Matt's wins a silver via hard work

MATTHEW BUTT has earned himself a silver medal at the ASA Cheesestrings Age Group National Championships. Competing in the 50m Olympic-size pool at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, the Guernsey swimming champion came second in the final of the under-13s 200m butterfly.

'It's fantastic,' said his coach at the Guernsey Swimming Club, Jo Winberg.

'He deserves everything he gets. He's hard-working, he's dedicated and he really deserves this.'

On his way to the final, the 13-year-old lowered his personal best by a second with a time of 2min. 20.18sec. This saw him placed third in his heats with, Myles Crouch-Anderson from Northampton winning it in 2-17.42.

In the final it was the strong Crouch-Anderson who finished ahead of Butt after the Sarnian again set a new lifetime best with 2-19.09.

'It was a superb race,' said his father, Chris Butt.

'He was fourth at the last turn and he pulled it out in the last 50m.'

Following his performances at last year's national championships, the St Sampson's schoolboy was put on to the national junior elite training scheme and the world-class age-group programme that aims to steer young swimmers to Olympic greatness.

After Butt's latest success, Winberg hopes that he will stay in the sport and develop his undeniable talent. His time of 2-19.09 would have seen him qualify for the final of the men's 200m butterfly at last year's NatWest Island Games in Shetland.

'It would be lovely if he did develop,' she said.

'We've got a high dropout rate especially with the men, but I don't think he will drop out. He's got the Island Games in Rhodes next year.'

Meanwhile, on the first day of the ASA Youth and National Championships at Ponds Forge Beau Sejour Barracudas' Ian Powell and Tom Hollingsworth both progressed through the initial rounds.

Powell made it to the semi-finals of the 50m butterfly while Hollingsworth booked himself a place in the under-18 100m backstroke final.

During the course of this week, Powell is concentrating on butterfly by taking part in the 50m, 100m and 200m versions of the discipline.

He is also going to swim the 200m backstroke as well.

Hollingsworth will swim in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and the 100m and 200m butterfly, while fellow Barracuda Jeremy Osborne has also travelled to Sheffield for the championships.

The freestyle sprint specialist is to feature in the 50m, 100m and 200m events.

'It would be nice to get a medal,' said Beau Sejour Barracudas coach Alison Frank-land.

'It's a tough competition and it's difficult to say how they will do. They have got off to a good start and they are quite pleased with their swims.'

The GSC will be represented at the nationals by Christine Hume who takes part in Friday's 200m breaststroke.

'She's trained well,' said her coach, Winberg.

'Again she's been blighted by injuries this season. She's a short course swimmer as she's a technical swimmer, so the turns help her.

'It will be interesting to see how she does over the longer course.'