Sunday the 3rd of March 2024 Holywell took a team of 21 swimmers, at this meet most of our swimmers were very young, the name of the meet “Crystal” is very apt for Holywell’s youngsters. There is a saying that states “Precious stones need sculpting before they become gems” this is comparable to our youngsters, our swimmers are learning quickly and absorb information from the Holywell coaches, the future looks very good for us, our youngsters are developing into little gems.
Medals at the Crystal meet are awarded to the top 6 placings and Holywell came away with a bullion of medals, the team won
Gold: 10 
Silver: 10 
Bronze: 13
4th: 9 
5th: 10
6th: 3
PB’s: 44 
Fabulous swims from the Holywell team helped place as top visiting team, this was from a strong field. Along with the gala host Wrexham, teams attending were Buckley, Chirk, Corwen, Holywell, Newtown, Bangor, Shrewsbury and Welshpool.
Stand out performances from the Holywell team were, George Donnan’s Gold winning 100m Free in 1:11.09, Charlie de Haan’s 2 record breaking swims in the 50 Back and 100 IM.
Emily M’Keown’s 2 record breaking swims in the 50 Free and 50 Back. Jay Jones had a solid swim in the 100m Breaststroke winning Gold which will stand him in good stead when he competes at the Welsh Nationals in a few weeks time.
Special mention to our youngsters Emily M’Keown, Amber Nash and Betsy Jones who dominated the girls 9 year old age group, finishing 1st – 2nd and 3rd in the 50m Free and the 50m Fly, also finishing 1st – 2nd and 4th in Backstroke and 1st – 2nd and 5th in the Breast stroke from a field of 17 swimmers well done girls.
Moving forward, we will select a top swimmer following each meet. At the Crystal Meet 2024, Emily M’Keown and Charlie de Haan emerged as the standout swimmers for their remarkable record-breaking performances. Among the records shattered, three had remained untouched since 2016, with an additional one dating back to 2020. Both swimmers showcased exceptional performances deserving of recognition.
The Team:-
Harry Bennell (1 Bronze – 1 Fourth – 3 PBs). Theo Camplejohn (2 Bronze – 1 Fourth – 1 PB). Jenaya Carr (1 Fourth – 2 Fifth – 1 Sixth). Rocco Carr (1 Fourth – 2 Fifth – 3 PBs). Charlie de Haan (3 Gold – 1 Silver – 1 Fourth – 3 PBs – 2 Gala Records – Top Boy in age group). George Donnan (1 Gold – 2 Silver – 1 Bronze – 3 PBs – Top Boy in Age group). Poppy Johnson (4 Bronze – 1 Fourth – 2 PBs). Betsy Jones (1 Silver – 3 Bronze – 1 Fourth – 4 PBs). Jay Jones (1 Gold). Oliver Langridge (2 Fifth – 2 PBs). Joe Lunt-Sullivan (1 Silver – 2 Fifth – 2 PBs). Emily McKeown (5 Gold – 4 PBs – 2 Gala Records – Top Girls in age group). Patrick McCullagh (1 Silver – 2 Bronze – 1 Fourth – 4 PBs). Matilda McIntyre (2 PBs) Beth Morris. Amber Nash (3 Silver – 1 Fifth – 3 PBs) Marcus Nicholson (1 Sixth – 1 PB). Luca Owen 1 Silver – 1 Fourth – 1 Fifth). Ffion Rich (2 PBs). Isabelle Skippon (1 Sixth – 2 PBs), Ella Williams (3 PBs).
Amazing support from the swimmers for their team mates and from the parents and family members on the balcony, this all added to the great atmosphere poolside.
Special thanks to our team managers Kerry Johnson and Katie Fisher who looked after the swimmers on the day, fantastic team effort from everyone.
