Leicester Masters Club Activities...
Long Weekend Trip to Krefeld; Germany; July 2026
Leicester Masters Make a Splash in Krefeld!
After months of planning, 13 members of Leicester Masters Swimming Club set off on an unforgettable long weekend to Krefeld, Germany, to strengthen the growing friendship between our club and Uerdinger SV 08.
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Cheshire Masters; Saturday 11th July 2026
Fast and Furious with great results!
Four swimmers, 14 swims, 7 PBs and 4 gold medals.
Some great swims from the Leicester Masters teams at the Cheshire Masters in Stockport. This event is completed in two hours and certainly kept everyone on their toes.
A spectacular swim from Helen Atton in 400m freestyle, winning gold and taking 23 seconds off her time! Helen tells me it is her fastest swim since 2014. Helen also achieved gold in 100 IM.
Gez Sutton had a PB in the 100 IM with a gold and a PB in 50 Breastroke.
Geraint Griffiths had a PB in 50 Breastroke .
Linda Dootson had a PB in 50 Backstroke (best swim since 2023) with a gold and a PB in 50 Breastroke.
Congrats to all for a fun evening and hopefully next year we can stay longer in Stockport and have another team weekend away.
Linda Dootson – (Team Captain)
AGM and Awards Evening; 20th June 2026
Female Non-Competitive Swimmer
Daksha Chohan
Unsung Hero Award
Helen Atton
Male Non-Competitive Swimmer
Jordon Pickering
Coaches Swimmer of the Year
Tom Cummins
Female Competitive Swimmer
Nopy Martin
Male Competitive Swimmer
Tom Martin
Kenilworth Masters Meet; Saturday 4th July 2026
17 Medals and 11 Pb’s with 8 swimmers !!
Leicester Masters had a great day at the Kenilworth Masters on Saturday and everyone really enjoyed the occasion.
There were successes for everyone in the team:
Ruth Smith – two gold in 100 Breast and 200 Backstroke, silver in 50 Breast and 200 free and a PB in 200 Free.
Dorothea Morfey – 3 PBs in 100 IM, 50 Back and 100IM with a 9 second PB in the IM!
Tom Martin – silver and PB in 50 Breast.
Jo Beedham – silver in 200 Breast and bronze in 100 Breast.
Helen Atton– gold and PB in 400 Free, Pb in 100 Breast and 50 Back.
Cath Davis- gold and PB in 100 Free, gold in 50 Breast, gold in 100 IM
Toni Briggs – PB in 50 Breast and had her first go at 100 Free. Toni went on to say she was determined to use every technique she learnt at Leicester Masters training and it really paid off!
Nopy Martin – Nopy achieved two silvers , two bronze and swapped these medals for two bars of chocolate. Unfortunately one of the bars melted, but she did receive a spot prize - a Kenilworth Masters pint glass!
The womens relay team also achieved a silver medal.
Well done to everyone for being so brill,
Linda Dootson - (Team Captain)
Sandwell Masters Meet; Sunday 10th May 2026
Great day had by all 8 of us at the Sandwell Masters meet. It was Sandwell’s first master’s event and an amazing place to swim at a commonwealth 50 metre pool which felt like a long swim!
It was credit to the swimmers that we entered 28 events between us and as a result the PBs and ribbons were in abundance.
Helen Atton achieved PBs in all races of 200 Freestyle with a bronze, 100 Backstroke with a gold, 50 Backstroke, 50 Freestyle with a bronze and 200 Breastroke with a bronze.
Cath Davies - 1PB and 1 Gold and 5 Silver in 50 and100 Backstroke, 50 Breastroke, 50 Freestyle, 200IM and Mixed Medley relay.
Nopy Martin – 3PBs, 1 Silver, 1 Gold and a spot prize of a rubber duck (envied by all!) in 100 Butterfly, 200 Backstroke and 100 Freestyle
Geraint Griffiths – 2PBs, 4 Gold and 1 Silver in 50 Breastroke, 50Freestyle, 100 Freestyle,100 Breastroke and Mixed Medley relay.
Tom Martin – 3 PBs, 1 Silver in 50 Breastroke, 50 Freestyle, 50 Backstroke and Mixed Medley Relay.
Joanne Beedham – 2 PBs and 1 Silver, 1 Bronze in 50 and 100 Freestyle, 50 and 100 Breastroke.
