Mettan Ure which was just reward for her sheer persistence in battling for the ball. With just seconds remaining, Enfield equalised after a rare defensive error to make the final score 4-4. Coach Dave Andrews was delighted with his team commenting, "although a draw, the team showed their character in battling from behind three times against older opposition and could easily have won the game but for some wayward shooting"

Well done to: Josh Eves, Elise Smith, Issie Mettan Ure, Erin Andrew, Kieran Rutter, Michael Rees, Dario Kan, Imogen Smith, Tomas Gibson

22nd July - Michael Rees at the National Age Group Championships

On 22 July 2012 Michael Rees competed at the National Age Group Championships in the 100m backstroke event. There were 20 entrants in the 11/12 age group and Michael was placed in Heat 2 Lane 7 in the 10 lane pool at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

Following a nervous wait due to technical difficulties, the race finally arrived. Michael had a good start off the blocks with a reaction time of 0.57 (the second fastest in the age group!), completed the first 50 metres in a good time of 34.69 seconds but swam just off his best in the second 50 metres in a time of 37.12. He finished 6th in the race with a time of 1.11.81, just outside his personal best by only 0.54 seconds.

Following some very impressive swims by others in the age group Michael finished in 17th place overall (14th if you don't count the foreign entries).

Well done Michael! Many thanks to Helen & Dave for all their support over the weekend

15th July - Under 15s finish second in London League Division 2

Sutton & Cheam's Under 15 side ably assisted by Beckenham finished a fighting 2nd in the London League Division 2 Championships on Sunday with the record Played 12; Won 9; Drawn 1; lost 2. Slow starters, the team soon found themselves 2 goals behind to league leaders Basildon in the first game. The second half saw a tremendous fight back with goals from Henry Simpson and Nathan Eves but poor finishing led to the final result 2-3, with the team wondering just how to get the ball in the net with just 2 goals from 10 shots.

Shooting form improved in the second game against Watford with Sutton racing to a 3-0 lead with goals from Adam Smith, Joe Phillpott-Clark and Cameron McClymont. A defensive error put Watford on the score sheet but a great steal by Natalie 'Pinky' Andrews and a clever pass to an unmarked Joe Phillpott-Clark who made it 4-1 with a first time shot. Further goals from Alex Wimbush and Adam Smith made it 6-2 at half time. Early in the second half Kieran Rutter in goal made a superb save before defensive lapses gave away 2 quick goals to make it 6-4. Some tense defending followed until Spiros Gkogkas scored an excellent goal, turning his man in 'the pit' to make it 7-4. Then came the best goal of the game with quick hand to hand passes from goalkeeper to Adam Smith to Rob Simpson to Joe Phillpott-Clark who made it 8-4 with Watford's defence struggling to catch up. Further goals from Adam Smith and Rob Simpson led to the final score 10-5.

With Josh Eves in goal, the final game of the season was against Croydon; Sutton again shooting to a 3-0 lead with goals from Adam Smith, Henry Simpson and brother Rob Simpson. A second 'goal' from Henry Simpson was disallowed for an encroachment into 2m and the score at half time was 3-1. Early in the second half, another 'Pinky' steal in midfield was passed straight to Tomas Gibson who gave the keeper no chance, and then scored a duplicate goal direct from a 5m foul with a very hard shot. Two goals from Croydon pulled it back to 5-3 before Henry Simpson settled the nerves scoring twice in quick succession, the second an excellent solo effort swimming the length of the pool. A consolation in the dying seconds made the final score 7-4.

Team: Kieran Rutter, Rob Simpson, Josh Eves, Natalie Andrew, Spiros Gkogkas, Cameron McClymont, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Henry Simpson, Dario Kan, Nathan Eves, Tomas Gibson, Alex Wimbush, Adam Smith.

12th July - Borough Celebrating Sport Awards Evening

Sutton & Cheam had another highly successful evening at the London Borough of Sutton "Celebrating Sport Awards", held at the Secombe theatre.

David Andrews became Sutton's "Volunteer of the Year" for his contribution to the club and the borough for many years.

Sutton & Cheam's Senior relay team of Jamie Pearson on backstroke, Dave Andrews on breaststroke, Leigh Parkes on freestyle, Tom Garrett on butterfly and Simon Tidy on the final freestyle leg won the "Senior Team of the Year" Award for their performances in the Borough Championships, winning a magnificent silver medal.

Brooke Tafazolli won "Junior Sportsperson of the Year (U18)"; Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club's first female international, and selected for the GB Junior (Under 18 Team).

Matt Holland was runner-up for the "Sportsperson of the Year" Award for his selection as goalkeeper to the GB Olympic water polo team for London 2012, becoming the latest in a long line of Sutton and Cheam Olympians stretching back over the Club's 60+ years.

In addition, Sutton & Cheam's Under 13 Water Polo team was joint runner up for in the "Junior Team of the Year" category, as was April Hedges for the "Junior Sportsperson of the Year (U11)".

Sutton & Cheam's Under 13 Water Polo Team have swept all before them this season, winning the London League Winter and Summer titles with the enviable record so far of having played 21; won 21; testament to the team's character, composure, speed and fitness.

The Team: Luke Laidlaw, Elise Smith, Erin Andrew, Issie Mettan Ure, Michael Rees, Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter, Imogen Smith, George Brown, Tomas Gibson, Jack Fenner.

Eleven-year old April Hedges has gone from strength to strength this year winning amongst other things 9 medals (3 Gold, 5 Silver and a bronze) in the Surrey Age Group Championships; setting a new London Region Record in winning the Girls Age 10 200m backstroke by a wide margin and going on to a second gold in the 100m breaststroke; silver medals in the 200 breaststroke and 100m Individual Medley; and bronze in the 200m Individual Medley. Even more impressively, April is nationally ranked first for her age at 100m butterfly, 50m backstroke and 200m backstroke.

To crown a great evening Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club was also joint runner-up as Sutton's 'Club of the Year'. Last year's winners, the club showed it is still up there for its many successes at both individual and team levels; and at both swimming and water polo.

The evening was also a celebration of Sutton's performance in the London Youth Games and Sutton's medallists were re-presented with their medals by the Mayor.

Nathan Eves & Michael Rees; Aquathlon Gold & Bronze respectively
Isaac Tidy - Special Need Swimming; double Gold Medallist
Sam Rees, Isaac Tidy, Issie Mettan Ure, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Nathan Eves, Alex Wimbush, Adam Smith; Water Polo Team Bronze Medal

7/8th July - Success at the Haslemere Open

Haslemere proved a very happy hunting ground for Sutton & Cheam over the weekend, 29 swimmers returning with 77 medals between them (29 gold, 31 silver and 17 bronze) for a very successful meet.

Nathan Eves took top spot with 5 Gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze with April Hedges and Michael Rees (5 Gold and 1 silver) and William Ward (5 gold, 1 bronze) not far behind. James DeBrunner also weighed in with 6 medals (3 Gold and 3 Silver), whilst Lois Martin won 9 (2 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze). With Sam Rees returning with another 7 medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze), the Rees household in particular must be having trouble sorting out where to put them all.

Tomas Gibson (gold; 3 silver), Jacob Tidy (gold; silver), Jake Meffan (gold; bronze),

Other medals from Alex Wimbush, Erin Andrew, Natalie Andrew, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Dario Kan, Charlie Carr, Kieran Rutter, Joseph Lenihan and Imogen Smith.

James DeBrunner (17), Nathan Eves, (13) and Michael Rees (12) all achieved meet best swims in their respective Age groups.

Alex Wimbush, April Hedges, Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Elise Smith, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Imogen Smith, Jack Conroy, Jacob Tidy, Jake Meffan, James DeBrunner, Jan Cowell, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Joshua Eves, Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Cammock, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Ollie Griffiths, Roxy Came, Samuel Rees, Tomas Gibson, William Ward.

1st July - Gold, Silver and Bronze in Youth Games Aquathlon

Sutton & Cheam members also had a good day at the London Youth Games Aquathlon, a gruelling event, combining a swim with a run; winning a full house of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

In the Year 7 event which combined a 200m swim with a 1 km run, Michael Rees, representing the London Borough of Sutton, won bronze after a particularly impressive swim, the fastest of all the competitors in his age group.

The club was well represented in the Year 8 event, also combining a 200m swim with a 1 km run, with Nathan Eves (representing Sutton) taking the Gold, Teao Hughes (representing Merton) just one place behind with a superb silver with just a few seconds separating them; and William Ward not far behind in an excellent 6th.

Year 9 and Year 10 events combined a 250m with a 2km run and Joe Phillpott-Clark and Sam Rees, (both representing Sutton), came 16th and 22nd respectively in the Year 9 event, with Killian Courtney (Sutton), 14th in the Year 10 competition.

This allowed Sutton to finish in overall 21st spot, though they were severely hampered in the overall competition by not having a girls team.

30th June - Some great swims at the ZNA 'B' Gala Dorking

In what has been a busy week for Sutton & Cheam swimmers, the club also competed in the ZNA 'B' Gala at Dorking on Saturday; some swimmers racing in their first gala for the club.

There were first places for Charlotte and Lauren O'Sullivan, Adam Smith and the Under 11 freestyle relay team of Oliver Bayliss, Jack Conroy, Joseph Lenihan and Greg Gilbride.

Second places went to Andrea Rodrigues, Lauren O'Sullivan, Jack Conroy, Charlotte O'Sullivan, Ethan Richardson, Eva Serksnaite, Oliver Bayliss, Josh Eves; as well as the Under 13 relay team of Josh Eves, Spiros Gkogkas, Declan Courtney and Luke Laidlaw; and the Under 15 Medley team of Josh Eves, Adam Smith, Nathan Eves and Ethan Richardson. With Joseph Lenihan on board, the Under 15 team also took second place in the freestyle relay.

Despite several of them swimming outside their own age group, Elise and Imogen Smith, Jodie Fraser, Melanie Rodrigues, Nicole Woods, Rebecca Salter and Roxy Came all weighed in with very valuable points. Overall it was a very close run gala. Despite finishing in the top 2 in nearly half the races, four disqualifications and three 'speeding tickets' (for swimming too fast!) for Greg Gilbride, Spiros Gkogkas and Adam Smith), resulted in a final placing of 3rd. However, the important thing was that everyone enjoyed it and gained valuable experience for their next gala.

