HALESOWEN Swimming Club got the Mercian League 2011 off to a fine start with a comfortable win at the Pingles Leisure Centre in Nuneaton.

Having won the first eight races with ease, the swimmers went on to win over half the other events, gradually increasing their overall lead to 22 points.

Double event winners were Beth Jackson in the Individual Medley and backstroke, Ryan Davies in the backstroke and breaststroke and Mark Laing in the Butterfly and Freestyle.

Other winners of individual events were Ruby Fell, Andy Papworth and Imogen Davies in the breaststroke, Natasha Bird and Emma Elwell in the backstroke, Hayley Bagley, Matt Cherry, Shannon O’Brien and Ben Meakin in the Butterfly and Jack Simpson and Abi Hughes in the freestyle.

Joining their team mates to win both the freestyle and Medley Relays were James Cuthbert for the 10 yrs boys, George Davies and George Westwood for the 12 yrs boys, Isobel Hughes for the 14 year old girls and Roxanne Taylor for the Ladies Open relay.

Katherine Morrice, Kitty Luscombe, India Hanke and Indu Appanna won the 10 yrs freestyle relay whilst Lauren Hill and Talia Mitchell joined the 12 yrs girls relay team to win the Medley.

Final point scores: Halesowen 272, Nuneaton & Bedworth 250, Lichfield 183, Wombourne 136, Blythe Barracudas 131.