Alex Chantler (10 yrs)
Alex Chantler and Charlotte Pitts were the outstanding performers for Swindon Swim Squad (Sx3) at the 2008 South West Age Group Regional Championships (BAGCATS) at Millfield School over the last two weekends. 10 year old, Chantler, won gold in the 400m freestyle in a time of 5:25.92, thanks to a massive 20 second personal best, an even more noteworthy achievement given his limited experience in long course competition. Pitts collected a personal haul of 5 medals, including silvers in the 200m & 800m freestyle, on her way to becoming this year’s highest place finisher amongst the 35 strong squad of Swindon Dolphin, Tigersharks and Wroughton qualifiers. In this first year competing as Sx3, the team accumulating a further 7 bronze medals and achieved 40 top 8 finishes overall.
Charlotte Pitts (11 yrs)
Pitts was Sx3’s most successful swimmer over the four days of competition, taking part in 5 finals, and ultimately finishing the fourth best 11 year old girl in the region. Noah Kirby and James Clark both finished in seventh place, in the 10 and 13 year old boys’ contest with Liam Herbert in eighth in his final season as a BAGCAT swimmer.
Sx3 were well represented on the medal table with bronze for Pitts in the 400m individual medley and 100m & 400m freestyle, Chantler in the 200m freestyle, Clark in the 1500m freestyle and Kirby in the 200m breaststroke. There was also a superb third place finish for the girls’ 800m freestyle quartet of Megan Jones, Briony Merritt, Lauren Jones and Sam Berry.
Kane Baker just missed out on a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke, while Niall Westman, Clark and Herbert showed good form qualifying for four finals apiece. Other finalists were Thomas Howitt, who participated in three, Merritt, Jack Janicki & Berry who swam two each, Thomas Codling and Alex Eburne. There were also top 8 finishes for Howitt, Clark and Lauren Matthews in the 400m individual medley and Merritt in the 400m & 800m freestyle.
Despite impressive performances throughout the squad, and an excellent team spirit, the weekend’s events were dominated by the outstanding Plymouth Leander, Bournemouth and Ferndown teams, with these clubs setting the standards, both in and out of the pool, which Sx3 must aspire to in Age Group competition.
Sx3 Bagcat competitors: Kane Baker, Samantha Berry, Machaela Boniface, Jason Butt, Alexander Chantler, Chris Chapman, Ben Clark, James Clark, Thomas Codling, Madeline Easter, Alexander Eburne, Lauren Elias, Charlotte Gardo, Melissa Glass, Matthew Groston, Rebecca Healy, Liam Herbert, Thomas Howitt, Jack Janicki, Liam Jefferies, Victoria Jennings, Lauren Jones, Megan Jones, Joe Kerslake, Noah Kirby, Ella Luffman, Lauren Matthews, Briony Merritt, Georgia Pearce, Charlotte Pitts, Georgina Pitts, Jacob Roberts, Sophie Roberts, Matthew Sambrook, Rebecca Saunders, Lucy Stratton, Victoria Tainty, Liam Tubb, Niall Westman, Emily Weston
Source: Sx3 Press Team