Well done to: Adam Smith, Andrea Rodrigues, Charlotte O'Sullivan, Declan Courney, Elise Smith, Ethan Richardson, Eva Serksnaite, Greg Gilbride, Imogen Smith, Jack Conroy, Jodie Fraser, Joseph Lenihan, Josh Eves, Lauren O'Sullivan, Luke Laidlaw, Melanie Rodrigues, Nathan Eves, Nicole Woods, Oliver Bayliss, Rebecca Salter, Roxy Came, Spiros Gkogkas

30th June - Youth Games Swimming

Sutton & Cheam swimmers were in action once again at the London Youth Games on Saturday; Jacob Tidy, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Katie Heape, Lois Martin, Nathan Eves, Sam Rees and William Ward representing Sutton; Spiros Gkogkas and Teao Hughes swimming in the Merton team.

In the junior events for Sutton, Sam Rees (9th, 50m freestyle), Joe Phillpott-Clark (10th, 50m backstroke), Lois Martin (13th, 50m butterfly) and William Ward, (8th, 50m breaststroke), swam brilliantly against tough opposition.

In the relays, Nathan Eves, Joe Phillpott-Clark, William Ward and Sam Rees finished 8th for Sutton in the freestyle relay; whilst Joe, William and Sam teamed up with Dylan Nurse from South Croydon to finish in 7th place in the medley relay.

In the girls' relays, Lois Martin and Katie Heape helped Sutton to overall 14th in the Medley relay and Lois Martin joined swimmers from South Croydon, Cheam Marcuda and Croydon Amphibians to finish 15th in the girls' freestyle relay.

For Merton, Teao Hughes finished 19th in the 50m Butterfly and Spiros Gkogkas came 30th in the 50m Freestyle. Both Teao and Spiros also competed in the Junior Freestyle and Medley Relay teams, finishing 23rd and 24th respectively.

In the Senior events, Jacob Tidy had a busy afternoon, finishing 8th in the 50m butterfly in a fast time, before teaming up with former club member Harry 'Big H' Brown, to help Sutton to an excellent 4th place in the 4 x 50m medley relay, just missing out on a bronze medal; and to 5th in the freestyle relay.

Overall, Sutton finished an excellent 5th out of the 33 London Boroughs in the boys' events though the girls were badly affected by having a very depleted Senior Team, finishing a disappointing 30th overall.

Sutton & Cheam representatives in the London Youth Games: Jacob Tidy, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Katie Heape, Lois Martin, Nathan Eves, Sam Rees, Spiros Gkogkas, Teao Hughes, William Ward

28th June - Sutton & Cheam at the London Mini Games

The London Borough of Sutton finished a creditable 7th in the swimming competition of the London Mini Games held at Crystal Palace on Thursday. The Sutton team mainly comprised of Sutton & Cheam Swimmers who performed admirably against stiff opposition.

For the boys, Josh Eves put in a solid display in the 50m Breastroke to see Sutton finish 17th out of the 33 London boroughs competing.

Epsom District's Lloyd Smith swam two events Backstroke & Butterfly finishing 4th & 8th in the two events respectively.

11 Year old Tomas Gibson swam a very impressive 30.25 seconds in the 50m Freestyle storming to the fastest time of the competition only to be left hugely disappointed for wobbling on the blocks & subsequently disqualified.

The boys teamed up with Sutton & Cheams other boy representative Ollie Griffiths in the relays finishing 6th in the Medley & an agonisingly close 4th in the freestyle.

For the girls Sutton & Cheam's April Hedges once again showed her class winning the 50m Backstroke title in a splendid time of 35.01 seconds. April also represented the borough in the next event the 50m Butterfly. Another superb effort saw April medal again but this time settling for a silver being pipped by 4 hundredths of a second for gold by Richmond.

Diving star Victoria Vincent represented Sutton in the Breaststroke & long distance Freestyler Zoe Morbey from Epsom & District competed well in the shorter distance.

The girls were joined by Sutton & Cheam's Alice Nicot and nearly matched the boys finishing 6th in both the Free & Medley relays. Still the girls did have the last laugh, as their relay times were faster than the boys.

25th June - Matt makes team GB for the London Olympics!

Congratulations to Sutton & Cheam's Matthew Holland who was today named as a member of the water polo team which will represent Great Britain at the London Olympics. Matt, who stared swimming and playing water polo at the club, is the latest in a long line of Sutton & Cheam Olympians stretching back to 1948. Matt's selection is testament to his hard work and commitment. In the build up to the Olympics, Matt has been playing professionally in France for the past year, and before that in Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Great Britain claimed four gold medals in men's water polo at the early Olympic Games, but have been absent from the competition since the 1956 Melbourne Games, when another Sutton & Cheam Player, Cliff Spooner was in the team.

Team GB's men will face a really tough group stage with matches against Hungary, the USA and Serbia, the gold, silver and bronze medalists from the Beijing Olympics 2008. As if that isn't enough they have also drawn Montenegro (who were placed 4th in Beijing and subsequently won the European Championships Silver Medal), and Romania.

The GB men will travel to Dublin on the 4th July to their holding base and will play a mini tournament (The Dublin Cup 2012 - www.dublinwaterpolo2012.com) against Hungary, Montenegro, Croatia and Romania.

The team will arrive at the Olympic Park on 24th July ready for their first game in the Olympic competition against Romania on July 29th.

24-Jun ASA Girls Youth Inter Regional Competition

Sutton & Cheam's Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli and Ferne O'Brien joined players from Beckenham, Croydon Amphibians, Ealing and Penguin to represent London Region in the ASA Youth Inter Regional Competition at Bristol over the weekend, returning with a well-earned bronze medal.

The first game was a resounding win for London, beating South West Region by a whopping 22-5, which was followed by a similar 16-6 win over West Midlands. The third game against North West 'B' resulted in a 16-8 loss though the game was closer than the score suggests.

This put the London Region team into the semi-final against tournament favourites and eventual winners, North West 'A'. Going into the final quarter, the scores were level but the North West eventually ran out 14-8 winners as London's small squad ran out of steam.
Eve and Brooke both had the distinction of scoring in every game whilst Ferne in goal, kept them out at the other end.

The 3rd/4th play-off against the North East was a humdinger of a game with London finally running out victors 20-19. Coach Simon Tidy commented "Watching England lose at penalties tonight was a piece of cake compared with the North East game!";.

Team: Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli, Ferne O'Brien (Sutton & Cheam); Matilda Williams, Emily Grant, Juliet Edey, Megan Shelts (Beckenham); Helena Phillps (Ealing), Jai Mai Lee (Penguin), Mhairi Nurthen (Croydon).

23-Jun - A good day at the Surrey Development Meet

A good day was had by Sutton & Cheam at Saturday's Surrey Development Meet at Guildford Spectrum, with lots of PB's and plenty of 1st places. In the final points total the boys came second and the girls 5th overall.

There were 1st places for Daisy Meffan in the 100 Breast, Ollie Griffiths in the 50 back and Lucy Cammock in the 50 free. In the boys 10 yr butterfly Joseph Lenihan came home 1st to add to his already impressive 2nd place finishes in his 3 other events.

Swimming a busy programme of 6 events Killian Courtney won the 15yr 200 free, which was alongside 4 other 2nd place finishes. Also leaving with 1st place ribbons were Nathan Eves with 3 from his 3 events, Juliette Williamson with 2, Tomas Gibson also with 2 and Imogen Smith, who won the 10 years 100IM with a great PB.

Other members of the team, who all swam PBs or took home place ribbons, were Katie & Rosie Heape, Andrea & Melanie Rodrigues, Rebecca Salter, Elise Smith, Emily Vandrau, Declan Courtney, Josh Eves and Luke Laidlaw.

16-Jun - Rother League Round 2, Woking

Saturday night saw another fighting performance from Sutton & Cheam swimmers in the second round of the Hants & South Coast Rother League Division 1 at Woking. Hosts Woking Swimming Club took first place, with Staines in second place but Sutton & Cheam had a real ding dong battle with Elmbridge for 3rd spot, finally finishing in 4th just a few points behind; but well ahead of Haslemere and Worthing.

With every single event a relay, this gala is designed to show the strength in depth of the club and every swimmer stepped up to the challenge.

There were just too many fantastic performances to name them individually though our Under 12 Boys & Girls and Under 14 Boys were particularly impressive. In a gala where every point counted, the result was based on a fantastic team spirit with all the swimmers cheering on their club mates in every race, and with their parents joining in from the balcony.

It was particularly pleasing that with Sutton & Cheam swimmers within a fraction of a second of the place above in nearly a third of the races, there is potential to improve on that performance.

The result leaves Sutton & Cheam in second spot in Division 1 behind Woking, with all to play for in the final round in September.

Great swims from: William Ward, Tomas Gibson, Teao Hughes, Sam Rees, Rosie Heape, Nathan Eves, Natalie Andrew, Michael Rees, Lucy Pearson, Lois Martin, Killian Courtney, Kieran Rutter, Juliette Williamson, Josh Eves, James DeBrunner, Jacob Tidy, Imogen Smith, Eve Tidy, Erin Andrew, Emily Vandrau, Dario Kan, Daisy Meffan, Chris Carr, Charlie Carr, Brooke Tafazolli, Athena Lewis Gkogka, April Hedges, Alex Wimbush, Adam Smith, Ace Taylor

16-Jun - Bronze for Water Polo team in London Youth Games

Some of Sutton & Cheam's young water polo players joined up with Croydon Amhibians to represent Sutton in the London Youth Games Water Polo Competition. In a very hard fought competition, the team won a well-deserved bronze medal though the result could and should have been better, the result of some bizarre refereeing which deprived the team of a place in the Gold/Silver play-off.

The first game against Hackney started slowly with near misses from Sam Rees and Dylan Nurse before Mhairi Nurthen opened the scoring with a fine 'pit' goal. Sam Rees made it 2-0 and Mhairi got her second and the team's third from a great pass from Sophie Lansley and Dylan Nurse made it 4-0 on the stroke of half time. Early in the second half Kane Nurse made it 5 and Joe Phillpott-Clark 6 from a pinpoint pass from Nathan Eves. With the team pouring forwards at every opportunity, they were nearly caught out by counter attacks but keeper Isaac Tidy made two superb saves to keep his sheet clean and Sam Rees and Issie Mettan Ure (the youngest player on the team) added two more late in the second half to make the final score 8-0.

