Double-gold winner Matt always looking for more

MATT BUTT picked up two gold medals as the Guernsey Swimming Club enjoyed a successful South-East Swim Championships. Held in the new 50-metre pool at the £38m. K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley, Sussex, World Class Programme swimmer Butt took the boys' 12/14 100-metre and 200-metre butterfly events.

Fellow GSC juniors Luke Winberg and Aaron Mahieu, both 10, also had a good time, with Winberg collecting two bronze medals.

'For the two 10-year-olds, it was the first time they had swum in a 50-metre pool,' said GSC's Chris Butt.

'They were a bit surprised when they first got in but they pulled out all the stops and weren't put off by it. Matt would have liked to have performed better, but that is him.

'The standard is very high and in most of the top heats, the swimmers are on the World Class Programme.

'I think they did very well. I was very impressed with Luke and Aaron.

'To come in the top 15 for the south-east region is very good.'

Thirteen-year-old Butt dominated the butterfly events as he won the 100 metres in a time of 1-05.98 and the 200 in 2-21.56. In the latter, he found himself half-a-body length behind Elliott Bilsland of Portsmouth Northsea at the 150-metre mark.

But in the last 50, he stepped on the gas to earn himself an impressive victory. Butt never finished outside the top 15 in all disciplines as he came fifth overall in a field of 61.

Winberg's two bronzes came in the 100-metre freestyle and the 100-metre butterfly. He also posted fourth place finishes in the 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke and in the 200-metre freestyle.

In the 200-metre butterfly, he had his best swim as he came fourth in a time of 3-06.36 to finish well inside his personal best time of 3-17.08.

In total the Sarnian ended up seventh out of 47, with Mahieu coming 14th. Mahieu's best placing came in the 100-metre backstroke, in which he came home in 14th place.

Beau Sejour Barracudas' Joshua Lewis and Victoria Parfit also had a fruitful competition. Parfit set a total of six personal-best times, with her best finish in the 400-metre individual medley, in which she came 11th, while Lewis set four new personal-best times.

The 13-year-old's highest finish was 11th place in the 400-metre freestyle, in which he set a time of 4-45.05.

In the youth version of the competition in Aldershot the previous weekend, the GSC's Christine Hume gained bronze medals in the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke events.

In both finals, the Guernseywoman was the second-fastest qualifier. She also swam in the 200-metre individual medley, in which she found herself in 10th position and second reserve for the final.