Reading swimmers have beaten a regular path to Bath University's pool this season, with some good results at the autumn series of graded meets, and the sequence continued with the annual age group and youth meet which as usual pulled in big fields.
Friday was given over to the longest swims, and 15-year-old Garry Dixon got the meet off to a good start with a 1500 freestyle gold, unchallenged over the 30 lengths.
Two 12-year-olds who did well at the autumn series also shone. Chris Boyce showed very good technique in beating his recent 1500 PB in the same pool, and Frankie Wilkins recorded a big PB over 800 metres in 10.20 to win her heat. Wilkins still has some six months to get this down to 9.46 to qualify for next summer's nationals.
Boyce was in early good form on Saturday as well, with a 200 back age group win in a new PB, while breaststroke specialist Callum Willcox was just outside his best time in a technically good heat second place. Willcox went on to slice four seconds off his previous best in the tough 400 IM.
Another strong breaststroker, York Kloeppel, led his heat all the way for a two second PB in 2.41 in one of his last swims before turning 16.
Leona Jones, who took the 100 breaststroke gold at the inaugural South East regional championships recently, won the event (which went to a final) in 1.14.90 – slightly faster than her time at Aldershot and a very good swim for this point in the season.
Kristina Paige, 14, was just touched out of the gold in her 100 fly but her time of 1.06.39 was a PB and improved on her recent national qualifying time.
Boyce was very narrowly beaten to the 100 back gold in heat this year by 0.3 seconds after coming back very strongly in the second 50.
Sunday's performances didn't hit the same heights, but Kloeppel swam solidly to place fifth in his 100 breaststroke final, a finish matched by Alex Macarthur (14) and Boyce in their 100 free finals.
Wilkins won her 200 breast heat with a strong last 50 and looks set to go under the three-minute barrier soon.
Boyce, as always tackling a very full programme, had Reading's last swim and improved his 200 IM heat time by two seconds to record a bronze-winning PB in the final. end