The second game against Ealing was very frustrating; Sutton racing to a 5-1 lead before losing their way in the second half to let Ealing back into the game through some naïve defending. Mhairi Nurthen was on top form with 4 goals and Dylan and Kane Nurse added further goals to make the final score 6-5.

Sutton against Enfield was a shocker and Sutton soon found itself 0-3 down mainly due to some poor refereeing. Mhairi Nurthen got one back just before half-time. Early in the second half, Enfield scored again to make it 1-4 before Mhairi scored her second with a goal from the 'pit' from an excellent pass by Kane Nurse. Enfield added a fifth before Dylan Nurse scored to make it 3-5, which was the final score.

The game was marred by some bizarre referring decisions, which resulted in the team becoming increasingly frustrated and losing their composure. However, even without that, Sutton had its chances to win with Mhairi Nurthen hitting the post twice, Sam Rees shooting just over and the Enfield keeper just managing to get his finger tips to a goal-bound shot from Alex Wimbush. Enfield were a good side and went on to win the gold but the result could have been so different.

Sutton against Barnet was a walkover for Sutton as the opposition were unable to comply with the rule to have two girls on the field of play at all times and forfeited the game.

Sutton against Southwark was the game of the tournament with never more than a goal in it and the lead changing hands throughout the match. Joe Phillpott-Clark opened the scoring but Southwark equalised almost immediately though the referee was at fault for allowing the goal to stand from a direct shot from a foul on 2m. Sam Rees made it 2-1 before Southwark equalised, the result of some poor marking, and then went ahead for the first time with a scrambled shot which just made it over the line. Mhairi Nurthen then equalised to make it 3-3 at half time. In the second half, the Southwark cross bar became a magnet to Sutton shots, Mhairi Nurthen, Kane Nurse and Sam Rees all hitting the bar in quick succession. Southwark then went ahead again to make it 3-4 before Kane Nurse equalised; and then again scored to make it 4-5 before yet again, Kane Nurse equalised to make the final score 5-5.

Sutton versus Havering was another frustrating game with Sutton the better team; fully deserved to win but tried hard to lose it, being very vulnerable to defensive errors. Havering scored first but Adam Smith equalised to make it 1-1 before the team went further behind to two quick goals though Mhairi pulled one back with a well-taken penalty. Adam Smith had a great chance to equalise but shot narrowly over the bar with the goal completely at his mercy. Half time score 2-3.

The team talk from coach Simon Tidy tightened up the defence and Mhairi Nurthen equalised to 3-3 before Havering replied to make it 3-4. Dylan Nurse equalised once more to 4-4 before Sutton went ahead for the first time with a fine goal from Nathan Eves and another from Dylan Nurse to make it 6-4, the final score. Ella Pierpoint very nearly made it 7 on the stroke of full time, forcing the Havering keeper into a fine save.

Though deserving better, the results of the round robin tournament unfortunately put Sutton into the 3rd/4th play-off against Ealing, a team Sutton had beaten earlier in the day. Once more, Joe Phillpott-Clark opened the scoring before poor marking once more let the team down, allowing Ealing to equalise. Mhairi Nurthen them made it 2-1 and Adam Smith 3-1 before poor marking gave Ealing a free shot on goal to make it 3-2 at half time. Early in the second half, Mhairi again hit the bar, Nathan Eves saw a goal-bound shot saved and Joe Phillpott-Clark hit the bar in front of an open goal when it would have been easier to score. Mhairi then made it 4-2, Ealing pulled one back and Joe made it 5-3, the final score, which makes the game appear closer than it really was, with Sutton always in control.

Overall, the bronze medal could easily have been better. Sutton had more shots on goal than any other team but was its own worst enemy with some wayward shooting, the result of not taking their time in front of goal, and were equally guilty of defensive lapses, which punished them. However, the team couldn't be faulted on their spirit and never-say-die attitude, which allowed them to come back from behind time after time.

Well done team: Issie Mettan-Ure, Isaac Tidy, Sam Rees, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Nathan Eves, Alex Wimbush, Adam Smith (Sutton & Cheam); Mhairi Nurthen, Sophie Lansley, Ella Pierpoint, Dylan Nurse, Kane Nurse (Croydon Amphibians) Coach: Simon Tidy

10th June - Cranleigh Summer Open

While their club mates were competing at the London Region Championships, Sutton & Cheam swimmers also had a great day at the Cranleigh Summer Open Meet, achieving 56 top 8 places and winning 14 Gold, 9 Silver and 7 bronze medals between them.

Josh Eves (11) in particular had a real field day winning 3 golds for the 200m backstroke, 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle and also added a silver in the 400m freestyle and bronze in the 50m butterfly. However, club newcomer Teao Hughes (13) wasn't far behind with 3 golds in the 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 50 m butterfly and added another silver in the 50m freestyle event.

Not to be outdone, 9 year-old Imogen Smith weighed in with 3 golds in the 50m backstroke, 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle, while Luke Laidlaw (12) took two golds in the 200m breaststroke and 50m breaststroke events.

Natalie Andrew (13) took gold, silver and two bronze medals in the 400m freestyle, 200m backstroke, 200m Individual Medley and 50m breaststroke events respectively; Jan Cowell (9) won gold and 2 silvers in the 50m backstroke, 200m breaststroke and 200m freestyle, while Adam Smith (13) got a full house of gold, silver and bronze in the 200m breaststroke, 400m freestyle and 200m backstroke.

Erin Andrew (9) won two silvers in the 200m Individual Medley and 50m butterfly and added bronze in the 200m backstroke while Killian Courtney (15) silver in the 200m Individual Medley, brother Declan (11) bronze in the 200m breaststroke and Charlotte O'Sullivan (12) yet another bronze in the 50m backstroke.

It didn't just end there, 15 swimmers reached the top 8 and there were numerous PBs, too many to count. There were also some very near misses especially for the Smith family with Elise, Adam and Imogen taking five 4th places between them;

The team: Erin Andrew, Natalie Andrew, Roxy Came, Jack Conroy, Declan Courtney, Killian Courtney, Jan Cowell, Joshua Eves, Teao Hughes, Luke Laidlaw, Charlotte O'Sullivan, Lauren O'Sullivan, Andrea Rodrigues, Melanie Rodrigues, Adam Smith, Elise Smith, Imogen Smith.

Well done everyone!

2 & 3rd/9 & 10th June - Great club Performance London Region BAGCATS

Sunday saw the London Region Swimming Championships come to an end with two more gold medals and a bronze to add to last weekend's 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals to bring the 2012 Regional Championships tally to 10 medals (4 Gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze).

James DeBrunner got the Regional Youth Championships off to a great start with a battling bronze in the 1500m freestyle event, held earlier in May.

Nine medals then followed at the Regional BAGCAT Championships with 11 year old April Hedges taking Gold medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke events (both by considerable margins in regional record times), Silver in the 100m butterfly and Bronze in the 200m Individual Medley.

William Ward (12) won Gold in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events (the latter by a whopping 4 seconds), and added another excellent Silver in the 200m Individual Medley whilst 12 year-old Michael Rees won Bronze in both the 100m and 200m backstroke events, the former in a National Qualifying time.

It could have been even better, William Ward just being pipped for the gold on the final leg of the Individual Medley, and just missing out on another medal by finishing 4th in the 100m butterfly; and April Hedges finishing with 4th places in the 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and 200m breaststroke events, the latter by just 11 hundredths of a second!

The club also entered teams in both the Boys and Girls 10/12 relays with the boys team of Kieran Rutter, William Ward, Michael Rees and Dario Kan finishing a very close 6th in the Freestyle relay and 8th in the Medley Relay, and the girls team of April Hedges, Lucy Pearson, Daisy Meffan and Lois Martin finishing in 11th and 14th place in the Freestyle and Medley events respectively.

Overall, 17 swimmers qualified for more than 80 events at the Regional Championships, with 8 of the swimmers reaching 28 finals between them, easily the club's best ever showing.

Well done to: Alexander WIMBUSH, April HEDGES, Daisy MEFFAN, Dario KAN, Kieran RUTTER, Lois MARTIN, Lucy PEARSON, Michael REES, Nathan EVES, Rosie HEAPE, Tomas GIBSON, William WARD, James DEBRUNNER, Ace TAYLOR, Brooke TAFAZOLLI, Jake MEFFAN, Chris CARR

27-May - 6 out of 6 for Sutton's Under 13 Team

Wins over Ealing 10-6, Hastings, 7-3 and Basildon 8-3 made it 6 wins out of 6 for Sutton & Cheam's Under 13 side, still riding high at the top of the London League Championships after Sunday's tournament at Barnet.

In the first game against Ealing, Tomas Gibson opened the scoring giving the opposition keeper no chance following an excellent pass from George Brown. Kieran Rutter, in goal made a great save which allowed Tomas a quick pass for Michael Rees to open his account, before George Brown scored with an excellent solo effort to make it 3-0.

Defensively however, the team was a little 'ring rusty' and defensive lapses crept into the team's play allowing Ealing back into the game at 3-2 before Luke Laidlaw made it 4-2 and Michael Rees 5-2. A poor pass, which was intercepted, then brought Ealing's 3rd goal and despite several chances to increase the score, these weren't taken and the half time score remained 5-3.

The second half followed much the same pattern and yet another defensive error allowed Ealing back into the game at 5-4 before Michael Rees, Elise Smith and George Brown calmed the nerves with three unanswered goals to make it 8-4. Both teams then traded goals to make the final score 10-6. Despite the win, overall, it was a very frustrating game, with the team scoring some excellent goals, though conceding 'silly' goals, which could have been avoided.

Coach Dave Andrews team talk did the trick and the defence in the second game against Hastings was much tighter. Sutton's young team went a goal behind early in the game but kept their composure and Michael Rees soon equalised. George Brown went close before some excellent defending by Issie Mettan Ure turned defence into attack to allow Kieran Rutter to make it 2-1 with a scorcher though an equaliser from Hastings made it 2-2 at half time.

