3 swimmers from Ryde Masters put in strong performances against elite competition at the 2025 South East Regional Masters (Long Course) Championships last weekend.
The prestigious championships were held at Crawley’s K2 Leisure Centre and attracted a very strong field from across the South East, alongside swimmers travelling from Jersey, the Midlands, Suffolk and Devon. With several new British records set over the weekend, the standard of competition was exceptionally high.
Representing Ryde Masters were Jenny Ball and father-and-daughter duo Matthew and Imogen Sussmes, all of whom rose to the challenge in their respective age groups.
Jenny Ball led the Ryde Masters charge with an outstanding performance in the 85–89 age group, returning home with an impressive haul of medals. She claimed gold in the 50m, 200m and 400m Freestyle events, completing a hat trick of victories, and added a silver medal in the 50m Backstroke to round off a superb weekend in the pool.
Matthew Sussmes competed in the highly competitive 60–64 age group, producing a strong swim to secure a closely fought bronze medal in the 100m Freestyle. He followed this up with a solid fourth-place finish in the ever-popular 50m Freestyle.
Meanwhile, Imogen Sussmes was making her debut at this level of competition. Racing in the competitive 30–34 age group, she narrowly missed out on medals in both the 50m and 100m Freestyle events, gaining valuable experience on the regional stage.
The Masters section at Ryde continues to go from strength to strength, with growing numbers of swimmers joining the club and progressing to competitive events. The next competition in the calendar is the Isle of Wight Masters in February at Medina Leisure Centre, where more Ryde Masters swimmers are set to take to the water.
