Reading
Swimming ClubReading
Swimming ClubSeven records fell as the Evening Post-sponsored Reading Swimming Club 2006 championships wound up in a busy weekend at Central Pool.
One of these went in a gripping last heat of the men's 200 backstroke, where young pretender Adam Barrett (14) challenged both Garry Dixon's 2004 age group record and the kudos of swimming fastest across all age groups.
Dixon played it tactically at first, but Barrett wasn't to be shaken off and the older boy edged it by 2.14.28 to 2.14.49 – age category gold for both and a new 14s record for Barrett by some four seconds.
Barrett's 200 fly record of 2.17.93 was even more impressive as he broke one of the club's longest standing marks. A.J. Smith set the time way back in 1982, and Barrett beat it by almost 3 seconds.
Dixon set two freestyle records of his own in the top age group, both held by formidable competitors. His 4.07.37 to lift the 400 free trophy was three seconds inside the standard set in 1995 by Ian Edmond - who went on to swim in the Olympics. Dixon's 1.58.30 clipped 0.17 off Matt Sandell's 200 record, Sandell pushing him in second.
Sandell, back from Birmingham University to swim, comfortably beat two of his own records – by just over a second in the 100 fly (58.42) and almost a second in the 100 free (52.64).
Zoe Hester claimed the only girl's record to fall, over six seconds inside Holly Tanner's 2005 15 years 200 back time in 2.16.65.
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Barrett was of one of a number of swimmers to make a clean sweep of all the medals in a year. David Mills achieved this among the 12 year-old boys, as did Georgie Wilkins (11) and Ellie Wood (12) in the girls' programme.
Olivia Page tackled events right up to the 400 free and took six golds among the 10 and under girls. Catherine Abbott won the 100 breaststroke very narrowly in 1.58.01, with second-placed Rosie Parkinson and Paige both well under 1.59. Sarah Manners was also a winner over 100 metres in the backstroke, Abbott and Parkinson second and third there. Best swims for Ashleigh Manners brought her silvers in the 200 and 100 free behind Paige.
Georgie Wilkins swam some excellent PBs in dominating the 11s' group, as did Jenny Martin, Alex Bell, Freya Barton-Hogan and Beth Staley in sharing the second and third spots. Pick among these were probably Staley's 38-second 200 free PB and 25-second improvement in the 200 back.
The girls' 12-years' silvers behind Ellie Wood were shared between Issy Keenan and Alice Hopkins and bronze among Keenan, Hopkins and Jo Wakefield. Wood's best swim was a 17-second 100 backstroke PB, and Keenan's 100 breast effort was the best of the seconds.
Frankie Wilkins took the 13s honours - eight golds to four by Rachael Mills - but the Top Squad pair were also challenged by Jennifer Taylor and Eleanor Cawthorne, two silvers apiece, with Natalia Ciecierska-Holmes and Zoe Clark sharing the third spots.
One year up, Zoe Knott was another eight-time winner, seven of these via new PBs. Beth Sturgess had half-second margins in winning both the 100 back and 200 IM, to go with six silvers. Ailith Morrey won both breaststrokes. Becky Turner placed second to Knott in the 100 back and to Morrey in the 200 breast, as well as taking a share of the third places.
Kristina Paige - swimming only on Saturday - won all the 15s events that day bar the 100 back, where Naomi Herring pushed her into second by a big margin. Vanessa Wood and Herring shared the other minor medals.
Zoe Hester – who set a new county 100 back record in Manchester the previous day at the English schools championships - cleaned up on Sunday. Wood and Herring took all the seconds and thirds apart from the 100 free, where Amy Kunicki claimed silver in a PB time.
As throughout recent seasons, Louisa Downs and Holly Tanner, now in the top age band, fought out some great races. Downs won both breaststroke events, Tanner both backstrokes very close to record times; Downs took the 100 fly and Tanner the 200; Downs the 200 IM and Tanner the 400. Downs swam the faster 400 free but was disqualified for moving too early at the start, and the 200 and 100 free races brought each a win by a fingertip, Tanner this time prevailing over the shorter distance and Downs the longer.
Louisa Herring (two), Leanne Haas and Louise Gillatt claim a share of the second spots as well as a raft of bronze medals.
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Alex Cawthorne almost had things his own way in the youngest boys' group, although Ruaridh Sheppard broke the sequence in the 200 free, with Sheppard and Jodhvir Sidhu sharing the minor medals. All three boys have a further season in the 10 and under category.
Barnaby Kempster showed up well across the 11-years' boys' programme, winning eight events, and newcomer Luca Poli claimed both breaststroke golds as well as the 100 fly. Sam Kemp and Niko Ciecierski-Holmes were the other medallists – Kemp doing particularly well to push Kempster into third in both breaststroke swims.
David Mills's domination of the 12's group meant Matthew Alderman had to settle for second every time out and Joe Statham for third.
Chris Boyce took everything in the 13s group but the two breaststroke events, where Callum Willcox came out on top, but it was interesting to see the gap narrowing in several events where each has had the top hand in recent years – eg Willcox taking six seconds off his 100 back time and Boyce four off his 100 breast.
James Tichband and Jason Passmore showed well in sharing the third places, with strong swims also from George Kristian with a string of fourths and Gary Chandler swimming 26 seconds inside his 100 breaststroke entry time.
Barrett's 14 years clean sweep may have deflected attention on the day from what was probably the strongest showing in the whole boys' programme relative to previous best times. This was by Conor Sandell with silvers across the board and some enormous gains including a 16 second 200 IM improvement to 2.44.67 and a 100 free PB cut from 1.07.43 to 1.03.52. Mark Curran was another to pick up a bronze for every swim.
Alex Macarthur dominated the 15s' group although mostly outside his best times. Markus Orgill had the edge in the 100 back and 200 IM and breaststroke, while Chris Dunkley's deceptively leisurely style yielded silvers in both the 200 and 100 free, the latter in an excellent 1.01.36 PB.
Dixon and Sandell's record-setting exploits in the top age group didn't touch the breaststroke events, both won by York Kloeppel by big margins. Kloeppel also claimed four silvers, Russel Korting two and newly elected club captain Craig Frankum one, while bronze winners included outgoing captain Bruno Bamberger.