Sunshine bathes round the pier swimmers
13 Jul 2008
Once again the weather favoured Aberavon as the annual Round the Pier Swim was bathed in sunshine for the second miserable summer in a row.
More than 2,000 spectators gathered on the sea front to watch the 65 swimmers taking part in the 40th race organised by Aberavon Green Stars RFC and sponsored by Corus.
An exciting finish saw last year’s winner Garod Thomas and Nick Thomas—third in 2007—leave the water together for the sprint back to the club, with Nick Thomas taking the honours this time round, in 14 minutes, 30 seconds. Third to Garod Thomas’s 14:36 was 17-year-old Andrew O’Leary in 16:46, who won the Bryn Landig Trophy. Nick Thomas flies out to Germany on Tuesday for the World Lifesaving Championships.
In the women’s race, Lindsey Southwell went one better than last year to win in 17:45 and newcomer Christine Lloyd was second in 25:24. There were only two female competitors as the event clashed with a ladies’ surf lifesaving championships.
First in the open veterans’ race was 74-year-old David Jones (31:35); and first club member, for the 10th successive year, was Nigel Cuthbertson in 21:21, with Anthony O’Callaghan second (24:58) and Liam O’ Brien third in 33:58.
The event’s 74-year-old organiser, Bernard Donovan, was first in the oldest club competitor category, picking up the Mal Thomas Shield in 32:10, while a trio of Matthews won the Green Stars RFC prizes: 1, Matthew Roberts in 25:55; 2, Matthew Cuss (25:59) and 3, Matthew Murphy (26:00).
In the race for Corus employees, there was a reverse of the 2007 positions, with Carl George (18:41) taking the Peter Allen Trophy from last year’s winner Mike Rose (19:51), followed by Philip Short (19:53), Paul Bruton (20:00) and Mark Lufton (21:48).
“We didn’t have the huge waves that we had last year because it was a neep tide,” said Bernard Donovan. “That meant that there was more running, hence faster times. Fortunately, it was the best day’s weather that we’ve had in the past two to three weeks.”
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the swim, Corus had donated a specially embroidered polo shirt for each competitor, as well as inscribed pottery tankards for the first five Corus employees to complete the course and the winners of the main categories.
