Dolphin set the County standard

Event:  Wiltshire County Youth Championships Venue:  Link Centre, Swindon Date:  23rd & 24thFebruary 2013

Swindon Dolphin made an impressive start to the Wiltshire County Youth Championships at the weekend winning 15 of the 22 senior titles. The club’s younger swimmers got in on the act too, claiming 10 junior championship gold.  After two of the three days of the main block of competition, Dolphin lead both the senior and junior championship medal tables.

There will be both familiar and new names on the senior championship trophies. Jon Audis continues to set the standard for backstrokers in the county, retaining the 100m backstroke title having first won the trophy in 2002, and also picking up gold in the 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 100m individual medley. Eighteen years younger than Audis is 14 year old Rebecca Flack who claimed her first senior title in the 50m breaststroke.

County Champions ~ Rebecca Flack and Jon Audis

James Clark, who turned 18 on the opening day of the competition, was in superb form during the weekend as he notched up no fewer than five championship victories including the demanding 400m individual medley. Other Dolphin swimmers taking home senior trophies were Mathew Sambrook, who also broke the club record for the 400m freestyle, Charlotte Gardo, Charlotte Pitts and, not to be outdone by her older sister, Georgina Pitts. Dolphin also had a profitable time in the relays, winning three of the four events.

In the ever exciting 50m freestyle skins competition Dolphin has to settle for silver in both the men’s and women’s event with Clark beaten by Phil Muspratt from Salisbury and Charlotte Pitts being edged out by Marlborough’s Juliette Casini in a reversal of last year’s result.

Dolphin’s junior championship winners were Liam Jefferies, Lauren Matthews, Adam Coleman, Rebecca Flack and Georgina Pitts.

Chief Coach Louise Clayton was delighted with the team’s performance. “I am very pleased with the whole squad. The medallists obviously take the headlines, but all of our swimmers performed well and are progressing in the right direction.” Clayton doesn’t consider the job done though. “We still have one more day of competition and we still have targets as a team and individuals. They have set the bar high on the first weekend but i am confident that all the swimmers will be looking for further improvement.”

The County Youth Championships concludes at the Link Centre on Saturday.