CARADON Swimming Club sent a squad of eight to the GB Masters Long Course Championships held at the Manchester Aquatics Centre (50m Pool) and returned with four Relay Gold Medals, two Silver and two Bronze Individual Medals and broke six regional records, 18 individual county records and six county and club relay records plus eight long course personal best times.

The four relay girls in the 72-99 year age group (Sam Crosby, Hannah Read, Sally Carter and Alice Rogers) were triumphant in the four relays they competed in winning gold in the 4 x 100m Freestyle (4:32.03), 4 x 100m Medley (5:13.07), 4 x 50m Freestyle (2:03.86) and 4 x 50m Medley (2:22.15) events.

To go with their winning performances, all four events set new county and club records and the lead off swimmer in the 4 x 50m Medley, Hannah Read, set a new South West Region individual record with a time of 32.66.

Sally Carter (18-24 age group) was competing in her first GB Masters event and was in tremendous form winning Silver in the 800m Freestyle with a time of 10:16.03 and Bronze in the 400m Freestyle with a time of 4:56.86. Both times set new South West Region and County records. She also finished fifth in the 200m Freestyle recording a time of 2:19.02, another county record.

Amanda Losasso (50-54 age group) set two new County Records and in the 50m Freestyle, with a long course personal best time of 30.89 and took the Silver Medal in so doing and in the 100m Freestyle finished fourth with a time of 1:10.33.

Sam Crosby (25-29 age group) competed in five events and established two new South West Region and county records in the 100m and 200m Butterfly with times of 1:21.22 and 3:03.82 respectively. She also broke two more county records in the 200m Backstroke (3:05.93) and 200m Freestyle (2:40.61). In the 50m Butterfly, she recorded a time of 35.14 finishing 12th.

Hannah Read (18-24 age group) also took part in five events breaking three county records and set one long course personal best time in the 100m Freestyle with a time of 1:03.86 finishing seventh.

She came fifth in the 50m Backstroke (32.94 county record) and likewise in the 50m Freestyle clocking 29.90. In recording a time of 1:12.97 in the 100m Backstroke, another county record, she came seventh and in the 50m Butterfly (32.76) she finished in 11th place.

Personal best

Alice Rogers (18-24 age group), like Sally and Hannah at her first GB Masters, came seventh in the 200m Freestyle (2:24.21) and ninth in the 100m Freestyle recording a new long course personal best time (1:04.57).

Caroline Fox (45-49 age group) also set a new personal best in the 200m Freestyle and set a new county record with a time of 3:11.14 finishing 12th.

Mick Swift (60-64 age group) competed in four events and established four new county records in the 200m Individual Medley (3:09.18) – fifth place, 100m Breaststroke (1:31.79) – seventh place, 50m Breaststroke (40.93) – 10th place and 200m Breaststroke (3:19.76) – fourth place.

Coach Keith Haynes (35-39 age group) was also competing at the GB Masters for the first time in the gruelling 400m Individual Medley and was also in record-breaking form setting new regional and county records with a time of 7:23.12. Keith also set a new county record in the 160 to 199 year age group 4 x 50m Medley Relay with a backstroke lead-off time of 39.24.

The 160 to 199 year age group relay squad consisting of Keith Haynes, Mick Swift, Caroline Fox and Amanda Losasso took part in the 4 x 50m Medley Relay and 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay achieving times of 2:36.66 and 5:00.28 respectively, setting new county and club records, finishing sixth in both races. This set of results was the best so far at a GB event.

Anybody who is considering returning to swimming as a competitor or becoming a competitive swimmer, can find out more at http://www.caradon-swimming.org.uk">www.caradon-swimming.org.uk