Sid Vale Sharks swimmers aged 13 and under travelled to Exmouth for the annual interclub imps gala against, Dawlish, Kingsbridge, Torquay and Exmouth A and B teams on Saturday night.

Unfortunately, due to illness, the squad could not field their strongest team and a number of the swimmers had to double up and swim outside their age category to secure points for the team.

Sharks recorded a number of wins with the girls 11 and under performing exceptionally well in winning the 50m medley relay and just getting pipped in the 50m freestyle relay.

The team comprised Connie Harris, Hannah Beglin, Eve Badcock and Issy Beech. Hannah Beglin also secured individual victories in the 50m backstroke (41.09sec) and 50m breaststroke (46.22secs).

Issy Beech won the individual 50m freestyle in a time of 34.86 seconds.

The boys contributed their fair share of the points with second place finishes achieved by Jack Simmons in the 13 and under 50m breaststroke (42.83secs) and 50m backstroke (39.16). Jamie Wyant finished second in the 11 and under 50m breaststroke (51.80 secs) and Dougal Hastie finished second in the 10 and under 25m butterfly.

Overall, Sidmouth finished fifth on the night behind winners Dawlish.

Head coach Malcolm Black, commenting on the gala, said: “We had a number of debutant swimmers on the night, who all performed well and all achieved personal best times.”

?The club is still seeking a replacement head coach and coaches.Any level 2 or 3 qualified coaches who might be interested in taking on the positions please contact sidvalesharks@gmail.com.