Five down, 11 more to go to take record

GUERNSEY are intent on challenging Jersey's record-breaking winning streak in the swimming inter-insular. The Sarnians still have some way to go to match the Caesareans incredible run of 15 successive victories, but their 30-point win at Beau Sejour on Saturday extended the streak to five and the signs are that there is more to come.

Not that it gets any easier for coaches Jo Winberg and Alison Frankland, though. 'We have been nervous wrecks,' said Winberg.

'You do not expect that much of a victory - 30 points is incredible. It was a great team performance once again.'

Frankland added: 'It was always going to be close. We did a sneaky calculation beforehand with the times we had for the swimmers and we made it that there would have been only one point between us going into the relays.'

As it turned out, though, the home side had guaranteed victory before the last few.

On a day when seven records were broken, 10-year-old Kristina Neves was the main star as she set new marks in the 50m butterfly and the 100m freestyle as well as being part of the medley relay quartet who smashed the previous standard by more than four seconds.

The other members of the team were Lotte Parfit, Nicole Hewlett and Cody Butcher.

The under-11 boys - Pierce Gregory, George Moss, Luke Winberg and Miles Munro - matched the feat of the girls by taking victory in a record time.

Jeremy Osborne was the other individual record-breaker for Guernsey with an outstanding swim in the 100m freestyle, touching in 53.38sec.

He then anchored the men's freestyle relay team, which included three of the Commonwealth Games team from Melbourne, to another new mark.

Jersey had a record-breaker of their own in 100m backstroker Grace Le Couilliard, but the day belonged to the hosts.

Guernsey's male captain Paul Adkins, who collected the Governor's Cup from special guest Owen Le Vallee with female counterpart Jo Laine, wore the grin of a satisfied man at the conclusion of the gala.

'It was a fabulous performance with ?team effort? being the apt phrase,' he said.

'Having won four on the trot before this, I think it gives you confidence coming into the match.

'Because we swim against them so much, we know what they are capable of and we knew deep down we could win today.'

Frankland and Winberg added that the records and personal bests clocked on the day were a bonus in what can be an unpredictable competition because of when it is in the calendar.

'We are pleasantly surprised that they swum so well because it is early in the season and a lot of them are not back in regular training. It was quite an outstanding performance considering that,' said Frankland.