Just two Games swimmers

SWIMMING star Tom Hollingsworth has joined a list of absentees from this weekend's Channel Islands Championships. Nearly 100 swimmers from both the island's clubs are travelling to Jersey to take part.

Ben Lowndes and Ian Hubert are left to represent the Australia-bound team as training and study commitments have whittled down the representatives of Guernsey's Commonwealth Games contingent to just two.

Breaking their heavy training schedule ahead of March is nevertheless worthwhile.

'They are in rigorous training but this will still be an opportunity to gauge how far they have progressed,' said Jo Winberg of the Guernsey Swimming Club.

Barracudas' Alison Frankland explained that youngster Hollingsworth, who dominated last year's proceedings with eight titles, was taking A-levels prior to the Games.

'There is also doubt over Jeremy Osborne and Jonathan Le Noury who have both fallen victim to the virus currently sweeping the island and Ian Powell and Gail Strobridge are both of course studying in the USA and UK respectively,' she added.

Meanwhile, promising youngster Matthew Butt is not permitted to miss a training weekend after attaining world-class-potential status.

Juniors of both clubs are nevertheless expected to perform well against their Jersey opponents.

The event will be the first competitive outing for many in the eight to 10 category.