In the second half Sutton's superior fitness and speed showed through and paid immediate dividends. Along with Josh Eves in goal, Erin Andrew and sisters Elise and Imogen Smith were terriers in defence, giving the opposition no time on the ball and breaking up attack after attack. Counter attack goals from Michael Rees (2), George Brown and Tomas Gibson soon made it 6-2 to put the game out of reach. A late consolation by Hastings made it 6-3 before Michael scored his fourth and the team's seventh following an excellent 'steal' and quick pass by Luke Laidlaw. Final score 7-3.

The final game against Basildon followed a very similar pattern to the previous match. Early goals by George Brown and Michael Rees were cancelled out making it 2-2 before Tomas Gibson, Michael Rees and George Brown made it 5-2. Some great defending by Kieran Rutter kept the opposition out and Michael was about to make it 6, zeroing in on goal with only the keeper to beat when the half time whistle went. Half time 5-2.

In the second half, George scored from a narrow angle to make it 6 before Kieran Rutter won an excellent penalty though was unable to convert it. By now, Sutton's team was having it all their own way and the Basildon keeper was forced into making save after save before a goal-bound effort from Elise Smith was parried by the keeper straight to Erin Andrew who made no mistake to make it 8-2. A late consolation made the final score 8-3.

Coach Dave Andrews was delighted with the performance commenting "despite defensive lapses, the team was always in the driving seat and improved in every game".

26-May - Rother League Win

Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club stormed to victory in the first round of the Rother League at Guildford Spectrum at the weekend. The 30 strong team, which included boys and girls aged between 9 and 17, outperformed their opposition finishing in the top 3 in 42 of the 51 races and finished the gala 42 points in the lead.

There were individual first places for Imogen Smith, Joseph Lenihan, April Hedges, Lois Martin, Michael Rees, Tomas Gibson and Athena Lewis Gkogka, as well as the Girls Under 13 Medley Relay Team of April Hedges, Daisy Meffan, Lois Martin and Katie Heape. Michael Rees, Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter and Tomas Gibson won both the boys under 13 freestyle and medley relays in fine style. In the final race of the day, Emily Vandrau, Joseph Lenihan, Lois Martin, Michael Rees, Juliette Williamson, Sam Rees, Athena Lewis Gkogka and Jacob Tidy brought home the Squadron relay to the cheers of the parents.

The club is now looking forward to the second round in June.

Well done to: Ace Taylor, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Ben Humphries, Brooke Tafazolli, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Greg Colquhoun, Imogen Smith, Jacob Tidy, Jake Meffan, James DeBrunner, Jan Cowell, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Juliette Williamson, Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Cammock, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Nicole Varron, Rosie Heape, Sam Rees, Tomas Gibson, William Ward

20-May - Under 15 Water Polo Team - Still in there!

With several of the team unavailable due to conflicting events, Sutton & Cheam's Under 15 team were slightly under strength at the second tournament of the season. Thankfully, Michael Rees and Spiros Gkogkas made the journey from the Woking Open whilst Dario Kan came straight to the game from competing in a triathlon at Crystal Palace, a great effort, particularly by parents, to whom we are very grateful.

However, two wins and a loss by a single goal keep the team well in the hunt for the Championship title, just a single point behind League leaders Basildon.

The first game against Croydon followed much the same pattern as the previous game a month before with the team missing several chances though at the other end, Tomas Gibson in goal had little to do. The score line at half time was a scintillating 0-0. After the interval however, it was a different game and Sutton soon took the lead with a well-taken penalty by Rob Smith. Further goals from Adam Smith (2) and Henry Simpson made it 4-0 though Tomas Gibson made an excellent save late in the half to keep a clean sheet.

Natalie 'Pinky' Andrew opened the scoring in the second game against Basildon, though poor marking quickly allowed Basildon to equalise to 1-1. Again, several good chances were then frittered away with 'Pinky' hitting the bar, Max Odell forcing the opposition keeper into a great save; Michael Rees shooting just left and then having a 'goal' disallowed for a team mate encroaching inside 2metres before Adam Smith made it 2-1 just before half time. The team's superior fitness and speed told in the second half with 4 unanswered goals from Michael Rees, Tomas Gibson (2) and Max Odell making the final score 6-1.

The game against Basildon was frustrating with Rob Smith scoring a great goal from long range right into the top left corner of the goal before that was undone by some naïve marking to make it 1-1 and a replay making it 1-2. Adam Smith equalised to 2-2 directly from a 5m foul, but again poor marking gifted Basildon a third goal. Rob Simpson equalised once more from a man-up and it was 3-3 with all to play for at half time. In the second half, missed chances and some random refereeing kept the score at 3-3 until the dying seconds of the game when a poor pass out of defence found the opposition who made it 3-4 with insufficient time left to go for the equaliser.

The final game against Watford followed a similar pattern with some wayward shooting spoiling good chances before Adam Smith won a penalty which Rob Simpson converted and Henry Simpson scored with a long range lob from a 5m foul which had the goalkeeper stranded. Rob sent another shot just over the bar and at half time, the score was 2-0. Cameron McClymont made it 3-0 just after half time before Watford pulled a goal back through a defensive mix up and then another against the run of play to make it 3-2. However, Cameron scored his second to calm the nerves to make it 4-2, the final score.

The team: Natalie Andrew, Rob Simpson, Cameron McClymont, Spiros Gkogkas, Henry Simpson, Max Odell, Dario Kan, Michael Rees, Tomas Gibson, Adam Smith

20-May - A Great Day's Work at the Woking Open

Twenty-one swimmers represented the club at the Woking B/C Open on Sunday, winning 43 trophies between them: 16 first places (9 Grade 'B' and 7 Grade 'C'); 16 second places (10 Grade 'B' and 6 Grade 'C') and 11 third places (5 Grade 'B' and 6 Grade 'C' ).

90% of the swimmers bettered their entry times; almost every swimmer returned with a PB and trophy, and several achieved Regional Qualifying Times.

Grade B first places went to Alex Wimbush, Daisy Meffan (2), Jan Cowell, Kieran Rutter (2) and Samuel Rees (3); with Grade B second places for Alex Wimbush (2), Daisy Meffan, Juliette Williamson, Kieran Rutter (2), Killian Courtney, Athena Lewis Gkogka and Samuel Rees (2) and Grade B third places for Alice Nicot, Joe Phillpott-Clark (2), Killian Courtney and Samuel Rees

Daisy Meffan, Gregory Colquhoun (2), Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Lucy Cammock and Ollie Griffiths all achieved Grade C first places with Grade C second places for Emily Vandrau, Jan Cowell, Joseph Lenihan, Katie Heape, Lucy Pearson and Samuel Rees; and Grade C third places for Declan Courtney, Gregory Colquhoun, Joseph Lenihan, Killian Courtney, Lauren O'Sullivan and Luke Laidlaw.

Well done everyone, a great days work!

12 & 13 May - Beckenham International Open Meet proves tough competition

The Beckenham International Open Meet proved tough competition over the weekend though the club's backstrokers took 3 golds and a silver medal between them with April Hedges winning the Girls 100m and 200m Age 9/11 backstroke events, Joe Phillpott-Clark (12), winning the Age 12/13 50m backstroke and Kieran Rutter (11) taking the silver medal in the Age 9/11 50m backstroke.

Dario Kan, Daisy Meffan, Michael Rees and Nathan Eves gained an additional 18 top 8 places between them, with Nathan Eves particularly unlucky, just missing out on medals finishing 4th in the 50m, 200m and 400m freestyle events.

Swimmers: April Hedges, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Chris Carr, Dario Kan, Daisy Meffan, Josh Eves, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Rosie Heape, SamRees

12-May ASA SE Region Inter-County U19 Girls (94 and later)

Sutton & Cheam's Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli and Ferne O'Brien joined forces with players from Croydon Amphbians at the weekend to represent Surrey in the ASA South East Region Inter County Water Polo Championships, held at White Oak Leisure Centre in Swanley, Kent.

Against older, bigger and more experienced teams; hampered by only having 8 players available and despite the whole team being under age, the team performed heroics, beating Suffolk in the first game before losing a very close fought game with Sussex in the second.

With Kent beating Sussex in an earlier round, Surrey's final game against Kent was expected to be pushover for Kent but the Surrey team, improving every game, played above themselves and were on top the whole game, finally turning out 8-5 winners. This made Sussex, Kent and Surrey all equal on points and so it came down to goal difference, Surrey finally finishing in third place. .

Coach Simon Tidy was delighted with his team's performance commenting, "what impressed me most was the way we played as a team" and "if it hadn't been for some quite outrageous refereeing decisions, we could easily have won the whole tournament".

With the whole team available next year, keep training hard and there's no reason why Surrey can't win it next year. Here's to 2013.

The team: Eve Tidy, Brooke Tafazolli, Ferne O'Brien, Mhairi Nurthen, Ellie Danielson, Jai Mei Lee, Sophie Lansley, Ella Pierpoint

5 & 6 May - Excellent Bronze for James in the London Region Youth Championships

Sutton & Cheam's James DeBrunner won an excellent bronze medal in the gruelling 1500m freestyle event at the London Region Youth Swimming Championships at the weekend.

Brooke Tafazolli, Ace Taylor and Jake Meffan also had top 8 finishes to get the 2012 London Region Championships off to a great start.

28-April - Eve helps Invicta to National Silver medal

Congratulations to Sutton & Cheam's Eve Tidy who helped Invicta to the Silver Medal in the National Youth Water Polo Championships at Manchester on Saturday. Although losing to Manchester 20-10 in the final, the match was a lot closer than the score suggests.

In the qualifying round held on March 17th in Walsall, the team drew 10-10 with Sheffield before beating reigning champions Liverpool 9-6 and Birmingham 9-5 in the semi-final.

Eve had the distinction of scoring in every game.

23 April - Brooke chosen as Adidas Ambassador

Sutton & Cheam's Brooke Tafazolli has been chosen as the 'face' of Sutton for the Adidas "Take the Stage" campaign, designed to showcase London and the talent that exists across the Country. Brooke is a member of the GB Under 18 Water Polo Team and has her eyes set on Rio 2016.

