Barracudas return from Jersey with huge haul of medals

BEAU SEJOUR BARRACUDAS sent a team of young swimmers aged from eight to 12 years to the 18th Up-and-Comers' sprint meet staged by Tigers Swimming Club of Jersey. This is an encouragement event for the four Channel Island clubs aimed at those who have not yet reached medal standard at CI level.

Consideration times are set with 'speeding tickets' being issued to those swimmers recording times three seconds faster than the entry times.

The Barracudas swam well, returning with a huge medal haul of no fewer than 17 gold, 19 silver and 19 bronze.

Competing in the youngest age group - eight years - Annalise Munro dominated, winning four events and placing second in the fifth.

Her time in the 50m freestyle was a personal best taking her well below the 40-seconds barrier to record 38.15.

Teammate Isabelle Thompson took silver in this event, improving on her entered time by over 10 seconds to clock 41.91.

Triple gold went to nine-year-old Chloe Macdonald who won the 25m butterfly, breaststroke and individual medley.

All were lifetime bests, with her butterfly time being over seven seconds better than her entered time.

The eight-year-old boys from the Barracudas also swam well with Alex Parfit winning the 100m individual medley and 50m backstroke as well as placing second and third in the breast and freestyle respectively.

In the same age group Piers Holbrook Sanderson won the 50m breaststroke in an excellent time of 56.12.

Ten-year-old Lydia Cherry made her mark by winning the 50m butterfly and breaststroke in 46.59 and 43.86 respectively and gained a well earned silver medal in the 50m freestyle.

Courtney Butcher and Thomas Nightingale, both swimming for the nine-year-olds, Freddy Moss, 10, and 11-year-old Adam Rawles each won the 50m freestyle gold in their respective age groups, all in a lifetime best.

Twelve-year-old Elinor Matthews, competing in this competition for the final time, ensured that she went out with a great medal tally of one gold, one silver and three bronze medals.

Her best performance came in the 50m butterfly, where she recorded a personal best of 40.64.

Other fine medal-winning performances came from Emily Lowe, Victoria Symes, William Kaines, Oliver Mansell, Helen Higgs, Thomas Stewart, Sarah Waters and Shannon Murphy.