In Olympic year, anyone following the national media could be forgiven for thinking swimming is only for athletes putting in enormous hours and living, breathing and dreaming the sport.

Far from it – for every national-standard swimmer there are dozens competing at "graded meet" level, in a format which bars those whose personal bests are too quick beforehand and provides racing every bit as close as among the elite at "open" level. The galas are also a great introduction for novices in the youngest age groups who may well go on to the top.

The Evening Post-sponsored Reading club staged its first of the season at Central Pool on Saturday. The event attracted large teams, several travelling some distance including regular visitors Soundwell (Bristol) and City of Milton Keynes, while newcomers included Abingdon Vale. Reading’s meets are more testing than many as they offer four swims over 100 metres, a 50m freestyle and a 200m individual medley, rather than just 50s and 100s.

Mark Chevassut, 13, starred in the boys’ afternoon programme, his 2:58.04 winning the year’s IM from teammate Markus Orgill, by just 0.3. Reading also won the 12s group through Charles Davey (3:10.96) and there were further home medals for Daniel Jackson, 14, and Jason Passmore, 11, both bronze.

David Mills was fastest 10-and-under, but swam quicker than the prescribed limit and so took home a "speeding ticket" rather than a medal, leaving Soundwell’s Alex Smith the winner.

The girls opened with the 100 breaststroke, and Alice Hopkins missed a 10-and-under medal by just 0.6, in a tightly contested field of 10. Katie Beth Hawkins was one of two with speeding tickets in the 11s group, and Rachael Mills (fourth) and Frankie Wilkins (fifth) were Reading’s best among the 18 times which did count in the year.

Up the age range, Maria Ramos (13) took Reading’s first girls’ gold of the meet comfortably (1:32.59), with Hannah Field an excellent third. Lisa O’Brien (14) was Reading’s best performer in the top two age bands, but again missed a medal by one place, with Harriet Best fifth in their year.

Chevassut made it two wins in two as the boys resumed with the 50m freestyle, and Esteban Ramos (14) was yet another home swimmer recording a fourth spot. Andrew Chandler was well into speeding ticket territory in the top age group, but the medals brought a home one-two for Lewis Ross and Darren Noakes.

Next up was the girls’ 100 back, where Reading’s 13-year-olds did their coaches proud. Grace Waldron (1:23.37), Vanessa Wood, Naomi Herring and Maria Ramos took the first four places. Lisa O’Brien medalled this time (silver) and Sofia Matich collected a bronze in the top age group.

The 100 fly closed the afternoon session for the boys, and after another ticket for David Mills Callum Willcox – too fast to enter the day’s other events - pipped Matteo Spanu to the 11s gold by just 0.11 in 1:39.18. Davey and Orgill also collected silvers. Reading won both top age groups through Daniel Jackson (1:14.15) and Chandler (1:11.31), with a silver for Peter Kirwan behind Jackson.

The day’s largest field hit the water in the girls’ 100 freestyle – 83 across all age groups. Reading’s top performances brought a bronze for O’Brien and silvers for Matich – delighted at beating 1:10 for the first time – and for Naomi Herring, 13, whose 1:14.52 was pipped to the gold by just 0.17 by Abingdon’s Amira Mullaney.

The programme was reversed for the evening, meaning the girls kicked off with the 200 IM, which wasn’t a particular home success – although Isabella Ramos was ticketed and the consistent O’Brien took another bronze, as did Vanessa Wood in the 13s group.

If Chevassut was Reading’s afternoon star, Andrew Wilson (11) took the plaudits in the evening, starting in the boys’ 100 breast with a narrow win in 1:42.62. The home team’s next best were a Jackson bronze and fourths for Passmore, Esteban Ramos and Noakes.

The girls’ 50 free saw two home winners, Natalia Ciecerska-Holmes (11) and Naomi Herring, in the day’s only dead heat, with Josie Woodhams of Tilehurst. Isabella Ramos and O’Brien were on familiar territory – a ticket and a bronze respectively.

Wilson was again on top form in the 100 back which followed, and his win in 1:35.87 was matched by Kirwan, whose 1:20.43 beat Jackson to the gold by three seconds. Chevassut was back among the medals, a bronze this time.

The 100 fly gave Isabella Ramos a last chance to add a medal to her wad of speeding tickets, and she took one of the silver variety. Frankie Wilkins and Rachael Mills renewed their regular rivalry in the 11s group, Wilkins’s 1:41.26 winning it by a second from Mills. O’Brien closed her account with yet another bronze, with Maria Ramos also third in her year.

With the meet running like clockwork, the boys’ 100 free closed proceedings. Wilson made it a clean sweep with his third gold of the session, his 1:20.14 edging out Spanu. David Mills, Kirwan and Ross completed their own very satisfactory meets with silvers, and Chevassut added another bronze to his collection.

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