22-Apr Under 15s go top of London League with a little help from their friends

Sutton & Cheam got the London League Under 15 Division 2 Championships off to a good start on Sunday with a little help from its friends at Beckenham, beating Watford (3-2), Basingstoke (6-2) and Croydon 'B' (8-0) and drawing 3-3 with Basildon.

The first game against Watford was a very tight affair with Sutton going a goal behind before Rob Simpson equalised with a hard shot from close range, which gave the keeper no chance. Several chances to increase the score were squandered with Cameron McClymont shooting wide, Nathan Eves shooting straight at the keeper and Adam Smith missing narrowly with an attempted lob before Tomas Gibson made it 2-1 just before half time. Early in the second half, Watford had a great chance to draw level but some great defending and an equally fine save by keeper Kieran Rutter kept the score the same before Cameron made it 3-1 late in the half. With the game won, concentration lapsed giving Watford a late consolation; final score 3-2.
The game against Basildon was again close with the lead changing hands several times; Sutton deservedly racing to a 2-0 lead with goals from Nathan Eves and Rob Simpson before poor marking allowed Basildon to level the score to 2-2. Dario Kan had a close shot which the Basildon keeper just got his fingers to; a Nathan Eves shot missed just left and Tomas Gibson had a shot saved before Basildon went one ahead with a goal somewhat against the run of play though Rob Simpson levelled to 3-3 shortly afterwards which was the final score; a draw being a fair result.

Game 3 against Basingstoke was one-way traffic with Sutton& Cheam racing to a 5-0 lead at half time thanks to goals from Adam Smith (2), Cameron McClymont, Tomas Gibson and Max Odell. It could have been more if the woodwork hadn't got in the way of a hard shot from Nathan Eves. In the second half, poor defending gifted Basingstoke a goal before Spiros Gkogkas score his debut goal from a fine solo effort, swimming in and coolly picking his spot and slotting the ball past the keeper. Late in the half, Basingstoke scored a second to make the final score 6-2.

The final game against Croydon was frustrating with Sutton's players having no fewer than 9 shots on goal in the first half though only one was converted by Tomas Gibson to make it just 1-0 at half time; the team wondering just what they had to do to get the ball in the net. The second half was an entirely different matter. Spiros Gkogkas hit the cross bar early on and this opened the flood gates with Sutton racing to 8-0 with goals from Rob Simpson (2), Adam Smith, Nathan Eves, Cameron McClymont and Max Odell (2). Excellent defending enabled the team to keep a clean sheet with keeper Kieran Rutter having very little to do.

The team got better every game and a big thank you is due to Beckenham coach, Simon Woolley and to Beckenham players Rob Simpson, Cameron McClymont and Max Odell for supplying some real firepower.

The team: Kieran Rutter, Josh Eves, Spiros Gkogkas, Natalie Andrew, Rob Simpson, Alex Wimbush, Cameron McClymont, Dario Kan, Adam Smith, Nathan Eves, Tomas Gibson and Max Odell.

21-Apr Great Performance at the Hants & South Coast Premier League

With top 4 places in over half the events, Sutton & Cheam's youngsters took an excellent fourth place in the Hants & South Coast Premier League Division 1 on Saturday behind top class opposition from Staines, Haslemere and Rushmoor. The result was particularly pleasing as some swimmers were making their competition debuts with the club.

On a night when every point counted, Sutton & Cheam had a tremendous battle throughout with Elmbridge and Littlehampton with the team winning the battle for 4th place with a fantastic team spirit with every member cheering on their teammates, and Sutton's parents making themselves heard above the crowd.

There were individual top spots for William Ward (2), Dario Kan and Tomas Gibson with Kieran Rutter, April Hedges, Adam Smith and Lois Martin not far behind with second places.

The club also won both Under 12 relays with great swims from Dario Kan, April Hedges, Lucy Pearson, Tomas Gibson, Kieran Rutter and Daisy Meffan; as well as the Under 13 Medley Relay with Adam Smith, William Ward, Lois Martin and Katie Heape pulling out all the stops.

Team: Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Alice Nicot, April Hedges, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Jack Conroy, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Cammock, Lucy Pearson, Maddison Lang, Nathan Eves, Oliver Bayliss, Tomas Gibson, William Ward.

14 & 15 April Bexley Open, Crystal Palace

Sutton & Cheam swimmers competed in the Bexley Open at Crystal Palace at the weekend; Michael Rees, Tomas Gibson and Kieran Rutter returning with medals to add to their collections.

Michael Rees (11) won first places in the Boys 400m freestyle and 200m backstroke events whilst Tomas Gibson (11) took first place in the Boys 50m freestyle. Michael also took 4 second places in the 100m Back, 200m Free, 100m Breast and 100m free; with Kieran Rutter (11) gaining an excellent bronze in the 100m Individual Medley.

In all, there were 19 top 8 places from Dario Kan, Jake Meffan, Kieran Rutter, Michael Rees and Tomas Gibson

Team: Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Charlie Carr, Dario Kan, Erin Andrew, Jake Meffan, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Rosie Heape, Sam Rees, Tomas Gibson.

01-Apr - Under 13 Team still winning

Sutton conceded an early goal in their opening game against Hastings however this seemed to shake them into action. A good attempt by George Brown, which wouldn't cross the line, was soon followed by a Michael Rees shot, which levelled the score. The Hastings keeper stopped another shot from George, before Michael followed up with a repeat to put Sutton into the lead. A superb steal from Kieran Rutter was quickly passed on to Dario Kan to George to Michael who had no hesitation in putting Sutton 3 - 1 up. A Hasting attack was swiftly squashed by Dario Kan, who emerged with the ball to find George free in open water. George's first time shot gave the keeper no chance, putting Sutton 4 - 1 up at the interval.

Early in the second half a Michael Rees cross from the wing found George Brown whose shot hit the cross bar though soon afterwards, George made amends for his miss to make it 5-1 with a shot that whistled past the Hastings goal keeper.

Some great defending by Erin Andrews and Jack Fenner prevented Hastings getting near the Sutton goal and soon it was Luke Laidlaw's turn for an attempt on goal which was stopped by the Hastings keeper. A quick pass out from the keeper saw a long shot by Hastings, which was soundly taken by Sutton's keeper Josh Eves. Issie Mettan Ure found herself in the affray with three Hastings players but emerged with the ball and passed to Kieran whose shot was saved by the Hasting goalie. A quick pass out instigated a rapid break to secure a 2nd consolation goal for Hastings. A final run by Sutton saw a close shot by Issie which hit the post just before the final whistle making the final score 5-2

Sutton were on the attack from the outset in their second game against Watford. Michael swam most of the pitch with the ball before passing to George who had now got his eye in and placed the ball to the far right of the goalkeeper putting Sutton 1 up.

Issie again secured the ball after another scrap and passed to George to make it 2-0. Tomas Gibson then intercepted a rapid attack by Watford and with a long pass placed the ball right in from of Michael who had found open water right in front of the goal enabling a 3rd goal before Watford pulled one back with a long range shot from the halfway line which just crept under the bar m giving Josh Eves no chance to stop Watford getting onto the scoreboard. Immediately from the restart, Tomas made a quick break but his shot just wouldn't cross the line. Unfortunately, Sutton didn't learn from their earlier mistake and another long shot from the same Watford player saw the score as 3 - 2 to Sutton at half time.

A pep talk at half time by coaches Andrew Lawrence and Jacob Tidy saw a change in strategy for the second half and Sutton spread out to use more of the pool. This seemed to work and spread the Watford team who were not as agile as Sutton. Sutton immediately capitalised with a long swim from Kieran who passed over to Michael who again found the back of the net.

Soon afterwards, Kieran again soon found himself in space and moved the ball up before passing to Michael. Michael spotted George had slipped his marker and passed across but the Watford goalie just got to the ball in time. Watford's long shooter had another crack from halfway but by then, Josh had got the measure of him and put in a superb save.

By now, it was one-way traffic and Issie, the master of the scrap did what she does best and once again emerged with the ball, passed to Tomas who made no mistake. Straight from the restart Michael intercepted a pass from Watford and passed the ball to Luke Laidlaw who just couldn't find a way past the keeper. However, the ball out from goal was again intercepted by Michael who passed it straight to George who again gave the keeper no chance. Josh put in another great save against the only Watford player who seemed to find the goal making the final score 6 - 2 to Sutton.

The final game against Enfield saw a change in goalie for Sutton with Kieran Rutter replacing Josh Eves who now came out on pitch. Michael won the ball for Sutton from the start and passed it in to George. Michael swam on to receive the ball back and passed in to Tom who put the ball away without hesitation. Enfield made a quick break from the restart which nearly caught Sutton on the hop but Kieran was having none of it coming right out of the water to stop a high shot at the Sutton goal. Kieran quickly passed the ball to George who swam in from halfway and passed across to Dario who had followed in support. Dario dodged one defender before securing Suttons second goal. Once again Kieran was required to demonstrate his keeping prowess as Enfield found themselves with a one man overlap but the Sutton keeper was too quick. With a reverse repeat of the earlier situation Dario took the ball from Kieran swimming half the pitch before passing to George who made it 3 for Sutton.

Sutton soon found themselves relying on their goalie again who seemed comfortable in front of his posts and was not letting anything by. From goal Kieran passed out to Luke who put a long ball down the pitch to find George who promptly put it away. Enfield made a strong break from the restart and a powerful shot bounced off the water and under arm of the Sutton keeper giving Enfield their 1st goal. Luke's long passes to George seemed to be paying off and Luke soon found himself in a position to repeat the earlier feat as did George making the score 5 - 1 to Sutton at half time.

Sutton again won the ball at the start of the second half and Tomas passed in to Josh who put the ball just wide. Michael once again intercepted the ball out from the Enfield goalie and passed to Tomas whose shot was stopped. Shortly afterwards, it was Tomas who intercepted a ball in the air and passed across to Michael who brought Suttons score up to 6.

Enfield hadn't given up and Kieran Rutter was forced to make another save from a quick Enfield break. Kieran's pass out to Tomas was passed to Issie whose shot just went over the bar. Moments later Erin Andrew found herself with just a single defender between her and the Enfield goalie. With a plucky fight she managed to gain some ground before turning to shoot but the ball fell just short making the full time score 6-1.

Overall, the three wins put Sutton into a great position with the record played 6, Won 6. It's all to play for in the two remaining tournaments.

