Division Two title ensures Guernsey SC go up in style

THE Guernsey Swimming Club has not only won promotion to Division One of the Speedo League but they also won the Division Two South West title. Starting third in the league before the final round at Waterlooville in Portsmouth, the R. G. Falla-sponsored squad had a fantastic weekend to top the table ahead of Littlehampton and Hart.

GSC coach Jo Winberg was delighted with the comeback win in a very competitive gala that saw the GSC eight points behind Littlehampton after 20 races.

'Everyone swam really well. They all knew how important one place or one point could be to the final outcome so they all worked tremendously hard to get them.

'It was very pleasing to win coming from behind but it was so nerve-racking. We were trying to work out the points total after each race but it all got very confusing.'

Christine Hume got the squad off to the perfect start by winning the girls' open 100m individual medley in a new personal best of 1min. 10.51sec., and she was later to gain maximum individual points by winning the 100m open breaststroke by more than six seconds ahead of her nearest rival in a another personal best of 1-15.79.

The relays proved to be crucial at the meet for the GSC and the nine-to-11-year-old boys gained the club's first success in the freestyle relay and later made it a double with victory in the 4 x 25m medley.

It was the boys' and girls' open 4 x 25m medley relay that saw GSC secure their next two wins and a maximum 12 points.

Ali Cann swam the final freestyle leg of the girl's race and, despite being under considerable pressure from West Wight SC, Cann held on to touch first in 1-03.42.

The boys' race was a similar close finish with anchorman Craig Angell having to work hard to touch first in 56.49 to Worthing's 56.82.

The GSC also had plenty more individual success during the meet with three double victories for Luke Winberg, Ben Lowndes and Matt Butt.

Winberg won both the 50m butterfly and freestyle events in the 10-11 year-old-boys while Lowndes won the 100m butterfly and breaststroke races in the boys open.

The third double was courtesy of Butt's victories in the 100m butterfly and freestyle events in the boys' 13-years-and-under.

But it was a win for Lorna Castle in the girls' 13-years-and-under 100m backstroke that started the GSC's comeback in race 21.

Castle's victory was followed up with crucial first places for Martin Chapman, Stewart Hume, Ryan Dawe and Jo Laine.

These victories saw the GSC back in the lead by 21 points over Littlehampton going into the final set of relays and with both teams each winning three out of the next eight relays, the GSC held on.

The men's open 6 x 50 freestyle relay provided a fitting climax to the meet.

For most of the race, five of the six teams were battling it out for honours and the GSC's Tom Hamon, Craig Angell, Tim Lowe, Ryan Dawe and Matt Girard managed to perform well enough to hand over to Lowndes for the final leg just slightly behind the swimmer from Hart SC.

But by the turn they were together and with a final burst down the last 25m, Lowndes had given the squad its 20th first place of the evening.

The GSC will now join Jersey in Division One next year, with Winberg confident they will hold their own.

'It will obviously be a step up in standard but the only swimmer from this year's team that we'll definitely be without is Faye Sheppard, so I would like to think we will finish in the top half.'