Linda Dootson – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze in 50 Freestyle, 50 Backstroke and Mixed Medley relay.
…and of course special mention to Steve Dootson for doing all the times for the swimmers, especially split times.
Well done everyone you were all amazing!
Linda Dootson (Team Captain)
Calverton & Bingham Masters Meet; Sunday 22nd March 2026
Leicester Masters had a fantastic day at the Calverton and Bingham Masters event, with lots of excellent swims across the team. The club picked up 15 individual first place finishes, including plenty of gold medals, alongside a brilliant set of personal bests.
It was especially pleasing to see a number of newer members competing, with some taking part in a Masters event for the first time. There were many great swims throughout the day, but the results below highlight the first place finishes and personal best performances.
Gold Medal Performances
Andrew Botterill had an excellent meet, taking three first-place finishes in the 55–59 age group:
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50m Backstroke – 38.85
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50m Breaststroke – 44.84
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50m Freestyle – 30.93
Nopy Martin secured two gold medals in the 45–49 age group:
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100m Backstroke – 1:25.39
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200m Individual Medley – 3:04.26
Geraint Griffiths produced a superb set of results in the 75–79 age group, winning six events:
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100m Freestyle – 1:45.51
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50m Butterfly – 1:09.59
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100m Breaststroke – 2:18.34
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50m Breaststroke – 1:00.93
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50m Freestyle – 46.10
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100m Individual Medley – 2:13.74
Ruth Smith also took gold in the 55–59 age group:
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50m Freestyle – 36.31
Thomas Cummins claimed first place and a personal best in the 35–39 age group:
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100m Breaststroke – 1:32.86 PB
Eleanor Morton achieved first place and a personal best in the 25–29 age group:
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100m Freestyle – 1:15.12 PB
Relay Success
To round off a brilliant set of results, the team also came first in the 200m mixed medley relay in the 240 years plus category.
A fantastic effort from everyone who competed, with plenty of medals, personal bests, and strong performances across the team. Well done to all swimmers who represented Leicester Masters.
Personal Bests
Thomas Cummins added three more personal bests to his gold medal swim:
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100m Freestyle – 1:12.88 PB
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50m Breaststroke – 41.33 PB
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50m Freestyle – 30.93 PB
Tom Martin achieved personal bests in all three of his listed events in the 40–44 age group:
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50m Backstroke – 53.12 PB
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50m Breaststroke – 57.00 PB
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50m Freestyle – 44.87 PB
Peter Farmer recorded a personal best in the 45–49 age group:
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100m Freestyle – 1:04.05 PB
Toni Briggs achieved two personal bests in the 45–49 age group:
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50m Breaststroke – 1:03.43 PB
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50m Freestyle – 49.18 PB
Linda wins the Leicestershire Female Masters Swimmer Award
Linda was nominated for the Leicestershire & Rutland Female Masters Swimmer trophy by the LRASA Masters Rep, Alan King.
Alan nominated Linda for this award for her commitment to the County Masters team:- always available, flexible to cover any stroke, and in her age group, always producing outstanding swims.
Additionally, and equally important, for her encouragement of all the other swimmers on the team.
Etwall Eagles 20th Masters Open Meet, Alfreton; 29th November 2025
Sixteen swimmers from Leicester Masters took part in this event and it was also good to see our twin team from Darwin Masters at the event too!
The team came second overall in the event which is a massive achievement for our club.
‘What a great day!’ Gez Sutton
It was a fun and friendly swim event where everyone enjoyed supporting each other, watching the exciting relay races and skins events. There were 18 Personal Best times throughout the event!
The skins event highlight for us was our Cath Davies who was chosen to take part and came fourth overall. She was also first overall in her age group over the whole event – well done Cath!
In the fun 20th anniversary relay race there were 20 swimmers in each team in each lane (120 swimmers in total) and the winning white team won prizes at the end. Great to see everyone swimming together and chatting to swimmers from all different clubs!
There was also representation from Leicester Masters in the exciting six team relay race.
Ruth Smith who had an excellent day with personal bests in all her swims (100 IM, 100 breast, 100 Free and 100 Back). Joanne Beedham had a PB in 100 free, Geraint Griffiths in the 50 Breast and Barry Twigg in the 50 Breast.
