MORE than 160 swimmers entered the recent Swindon Dolphin’s Club Championships.

The competition, held over two days at the Link Centre and one evening at Marlborough College, saw Mathew Sambrook set two new club records.

Sambrook and Jon Audis split the Championship’s 14 titles between them asserting themselves over challengers from all areas of the club.

Sambrook’s opening and closing swims of the competition, the 400m and 1500m freestyle were undoubtedly his best performances as he set new club records in each. Both events will now be on his national qualifying target list.

Fraser Durston missed out on championship medals but the 15-year-old showed great improvement and looks certain to move up to the rank of multiple event regional qualifier next year.

Top male junior was Liam Jefferies with five titles, the other two going to Durston and Adam Coleman.

The battle for most of the female championship titles was between national qualifiers Charlotte Pitts and Lauren Matthews.

As expected, Matthews dominated the backstroke and butterfly events winning the 100m and 200m events in each. Pitts, won both the 200m and 400m individual medley as well as the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle.

Surprisingly Pitts was also victorious in the 200m breaststroke just touching out Charlotte Gardo at the finish. Gardo just missed out in the 100m event with an in-form Rebecca Flack taking the title. Other championship wins went to Georgina Pitts, Ella Wardale and Victoria Jennings.

The mystery medley skins produced some added excitement to the championships with the top six male and female swimmers competing over five knock-out rounds of 50m swims.

Sambrook pipped Audis in boys final, with Pitts touching out Gardo by just one one hundredth of a second in the girls’ final.

Subject to confirmation, 67 swimmers achieved times within the county standard including nine-year-olds Tyler Hillier, Finlay Eaton, Charlotte Mooney and Erin Henly.

Competitor numbers from the club’s learn to swim programme continue to grow and in their 25m events there were some noteworthy performances.

Lyra Sheppard and James Hawkins put on particularly good displays in the breaststroke events. As did Abby Birchall, Madeleine Maysey and Aimee Masters in the butterfly.