Swimming quintet earns top-four place at Orange

Swimming Gunnedah had only five competitors at last weekend’s Orange short course meet, but they certainly made a splash as they placed fourth overall in the medal tally from a total of 14 clubs.

The small team returned home with a haul of 16 gold, 18 silver and six bronze medals along with some impressive personal best (PB) times.

Cameron Sills scooped the pool with seven gold medals in the 11 years boys division. He snatched first place in the 200m individual medley (IM), 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, 50m and 100m backstroke and 50m butterfly.

Cameron also bagged a silver in the 50m breaststroke along with seven PBs, including a 5.29-second improvement in the 100m backstroke.

Banjo Fitzgerald also clocked seven PBs and nailed a gold in the 100m butterfly. The 11-year-old national and NSW Country medallist also picked up silver in the 50m and 100m backstroke, 50m butterfly and the 200m IM where he shaved more than seven seconds off his best time.

Banjo’s brother Jimmy (8) was on a roll with an impressive haul of six gold medals: in the 100m IM, 50m and 100m butterfly, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke.

Banjo dropped more than nine seconds off his 50m butterfly best time, and knocked 14 seconds off the mark in the 50m backstroke.

After a record-breaking long course season, Jimmy bagged another club record in the 8 years boys 200m IM where he snatched a bronze, on top of silver in the 50m and 200m freestyle events.

Aiden Sills also competed in the 8 years boys and collected his second short course club record this season in the 200m freestyle, where he won gold and dropped a massive 13 seconds from his best time.

Aiden also bagged gold in the 100m breaststroke, silver in the 50m breaststroke and butterfly, and bronze in the 50m and 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke.

Pippa Wark (10) contested 11 races and won gold in the 50m and 100m backstroke. She also snagged nine silver: in the 200m IM, 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, 100m IM, 50m and 100m butterfly, and 50m and 100m breaststroke.

Pippa shaved a huge 28 seconds from her 200m IM best time, and 19 seconds off her 200m freestyle time.

Gunnedah finished behind Kinross Wolaroi, Orange and Maccabi with a total of 300 points.