A special mention must go to the three ladies who swam in their very first swim competition with us and were brilliant. Dorothea Morfey, Jules Gregg-Allured and Toni Briggs. Dorothea took part in the 100 IM, 25 Butterfly, 25 Breast and 25 Free; Jules in the 25 Breast, 25 Free and 50 Breast and Toni in the 25 Breast and 25 free. You were all brilliant and I was proud to be team captain.
Linda Dootson (Team Captain)...After the event some comments from our new competitive swimmers –
Etwall, you were my very first event-and wow what a ride! The team spirit was off the charts, I felt so supported and cheered on every step of the way. My goggles even managed to stay in place eventually, which felt like a personal victory! The fun relay was such a brilliant addition – though I have to admit, I’d have preferred a pink swim cap instead of a yellow one. And now I’ve got a serious case of swimsuit envy…I can already see my bank account crying as this sport becomes my new obsession! Toni Briggs
I am very pleased that I took part in the gala, I was so nervous before hand, it's only just over a year since I joined the club not knowing how to swim front crawl properly. Helen has been a fantastic coach. I had a fantastic day at my first gala; I felt part of the swim team who gave lots of support which helped calm nerves on the day. Thank you to everyone. Jules Gregg-Allured
Etwall was my first ever gala, and I enjoyed it tremendously thanks to the great team spirit of Leicester Masters. I was horribly nervous in the run up to the day and just wanted to dive off the blocks without losing my goggles and to finish my races without disqualification. My diving warm up was unpromising, but thanks to Jo who lent me a pair of goggles that stayed firmly on, my confidence rose. Once I dived off in the 100 IM all my nerves melted away and I couldn’t wait to race again. I swam 6 events in all, goggles on and no DQs. I came third in my 25m fly and pretty much last in everything, but for me just being there was a big achievement. I also have some PBs to beat next time! I’d never have done this without the encouragement of the club, thank you all. Dorothea Morfey
South Yorkshire Masters Meet; Ponds Forge, Sheffield; 8th November 2025
Leicester Masters fielded a strong four-swimmer team at the South Yorkshire Masters Meet at Ponds Forge on 8 November 2025, with excellent results across the board.
Cath Davies enjoyed a superb meet, winning gold in the 50 m backstroke and 100 m butterfly, plus bronze in the 50 m freestyle.
Nopy Martin collected double bronze in the 50 m backstroke and 50 m breaststroke.
Eleanor Morton showed her versatility with determined swims in the 50 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke, and 100 m breaststroke.
Peter Wynn (Pictured) made an outstanding debut, claiming victories in both the 50 m freestyle and 50 m butterfly. An exceptional day’s racing at an iconic venue, demonstrating the club’s strength and spirit on the Masters stage.
Helen Atton (Head Coach)
Leicestershire and Rutland ASA Masters Open Meet; 14th September 2025
Leicester Masters were flying high with a very successful day of swimming on Sunday at Braunstone swimming pool with 17 swim members attending, 3 of which were swimmers attending their first meet.
There were 23 Personal Best swims and 34 gold medals in total from our team! Congratulations to everyone who took part.
Special mentions must go to –
Helen Atton, our coach and swimmer achieved all time personal bests in the 200 freestyle (by 5 seconds) 200 breastroke,4x1 Individual Medley and 100 Backstroke.
Ruth Smith for personal bests in all of her events which included 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 50 breastroke.
Dan Goodwin for personal bests in 50 freestyle, 100 Individual medley and 100 freestyle.
Jo Beedham for personal bests in 50,100 and 200 breastroke.
Well done also to our new swimmers to the club, Tom Cummins, Sam Franks and Dipesh Chandarana.
Gold medals were presented to Geraint Griffiths (5) Gez Sutton(5) Dan Goodwin (5) Linda Dootson(6) Rachel Hurst (2) Jo Beedham(2) Helen Atton (1) Cath Davies (2) Ruth Smith (2) Anne-Marie McDonell (1) Eleanor Morton (1) Andy Botterill (1) and Barry Twigg (1) who has come back from injury to compete with us again! Geraint Griffiths, Gez Sutton and Linda Dootson were overall winners in their age groups, with Helen Atton coming second in her age group with a massive 38 points!
A big thank you to Steve Dootson and Pete Farmer for recording all our times even though it was a bit difficult at times due to the number of swimmers we had in one heat!
Great to see Lindsay Prince , our Honorary President coming to support all our swimmers.
UPDATE: Leicester Masters in first place out of 47 clubs! Click here for the full list of points!
Linda Dootson ( team captain)