Head coach Graeme Thomas’s charges at the Evening Post-sponsored Reading SC are already well ahead of last year’s trophy haul at the Berks and South Bucks county championships – with one round to come and despite 10 top swimmers’ absence from the first meet of the four-weekend series.

Reading lifted one junior and one senior trophy in Round 3 in Maidenhead on Saturday, as well as taking further medals in both top categories and the accompanying age group competition and a host of top-eight finalist awards.

Russel Korting, 15, brought home the 400 freestyle junior trophy as fastest with a 1989 birth date or younger. Korting put pressure on two top Wycombe swimmers in also finishing third overall. His new PB of 4:09.54 was just 0.35 behind silver winner James Crawford, with Alex Vine taking the gold in 4:08.64.

Matt Sandell, 19, qualified fastest for the 50 butterfly final in 27.49 and repeated the time exactly to take the gold, edging out long-standing rival Vine.

Other leading Reading swims were as follows:

Danielle Mason and Emma Zadrozny, fourth and fifth, were highest ranked overall and also top two in the 17-and-over category. The age group competition brought silvers for Frankie Wilkins (12) and Amy Kunicki (13), with bronze going to Louisa Downs (14) and Holly Tanner (15/16) and fourth spots for Kristina Paige (13) and Leona Jones (15/16). Among swims outside the medals, Louise Gillatt (14) put in a great 3.5-second PB in 2:44.08, moving right through the field in her heat in the two lengths of breaststroke.

Sandell’s 54.96 was the fastest heat swim, but he was one of three qualifiers to opt out of the final – where Matt Paget of Amersham was called up as a reserve and then took the bronze. Adam Barrett beat his entry time by over three seconds to win the bronze in his year, where Chris Boyce, turning 12 on the day, placed sixth. Alex Macarthur was off his best but still fourth 13-year-old, and Sam Flory improved his PB by two seconds for fifth out 16 in the year in a very promising 1:03.24.

Ladies’ 200 back
Eighty-six across all age groups tackled the event. Holly Tanner put in a great second 100 to reel in Wycombe’s Jeni Howard and take the junior and senior silvers. Annette Hopson,10, produced Reading’s first age group gold and was almost nine seconds inside-entry in 3:00.41 – a margin of 1.5 seconds in a field of 15. Wilkins – with a seven-second PB - and Kunicki won further silvers. Ashley James was one of only two in the 13s age group with a 1992 birth date, but still finished just one place outside the medals and slashed her entry time by over 10 seconds. Downs and Jones both placed fourth, Downs beating 2:30 for the first time and Jones proving she is far more than just a top-flight breaststroker by cutting a 2:37 entry time to 2:28.53.

Men’s 200 fly
Daniel John held off Windsor's Tom Norgate in a nailbiting finish for the overall bronze. Adam Barrett won his year in 2:36.98. Garry Dixon took silver in both the junior and 15/16 categories, with bronze going to Macarthur, Korting and 11-year-old Callum Willcox, while James Tichband was fourth in Willcox’s year.

Ladies’ 100 breaststroke
Reading provided four of the eight finalists. Mason beat Jones to the overall bronze by a whisker, Rebecca Alderson (also third 15/16) placed seventh and Zadrozny eighth. Katie Hawkins, in her first season at Counties, won the 11s group in 1:31.14 and Kunicki collected another silver. Leanne Haas was fourth 15/16 and missed the final by one place.

Men’s 50 breaststroke
No Reading medals for a change, but solid age group fourth places via Willcox and Flory and fifths from Matteo Spanu (11) and Boyce.

Men’s 400 free
As well as Korting’s junior championship, Barrett beat his entry time by over 20 seconds and was second 12-year-old. Macarthur was again third and Flory again fourth, Sam continuing his fine day with a 10-second PB in 4:41.46. Dixon and Craig Frankum, two of the youngest in the 15/16 group, placed fourth and sixth in the year.

Ladies’ 200 breaststroke
Jones and Mason were in another fingertip finish, Jones this time pushing Mason into fourth overall. The 11s group was a big Reading success, Wilkins first in 3:15.19 and Hawkins second. Kunicki won yet another medal, this time a bronze, and Gillatt’s sixth place was in a four-second PB. Leanne Haas was beaten only by Jones in the 15/16 group, and Mason and Zadrozny ranked second and third 17-and-overs.

Men’s 50 fly
Success for Reading at both ends of the age spectrum. As well as Sandell’s senior championship, Barrett won his year in 31.91. Next best was Bruno Bamberger, fourth 15/16, and Ahmet Ulusan was seventh in the top age group and a reserve for the final.

Ladies’ 100 fly
One of Reading’s best swims came at the end of a long day. Louisa Downs pushed Wycombe’s outstanding Katie Ambridge all the way in the final, her 1:05.87 PB taking both overall and junior silver. Haas was second 15/16 and sixth in the final, while Kunicki won her year in 1:09.75 and was seventh in the final, her first at county level. Paige scored a two-second PB in finishing second in Kunicki’s age group.

Relays:
As in earlier rounds, Reading were well represented in worryingly small fields. Only six teams entered the men’s 4 x 100 events, with Reading and double winners Wycombe fielding two apiece. Reading’s top performance saw Rob Knott bring home the "A" freestyle team home for a silver, following Bamberger, Korting and Dixon.

In the 13-and-under category, Reading A twice placed fourth in fields of nine. Macarthur, Barrett, Flory and Chris Dunkley tackled the freestyle and Boyce stepped in for Dunkley in the medley. The Bs (Boyce, Elliott Packham, Markus Orgill and Charles Davey) placed seventh in the free, and eighth in the medley with Dunkley taking over from Boyce.

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