Event: Wilts County Age Group and Championships Sprints
Date: 3rd February 2008 Venue: Health Hydro, Milton Road, Swindon (36.67yds)
Swindon Dolphin saved the best to last at the 2008 Wiltshire Sprint competition at Milton Road, with Chief Coach Andi Manley powering to victory in the one length freestyle in a new Championship record. The previous record had been set 20 years ago, before all but two of the Dolphins competing in the individual events had even been born. Manley, who already holds the Open age group sprint records for backstroke and butterfly recorded a time of 15.51s taking nearly a quarter of a second off of David Jacomb’s record set back in 1988.
Meanwhile, Dolphin’s Open swimmers clinched the Mixed Open Medley Relay, going one better than the Junior team who, despite leading at the half way point, were pipped by local rivals Tigersharks.
On a day dominated by a strong Tigersharks squad the best all round performance from the small Dolphin group came from girls’ captain Mel Agius who achieved second place Championship finishes in the freestyle and fly to add to a fourth in the backstroke.
Other top five Championship finishes were achieved by Cathal Westman in the breaststroke, Sarah Baker in the fly and, of course, Manley.
In the Junior Championship, Westman was the only Dolphin to take gold, winning the breaststroke and also claiming third in the fly. Liam Herbert took second place in the backstroke.
Aside from those that figured in the Open or Junior Championship medal places, the age group competitions saw first positions for Noah Kirby, Craig Lofts, Jack Janicki, Lauren Matthews, Charlotte Pitts and Maddie Easter, with Joe Kerslake, Rebecca Saunders, Charlotte Gardo, Anthony Clark and Matthew Sambrook also gaining podium finishes.
Andi Manley
Source: Swindon Dolphin Press Team
