Fog keeps 60 away and sick girl closes the pool

THE show went on but not before a host of unprecedented problems for the organisers of the 18th NRG Barracudas Open at Beau Sejour. Sixty visiting swimmers were prevented from reaching the island for the three-day meet as the island was isolated by persistent fog.

Many who arrived by sea stepped off after a very rough journey feeling very green around the gills and as if that was not bad enough, a young swimmer from Wales was sick in the pool in a 200 backstroke event near the end of the Saturday morning session and due to centre regulations the pool had to be closed for nine hours.

For the hard-working organisers it was something of an untimely disaster, made even worse by the fact that the meet had attracted a record entry.

The problems started early on Friday with the north Wales contingent, who were due to fly in from Manchester, crying off.

'They cancelled immediately,' said a frustrated Barracudas coach, Alison Frankland.

South Wales and south-east Wales opted to forget about flying and travelled by coach from Bristol to Poole and arrived late on Friday evening, missing the first session.

'A lot of them were very sick but they were still here first thing on Saturday morning for the check-in,' said Frankland, who added that they had never experienced anything like it in nearly two decades of staging the event.

Some of Jersey's finest missed swims, too.

'Only half the Tigers team and just two from the Jersey Swimming Club arrived by boat late on Friday, not getting in until after midnight.

'It's been a disaster but we're keeping our spirits up and the show will go on,' said Frankland at an empty and silent poolside during the cancelled Saturday afternoon session.

Basingstoke Blue Fins' swimmers were unable to land also, but with a depleted Tigers team, Crawley and the Welsh squads finally ready for action, a good-quality competition swent ahead, finishing yesterday afternoon as opposed to the morning.

On the incident which led to the pool closure, Frankland said: 'I've never known it to happen before.

'But we have to follow the centre's policy.'

The stars of the opening session on Friday were both young Barracudas.

Kristina Neves claimed gold and silver medals in the 12 and under category, despite being just nine years old.

Her victory came in the 50m butterfly and the runner-up placing was in the 50 backstroke won by Tigers' 12-year-old Kerrie Smith.

Robyn Le Friec, 16, also started the weekend well, setting a new girls' 15-16 years 50m butterfly meet record.

Her time of 30.49 bettered her own record by 47 hundredths.