29th March - Water Polo Silver for Sutton at the Balfour Beatty Mini Games

Sutton & Cheam's young water polo stars represented the London Borough of Sutton in the London Mini Games on Thursday against teams drawn from the other London Boroughs, and returned with a magnificent silver medal to add to their growing collection.

A 19-1 demolition of Havering in the first game was followed by a similar 18-1 victory over Wandsworth in the second and a 6-2 win over Tower Hamlets before meeting Croydon in the 'crunch' match to see who would top the group round robin table. This turned out to be the game of the tournament with Sutton taking the lead but conceding three quick goals to put them 1-3 behind at half-time. A change of tactics in the second half saw Sutton score 7 unanswered goals to register an 8-3 win and a top of the table finish, to put them into the semi-finals. To come back from behind showed great character and fighting spirit, which was a credit to the whole team.

In the semi final against Hackney, Sutton then ran out 8-5 winners, deservedly putting them into the Gold-Silver play-off for the second time in two years.

By far the best water polo team in the tournament, as last year, Sutton's young team were hindered by the rules of 'mini polo', which allow the game to be played in shallow water to the extent where the game can be played by non-swimmers. Brent again exploited these rules to the full and took full advantage of Sutton's lack of height in a game which resembled basketball rather than water polo, and the final was a repeat of last year's defeat (4-8) to take the silver medal.

However, to win the silver medal in these circumstances was a superb performance.

Tomas Gibson, Kieran Rutter, Josh Eves, Dario Kan, Andrea Rodrigues and sisters Elise and Imogen Smith represented Sutton and all played superbly, all getting onto the score sheet apart from Josh Eves, who performed heroics in goal throughout and very nearly made it onto the score sheet himself, shooting into the opposition's net from his own goal line, only to have the goal disallowed.

A big well done to Elise Smith, Imogen Smith, Andrea Rodrigues, Tomas Gibson, Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter and Josh Eves.

17th & 18th March - Relay Gold for Sutton & Cheam

Sutton & Cheam's swimmers finished the Surrey Championships with a bang at the weekend with a further two golds, 3 silvers and a bronze to equal last years' record total of 35 medals.

On Saturday, Michael Rees (11) took gold in the 200m backstroke; April Hedges (10) followed up with two further silvers in the 200m breaststroke and butterfly events; and Imogen Smith (9) another silver in the 200m breaststroke.

Both Kieran Rutter and Athena Lewis Gkogka narrowly missed out on podium places, both finishing 4th in their events, Athena by just a few 100ths of a second. With 6 other final placings from William Ward, Joe Phillpott-Clark, James DeBrunner, Jake Meffan and Nathan Eves, the coaches on poolside (and parents on the balcony) were well pleased with the days work.

April Hedges and Michael Rees added to their tally, both being presented with Surrey BAGCAT Awards for finishing overall 2nd in their respective categories. With William Ward 6th, Erin Andrew 11th, Charlie Carr and Kieran Rutter 12th, Imogen Smith joining brother Adam and Joe Phillpott-Clark in 13th, Lois Martin 14th and 10 other swimmers in the top 50, The Surrey Age Group Championsahips have proved a very happy hunting ground this year.

Sunday saw the Surrey relays take place at Crystal Palace and pride of place goes to the Boys 9-11 freestyle relay team of Tomas Gibson, Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter and Michael Rees who took the gold medal in fantastic style. Tomas Gibson got the team off to the start they needed putting the team into a very close 2nd at the end of the first leg, Dario Kan and Kieran Rutter didn't give an inch in legs 2 & 3 and with the crowd going wild, Michael Rees finished it off in style overtaking Guildford's final swimmer on the last length to take the gold, the first relay gold won by the club for many years. Earlier in the day, the same quartet took the bronze medal in the Boys 9-11 medley relay. This could have even better but unfortunately the team was drawn in a different heat to the gold and silver winners, swimming their race in a complete 'vacuum' and winning their heat by a distance.

The boys 12-13 team of Joe Phillpott-Clark, William Ward, Alex Wimbush and Nathan Eves so nearly brought home another medal, swimming above themselves to finish 4th and 5th in the medley and freestyle relays respectively, less than a second behind a medal.

The girls 9-11 team of Lucy Pearson, Daisy Meffan, April Hedges and Emily Vandrau just missed out on a top 8 place but with two of the team in the same age group next year, finishing in 10th spot was a great effort.

There were excellent swims too from the club's 'B' teams. The Boys 9-11 'B' team of Joseph Lenihan, Luke Laidlaw, Ollie Griffiths and Josh Eves finished in a very creditable 19th place in the freestyle relay, beating 6 'A' teams in the process. Similarly, the Girls 9-11 'B' team of Lucy Cammock, Imogen Smith, Erin Andrew and Alice Nicot beat two 'A' teams despite the whole team being in the same age group next year, and two of the team, the year after that.

At the end of a long, hard Surreys, the club finished in overall 6th place in the medals table with 35 medals (6 Gold, 20 Silver, 9 Bronze) equalling last year's total. The team also finished in 7th place in the overall points table, two places up from last year.

Overall, nearly 40 swimmers represented the club in the Surrey Age Groups Championships; so finally, big thank you to squad coaches Helen and Jim for all the work put in over the past year to get them there.

Swimmers: Aaron Prince, Ace Taylor, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Alice Nicot, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Brooke Tafazolli, Charlie Carr, Charlotte O'Sullivan, Chris Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Imogen Smith, Jacob Tidy, Jake Meffan, James DeBrunner, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Josh Eves, Juliette Williamson, Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Killian Courtney, Lois Martin, Lucy Cammock, Lucy Pearson, Luke Laidlaw, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Ollie Griffiths, Rosie Heape, Sam Rees, Tomas Gibson, William Ward.

11th March 2012 - More Medals for Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club

No fewer than 29 Sutton & Cheam swimmers qualified for a total of 96 events at the Surrey Age Group 'Sprints' held at Crystal Palace on Sunday and returned with a further 11 medals (2 Gold, 6 Silver and 3 bronze) to add to the club's tally so far.

William Ward (12) and Michael Rees (11) led the charge, winning Gold in the Boys 50m Breaststroke and 50m Backstroke events respectively. Silver medals followed for Athena Lewis Gkogka (15), Girls 50m Breaststroke; April Hedges (10), Girls 50m Breaststroke and Butterfly; Michael Rees, Boys 50m Breaststroke and Freestyle; and Imogen Smith (9), Girls 50m Breaststroke. Well-earned bronze medals went to Michael Rees, Boys 50m Butterfly, April Hedges, Girls 50m freestyle and Tomas Gibson (11), Boys 50m Freestyle. Particular congratulations to Imogen Smith and Tomas Gibson in winning their first Surrey medals, hopefully the first of many.

The club also had 9 other finalists with William Ward coming close again, finishing 4th in the 50m Backstroke to miss a podium spot by a mere fraction of a second. Athena Lewis Gkogka, Rosie Heape, Aaron Prince, Imogen Smith, William Ward, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter and Lois Martin also had top 8 places.

Sunday's 11 medals brings Sutton & Cheam's medal total in the Surrey Championships to 29 so far (4 Gold, 17 Silver, 8 Bronze), with another weekend to go and last year's record of 35 medals in sight. Sutton & Cheam currently reside in 7th spot in both the Medals and the Points tables.

In the individual BAGCATs, April Hedges (2nd), Michael Rees (2nd), William Ward (4th), Dario Kan (10th) and Charlie Carr (10th) all have top 10 placings with Erin Andrew (11th), Adam Smith (11th) and Lois Martin (12th) not far behind.

The team: Erin Andrew, Natalie Andrew, Chris Carr, Joshua Eves, Nathan Eves, Tomas Gibson, Ollie Griffiths, Katie Heape, Rosie Heape, April Hedges, Dario Kan, Joseph Lenihan, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Lois Martin, Daisy Meffan, Jake Meffan, Lucy Pearson, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Aaron Prince, Michael Rees, Samuel Rees, Kieran Rutter, Adam Smith, Imogen Smith, Ace Taylor, Jacob Tidy, Emily Vandrau, William Ward, Alex Wimbush

03 & 04 March - 11 More medals at the Surrey Age Group Championships

Last weekend saw another highly successful raid by Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club on the Surrey County Age Group Championships with an 11-medal haul.

On Saturday, Michael Rees (11) got the club off to the start they needed with Gold in the 200m breaststroke. Not to be outdone, April Hedges (10) took a second Gold in the 200 backstroke by over 5 seconds and William Ward added Silver with an excellent swim in the 200 breaststroke.

Sunday followed with 6 silver medals for Athena Lewis Gkogka (15) in the Girls 100m SC Meter Breaststroke; Michael Rees in the Boys 200m SC Meter Freestyle and 200m SC Individual Medley; April Hedges in the Girls 200m SC Meter IM; William Ward in the 200 SC Meter IM and 100 SC Meter Breaststroke; and two other bronze medals for Ace Taylor (17) in the Boys 16 & Over 100 SC Meter Breaststroke and April Hedges in the Girls 200 SC Meter Freestyle.

It didn't just end there, Athena just missing out on two more bronze medals finishing 4th in both the Girls 100m SC Butterfly and 200m SC Individual events whilst Lois Martin, James DeBrunner, Brooke Tafazolli, Ace Taylor, Charlie Carr, Adam Smith, Aaron Prince, William Ward, Athena Lewis Gkogka and Erin Andrew all had 'top 8' finishes.

With 18 medals so far, after just two weekends of the Surrey Championships, the club is already over halfway to last year's 35 medals. In the medals table, Sutton & Cheam is currently lying in 9th spot with 2 Gold, 11 Silver and 5 bronze medals. In the Overall combined table the club is in 6th place, the highest reached for many years.

In the BAGCATs, April Hedges (2nd) Michael Rees (2nd), William Ward (4th), Charlie Carr (8th), Dario Kan (9th) and Adam Smith (10th) are all in the top 10 with 9 year-old Erin Andrew just outside in 11th and 12 year-old Lois Martin in 13th.

With most of the swimmers turning in Personal Best times, Squad coaches Helen Andrews and Jim Walker were delighted with the weekend's efforts.

