Reading SC County Squad coach Clive Alderson took a group of eight experienced swimmers to the Quays Pool for the City of Southampton sprint meet, which attracted teams from all over the south and a couple from the Channel Islands.
Alderson's charges concentrate on sprint training and the programme of 50 metre events in all four strokes and a four-length 100m individual medley was an ideal menu ahead of the Berks and South Bucks county championships.
The squad were all competing in the 16-and-over age group. With awards down to eighth spot in some quite large fields, six Reading swimmers made rostrum places.
Russel Korting, massively experienced as a distance swimmer before scaling down his pool time to concentrate on his flying training, was Reading's highest ranked as fifth out of 19 in the 100 IM in 1.05.85.
Amy Thomas, 18, made three top-eight places despite a recent back injury. Thomas placed seventh out of 13 in the 50 butterfly in a personal best time of 33.03 – well over a second inside her entry time – was eighth out of 19 in her 50 free and capped a very successful meet with seventh again in the medley.
Sally Wise, competing for the first time this season, cut her 50 fly entry time from 35.07 to 34.03 in her best swim.
Rob Knott, now in university just along the coast in Portsmouth, was sixth out of 25 in his 50 free in 26.33 and missed a spot in the "skins" elimination event by just one place.
Daniel Jackson entered the 50 fly on 29.00 and shaved this to 28.86 for another seventh spot, equalling his time at the Windsor meet the previous week. The fly was also Kristian Statham's best swim, just outside his PB.
Jackson beat his entry time by the same margin in the 50 free, where club captain Craig Frankum, ninth out of 25, put in his best swim and Matt Zadrozny made a slight PB.