College quartet snags 45-year relay record

AN EAST Loddon P12 College quartet has broken a 45-year-old swimming record by more than five seconds.

Marley Addlem, Ava Maxted, Georgia Pascoe and Ruby Cullen, took 5.07 seconds off their previous best a week earlier to claim the new 16-year-old girls freestyle relay record at last Tuesday’s Loddon Mallee schoolchampionships in Swan Hill.

Making the new record more remarkable is that Georgia, 13, and Ruby, 12, were swimming in an age group two and three years older than their ages respectively.

The previous region record was set in 1978.

The girls also teamed up for the medley relay which they won more than six seconds ahead of their opposition.

They have qualified for freestyle and medley relays at the School Sports Victoria State Championships next month.

Marley and Ruby also had individual success with Marley taking out first place in the girls’ 16-year-old 50-metre breaststroke and Ruby first in 12-13 age 50-metre breaststroke.

Marley and Ruby will swim these individual events at the state championships along with the two relays.

Other successful East Loddon students to make the SSV State Championships are Angus Addlem who won the boys’ 14-year-old 50-metres butter- fly, Jack Hocking who won the boys’ 11-year-old backstroke and breaststroke and Lucy Pascoe who won the girls’ 12-13 butterfly.

Meanwhile, Angus, Ruby and Georgia had top 20 finishes at the

Players and their styles

2023 Victorian Age Long Course Swimming Championships.

In total four East Loddon students qualified for the championships with Bendigo East swimmer Marley Addlem qualifying for eight individual events and

Four games in six hours

EIGHT football and netball clubs will fine tune preparations for their 2023 seasons at Pyramid Hill on Saturday.

The clubs, including Boort, Newbridge and Pyramid Hill will be part of the home club’s third annual Community Practice Match day.

Kicking off at midday, the first two of four 75-minute games will be officiated by umpires from the Central Rivers League, with Loddon Valley umpires in charge of the final two games.

The last of the four games kicks off at 4.30 pm.

Organiser Geoff Hickmott said: “Netball is also a major part of what is a community event. Like the football, netball games are also played over a 90-minute time frame, and with two courts available competing clubs opt to field teams from as many levels as possible.

“This year’s event will see Netball Victoria umpires mentoring and providing support for the junior badged umpires that respective clubs will supply,” he said.,

“This is a great opportunity for umpires of the future to further develop their officiating skills.” three relays, while brother Angus qualified for five individual events.

Hickmott said interest in the annual day continued to increase.

Ruby qualified in five individual events and two relays while Georgia Pascoe competed with Ruby in two relays.

Entry to the event is by gold coin donation with all proceeds directed to the Pyramid Hill Fire Brigade. Equipment purchased by the brigade from last year’s Day was used during the October flood emergency.