Qualifiers: Aaron Prince, Ace Taylor, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Brooke Tafazolli, Charlie Carr, Chris Carr, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Erin Andrew, Jake Meffan, James DeBrunner, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Lucy Pearson, Michael Rees, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Rosie Heape, Samuel Rees, Tomas Gibson, William Ward

26 February Under 12s Water Polo Team make it 12 out of 12

Sutton & Cheams Under 12 water polo team made it 12 out of 12 on Sunday with a superb performance at Gurnell Leisure Centre to win the Winter League title with a 100% record Played 12, Won 12, Goals for 63, Goals against 13.

In the first game against Basildon, Michael Rees opened the team's account with a solo effort and followed up with his second goal with a first time shot after a great 'steal' by Dario Kan in midfield. Michael completed his first half hat trick from a great pass from Kieran Rutter. Sutton had further chances to increase the score with a Tomas Gibson shot that hit the bar and another shot from Dario Kan which went just wide before George Brown scored the team's fourth goal on the break from a Michael Rees pass. George made it 5 just after half time, after which the team took the foot off the accelerator. Goalkeeper Luke Laidlaw was only called on to make a single save in the final minute of the game. Final score 5-0.

In the second game against Beckenham, Michael Rees took over a mid field role and George Brown opened the scoring after a great pass from Tomas Gibson and nearly scored a second but shot wide with the goal at his mercy. Tomas Gibson then made it 2-0 from a George Brown pass and returned the compliment almost immediately to allow George to score his second and the team's third. With Michael Rees everywhere, launching attacks at one end and defending at the other; Sutton dominated the mid field and Beckenham found it difficult to break out of their half. A 'steal' by Luke Laidlaw laid on Tomas' second goal and George Brown then completed his hat trick with a solo goal to make it 5-0. Michael Rees could have made it 6 but the whistle went as he closed in on goal with the opposition defence nowhere. Kieran Rutter in goal was again only called on to make a single save from a long-range shot.

Half time allowed coach Dave Andrews to substitute and the younger players entered into the fray. With Beckenham upping their game, Jack Fenner, Erin Andrew and sisters Elise and Imogen Smith were immediately busy, terriers in defence, frustrating the Beckenham attack and giving them no time on the ball. A defensive lapse allowed Beckenham to open their account, but George Brown then scored twice in quick succession from two rapid counter-attacks to make it 7-1. With the game won and the emphasis on all-out attack, the youngsters swimming ability won them several chances, which with a bit more experience, will be put away. The final score was 7-3.

The third game against Watford was a story of missed chances with George Brown shooting over the bar after some great defensive work by Dario Kan, who also nearly made the score sheet but shot directly at the keeper. Michael Rees finally made it 1-0 from a wide-angle lob which totally wrong-footed the Watford keeper. Michael soon scored his second and was then penalised mid bath for a foul. However, great defence from Tomas Gibson and Issie Mettan Ure on the subsequent man-down limited Watford to a long range shot which went high over the bar. Sutton had further chance to increase the score with a Michael Rees shot which went just wide, and a hurried George Brown shot which hit the keeper and at half time the score was 2-0 with Sutton wondering just what they had to do to get the ball in the net.

Shortly after half time, Michael made it 3-0 before Watford scored a consolation goal somewhat against the run of play. With Sutton's team launching attack after attack, Issie Mettan Ure forced the Watford keeper into a good save and then scored a great goal with a long range lob into the top left corner of the net with the keeper stranded. Another miss from a Michael Rees shot followed whilst Kieran Rutter at the other end was forced into a good save before Dario Kan made no mistake to make the final score 5-1.

The final game against Ealing was always going to be tough though Michael Rees made a great start winning a 50/50 ball, turning and shooting under pressure to make it 1-0. A foul then gave Ealing a man-up and they duly levelled the score before George Brown made it 2-1 from an Issie Mettan Ure pass, and had the chance to increase the score though his pass to an unmarked Michael Rees was just short and intercepted. After another Michael Rees shot which missed left, the half-time score was 2-1. Early in the second half, Tomas Gibson made it 3-1 with a hard shot which flew into the right top corner and Dario Kan had the chance to make it 4 but shot straight at the keeper when free on goal. Michael Rees made it 4-1 from a man-up with a first time shot from 6m whilst Kieran Rutter was forced into a superb save at the other end, tipping the ball over the bar from close range. Unfortunately, Sutton then conceded a second gaol from the resulting corner with a Watford shot which bobbled over the line with Sutton's keeper unsighted. With the last throws of the game Elise Smith hit the bar from close range and Michael Rees shot just over; the final score 4-2 to Sutton, a score line which somewhat flattered the opposition.

Overall, the performance was based on a sound defence, which starved the opposition of the ball, and rapid counter attacking as a team and perhaps the biggest accolade came from an opposition coach who said afterwards "we just couldn't match your team, your players are way too fast for us".

The Team: Luke Laidlaw, Elise Smith, Erin Andrew, Issie Mettan Ure, Michael Rees, Dario Kan, Kieran Rutter, Imogen Smith, George Brown, Tomas Gibson, Jack Fenner.

25 February - Moyce Cup

Sutton and Cheam sent a team consisting of its younger, up and coming swimmers from their Development, County and Junior squads to compete as a team in the Annual Moyce Cup event held at Dorking. The event is designed to allow Clubs to give some of their inexperienced swimmers the chance to compete and gain valuable experience. Coaches Alec Eves and Ian Rooke were there to cheer on the swimmers and to spot future talent.

The team performed beyond expectations and in many cases swam quicker than the event criteria allow, getting no less than 5 "Speeding Tickets" for swimming too quickly. The team finished a close 5th behind strong teams from as far afield as Tonbridge, Wey Valley and Godalming. Just 20 points separated 2nd to 6th places. To put this performance into perspective, if just two of Sutton's swimmers had swum 1 second slower, the team would have finished 2nd!

There were individual first places for Ella Cawthra, Eva Serksnaite and Lucy Cammock; the exciting 6x25m butterfly relay of Hannah Rees, Jack Conroy, Andrea Rodrigues, Oliver Griffiths, Charlotte O'Sullivan and Joe Bolger as well as the Under 14 boys freestyle relay of Adam Smith, Spiros Gkogkas, Jack Fuller and Josh Eves. There were also 6 second and 6 third places but unfortunately, the number of speeding tickets and several disqualifications prevented the team from finishing higher. However, the team enjoyed the gala and gained from it and that is what mattered most.

Well done team: Adam Smith, Alice Cammock, Alice Nicot, Andrea Rodriguez, Ben Humphries, Charlotte O Sullivan, Elise Smith, Ella Cawthra, Eva Serksnaite, Georgina Bourley, Greg Colquhoun, Hannah Rees, Jack Conroy, Jack Fuller, Jan Cowell, Joseph Bolger, Josh Eves, Lily Sharp, Lucy Cammock, Luke Laidlaw, Maddi Lang, Matthew Jackson, Melanie Rodriguez, Mia Lupoli, Oliver Bayliss, Oliver Griffiths, Roxy Came, Spiros Gkogkas, Toby Beer, Jacob Smith, Nicole Woods.

25 February - Disability Water Polo

Saturday saw Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club host the UK's first pan disability water polo festival at Cheam Leisure Centre. The event, which was possibly a 'world first', resulted from a joint initiative between Sutton & Cheam's Chief Water Polo coach Dave Andrews who has recently introduced Sutton's Disability Swim Squad to the sport of water polo; Mick Betteridge, coach to Sutton's Disability squad drawn mainly from Members of Cheam Marcuda Swimming Club, and Chelmsford's Dean Walker who set up the Dolphins Disability Water Polo Club, comprising members of Chelmsford and Runnymede Swimming Clubs, after a work accident cut short his international water polo career.

Twenty-four athletes with a range of disabilities including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Asperger Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Down's syndrome, hearing impairment, learning and physical disabilities, first took part in a joint training session run by Dave Andrews. The players were then able to put what they had learned into practice in what we believe to be the first ever water polo match in the world played between two teams of disabled players! Both the pre-match training and the match itself were undertaken with the assistance of able-bodied players and we are grateful to Eve and Jacob Tidy (S&C SC) and to the coaches of the Dolphins Water Polo Club for their help.

Although players had differing impairments, the match was played in a fantastic cooperative spirit, which allowed every player to take part and contribute and was watched by an appreciative and enthusiastic crowd of spectators, who applauded every aspect of the game. The result was a very narrow 11-10 win to the 'Blues'.

The match was followed by the presentation of medals to all the players by Fred Andrews (S&C President) and Ron Moore (Sutton Sports Council Member and Hon Life President of S&C).

Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club is grateful for the help of the London Borough of Sutton who kindly sponsored the hire of the pool for the festival; and to the Sutton Sports Council, who sponsored the provision of medals for all the participants, as well as a post match reception and buffet for the players and spectators.

The event was a spectacular success and concluded with the promise of a return fixture later in the year and the promise by S&C SC to continue delivering their coaching to the LBS team.

04 & 05 February 7 Medals from the opening Surrey Championships weekend

Saturday saw the Surrey Age Group Championships long distance events at the Surrey Sports Park in Guildford and 16 year-old James De Brunner got the first weekend off to a flying start with a well-deserved silver medal in the boys 16 & Over 1500m freestyle. Only minutes earlier, Nathan Eves, with a huge personal best, finished in 5th place in the 13 years 1500m event and Adam Smith just missed out on a top 8 placing finishing in 9th place in the Age 12 event.

In the girls 800m freestyle event, Charlie Carr (14), finished in 10th spot, Natalie Andrew (12) in 11th and Daisy Meffan (11) in 16th.

On Sunday, Michael Rees (11) opened his 2012 account with a battling silver in the boy's age 11 years 400m freestyle. Michael's silver would surely have been gold but he unfortunately miscounted the lengths, stopping 2 lengths early and losing seconds before taking off again like a scalded cat and failing to catch the eventual winner by just 5/100ths of a second. Michael's time would have earned him silver in the age group above, a stunning performance.

In the same age group, Tomas Gibson and Dario Kan finished in 15th and 17th spots respectively; Adam Smith 13th in the Age 12 category, Nathan Eves and Joe Phillpott-Clark 11th and 12th in the Age 13 event and James De Brunner just missing out on a medal in the 16 & Over event, finishing in 4th place, all in personal best times.

Well-deserved bronze medals followed for both April Hedges (10) and Athena Lewis Gkogka (15) in the gruelling 400m Individual Medley with Lois Martin and Natalie Andrew (both age 12) finishing in 14th and 16th places respectively in their category; again all in personal best times.

In the boys 400m Individual Medley, Michael Rees (11) collected his second silver of the day and James De Brunner (16) added another to his growing collection with Dario Kan (11) finishing in an excellent 12th place behind Michael.

In the final session of a very long day, April Hedges (10) added another bronze in the girls 400m freestyle event; Daisy Meffan (11) finished 25th; Natalie Andrew (12) 15th, Lois Martin (12), 24th; Charlie Carr (14), 8th and Athena Lewis Gkogka an excellent 6th; Charlie and Athena both receiving top 8 ribbons.

With 4 silver and 3 bronze medals, 11 top 8 places and umpteen personal bests from the opening weekend, coaches are optimistic about their swimmers adding to the collection before long.

29th January - Improved performance by Under 14 team

Sutton & Cheam's Under 14 water polo team showed vast improvement in the second tournament of the Winter League on Sunday, winning 2 out of 3 games to leap two places in the league table.

In their first game against Basildon, (3-2 winners the last time the two teams met), Sutton struck first with a well-taken goal by Michael Rees following a long pass from Adam Smith to Ross James before Ross passed the ball on to Michael whose first-time shot from the far post gave the keeper no chance. Joe Phillpott-Clark soon made it 2-0 from another pinpoint pass from Adam Smith and very nearly made it 3-0 but put the ball just wide of the post after a great pass from Michael Rees. Poor defending left space for Basildon to get their first of the match just before half time.

Basildon upped their game in the second half which saw an early attempt again by Michael with a long range shot that fell right on the goal line with the keeper beaten but just wouldn't go in. With Sutton's defence holding firm, Michael Rees finally put the game beyond Basildon's reach with his second of the game from another fine pass from Ross James, Michael making no mistake in slotting the ball home.

The team's second game was against an excellent, unbeaten Croydon side, currently top of the table. Croydon deserved their 8-0 win though Sutton squandered several chances to get on the score sheet, not least in missing a penalty. Sutton & Cheam's young team were also guilty of naive marking and some wayward passing at times, allowing Croydon to intercept and to score 'on the break'.

In the final game of the day against a strong Ealing Side, Joe Phillpott-Clark opened the scoring swimming in to the left post after a fine pass from Ross James and shooting from short range. Ealing equalled to 1-1 before Joe scored his and the team's second from a quick-thinking 1-2 between Joe and Michael Rees. Adam Smith nearly made it 3-1 but the ball rebounded off the post only for Nathan Eves to win the ball and slot it home just before half time. Half time score 3-1.

Again, the second half proved a lot tougher but Sutton's defence had learned from their previous games and were up to the task. Finally, Ross James picked up the only goal of the second half following a foul by the opposition. Final Score 4 - 1.

Overall, there were a lot of positives from the games. All but 4 of the team will be able to play in the same age group next year and three of the players the year after that. The team's defending improved in every game with Adam Smith a proverbial 'Rottweiler', and with Alex Wimbush particularly impressive in goal. The team's youngsters; Natalie Andrew, Georgina Bourley, Michael Rees, Dario Kan and Tomas Gibson contributed hugely, in both defence and attack, and learned from the experience of playing against older, more experienced players.

Well done team: Joe Phillpott-Clark, Ross James, Nathan Eves, Natalie Andrew, Georgina Bourley, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, Michael Rees, Dario Kan, Tomas Gibson

28th January - Borough Primary School Championships

Sutton & Cheam swimmers, representing their primary schools, turned up 'en masse' for the London Borough of Sutton Primary School Swimming Championships held at Cheam Leisure Centre on Saturday to win 13 of the 14 Borough titles (plus second place in the 14th) as well as 64 championship medals between them.

The Borough Champions are April Hedges, who took a clean sweep of the girls year 6 titles winning the year 6 backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle and the year 4/5/6 butterfly; Kieran Rutter who won the boys year 6 backstroke and breaststroke as well as the year 4/5/6 butterfly; Alice Nicot who won the girls year 4/5 backstroke and freestyle; Joseph Lenihan who won the boys year 4/5 backstroke and freestyle; Imogen Smith who won the girls year 4/5 breaststroke and Tomas Gibson who won the boys year 6 Freestyle.

The Primary School Championships Gala was also run as a graded meet and not content with 13 borough titles, Grade 1 silver medals went to Alice Nicot, Dario Kan (3), Erin Andrew, Lucy Cammock and Tomas Gibson whilst Emily Vandrau (2), Josh Eves (3) and Kieran Rutter took Grade 1 bronze medals.

Grade 2 gold medals went to Andrea Rodrigues, Dario Kan Elise Smith Ella Cawthra Lucy Cammock Tomas Gibson; Grade 2 silver medals for Erin Andrew (2), Imogen Smith Jan Cowell Joseph Lenihan Oliver Griffiths (2) and Tomas Gibson; Grade 2 bronze medals for Declan Courtney Elise Smith Emily Vandrau Hannah Curtis Harry Laing Ross

Similarly, Ben Humphries, Declan Courtney and Lauren O'Sullivan won Grade 3 gold medals;
Elise Smith (2), Harry Morris (2), Declan Courtney, Jan Cowell, Jodie Fraser, Matthew Jackson and Oliver Griffiths took Grade 3 silver whilst Jacob Smith (2), Ella Cawthra, Emma Crone, Harry Laing Ross, Joseph Lenihan and Maddison Lang won Grade 3 bronze.

In all 27 swimmers took 64 medals though there were some very near misses for Alice Nicot, Ella Cawthra, Emily Vandrau, Erin Andrew, Imogen Smith, Josh Eves, Lauren O'Sullivan and Lucy Cammock who all achieved excellent Grade 1 times but finishing just out of the top 3, were unfortunately too fast to win Grade 2 medals.

The increasing strength in depth the club continues to enjoy in the younger age groups is particularly pleasing, and this was very evident in the fact that club swimmers had a clean sweep of the podium places in the girls year 4/5 breaststroke and the boys year 6 breaststroke and backstroke events, before going even better in the boys year 6 freestyle (top 4 places), the boys year 4/5 breaststroke (5 of the top 6 places), the boys year 4/5/6 butterfly (top 4 and 6 of the top 7 places) and all 6 finalists in the girls year 4/5 freestyle.

Well done everyone!

27th January - Presentation Evening

Sutton & Cheam Swimming Club held its annual presentation evening on Friday evening to recognise the outstanding achievements of its members in 2011. The event was held at the Riddell memorial Hall, Walton 0n the Hill. Ron Moore and Fred Andrews, the club's most longstanding members with well over 100 years of service to the club between them, presented the medals and awards.

Jack Petchey Award winners for 2011 were: Joe Bolger, Andrew Lawrence, Sam Rees, George Brown, Juliette Williamson, Daisy Meffan, Josh Maclean, Chris Carr and Shannen Betts.

The Club Championship age group winners were: Imogen Smith and Joseph Lenihan (Under 10); April Hedges and Michael Rees (Under 12); Charlie Carr and Joe Phillpott-Clark (Under 14); Athena Lewis Gkogka and Samuel Rees (Under 16).

Nearly 50 members won Club Championship medals: Aaron Prince, Adam Smith, Alex Wimbush, April Hedges, Athena Lewis Gkogka, Brooke Tafazolli, Charlie Carr, Charlotte O'Sullivan, Chris Carr, Chris Creamore, Clara Gibson, Daisy Meffan, Dario Kan, Elise Smith, Erin Andrew, Eva Serksnaite, Eve Tidy, Hannah Rees, Imogen Smith, Jacob Tidy, Jake Meffan, James De Brunner, Joe Phillpott-Clark, Joseph Lenihan, Joshua Eves, Joshua Roche, Juliette Williamson, Katie Heape, Kieran Rutter, Killian Courtney, Lois Martin, Luke Laidlaw, Michael Rees, Mollie Jordan, Natalie Andrew, Nathan Eves, Nicole Barron, Olivia Taylor, Rebecca Salter, Rosie Heape, Samuel Rees, Shannen Betts, Terri Martin, Tomas Gibson, William Ward

This year, the Girls Merit Trophy was awarded to April Hedges for her performance at the Surrey and Regional Championships (where she beat the London Region record for the 200m backstroke), and for her Number 1 National ranking. The Boys Merit Trophy was awarded to James De Brunner for his hatful of Surrey medals and for his performance for the team in the League Galas.

The Girls Endeavour Trophy was awarded to Shannen Betts a member of the County Squad who took two silver medals in the Borough Championships and who is a great help with the younger swimmers. The Boys Endeavour Trophy was awarded to Chris Carr, a late developer and now an ever-present member of the club's senior gala teams.

Finally, the Mick Helps Trophy is awarded to someone who achieves outside the normal club areas of swimming and water polo. This year, the award was presented to Chris Carr, James De Brunner and Jake Meffan for their superb performance in the National Biathlon finals, which took them to the team silver medal.

The evening was a huge success and the club is looking forwards to 2012 and already has a record number of entries for the upcoming Surrey county championships.

7th & 8th January - Canterbury Open.

Sutton and Cheam swimmers got 2012 off to a great start at the weekend returning with a hatful of medals from the Canterbury 'Icebreaker' Open.

Ace Taylor, April Hedges, Brooke Tafazolli, Dario Kan, Jake Meffan, James Debrunner, Joseph Lenihan, Kieran Rutter, Lois Martin, Michael Rees, Nathan Eves, Tomas Gibson won 41 medals between them; and with Charlie Carr, Daisy Meffan, Erin Andrew and Joe Phillpott-Clark also reaching finals, it was a great all-round performance.

James De Brunner and Michael Rees both took five 1st places each with April Hedges not far behind with four. More importantly, swimmers gained County Qualifying times for the Surrey Age Group Championships, which start in February.

Nathan Eves also put in a noteworthy performance with a huge PB in the 100m freestyle event, Nathan having taken more than 10 seconds off his time in a year.

Best of luck to everyone in the 'Surreys'