OKEHAMPTON Otters Swimming Club members have been rewriting the record books once more at the Devon swimming championships at Plymouth.

The small but competitive group have also been competing at a high level recording some positive swims in heats to progress to the finals.

Jenny Rice has been successful in attaining four senior club records and personal best times. Jenny reached the final of the girls? 17/over 100m freestyle. She finished in a good fourth place against the might of Devon?s finest swimmers. She also has gained a sixth at 50m fly, eighth at 50m breast and a tenth at the 100m breaststroke.

Also gaining a final spot in her number one stroke was Vicky Medlyn. She swam to a club record and personal best time in the heat of the 100m breaststroke for 13 year olds. In that final she was fractionally slower, but was in fifth place.

Vicky has also competed at the longer 200m breast coming home in seventh, again in a club record time, her last swim in the 100m freestyle, a pb time, gave her a placing of 13th.

Rebecca Rowe, also in the 13 year age group, finished in 15th at 100m free and just outside of her pb time in the 100m back finishing in a creditable ninth. Her last race to date was the gruelling 200m backstroke where she erased an amazing eight seconds from her pb to record a time good enough for a ninth place.

Charlotte Rowe has gained two qualifying times and swam in the 12 years 100m free. She swam a pb with a new club record that

removed sister Becky from the club records list. She will be swimming the 50m free soon.

Girls? club captain Jo Cade has also made a final. She swam to a near pb time in her heat of the 16 years 200m back to final later that day. However, with a lot of effort and determination she was unable to swim to her best on the day. Jo still managed a strong finishing position of fifth to keep the results of the club in good shape. Jo also became a reserve finalist in the 100m distance finishing in eighth.

The only male competitor was Janek Jachnik, swimming in the 14 years age group at his best stroke of the breaststroke.

Janek was swimming the 100m distance and was good enough to make the final, seeded in fifth place. His time was a couple of seconds away from his best so it was hoped he could make up a place or two higher in the final.

In the final the six swimmers were close throughout. Janek was lying as high as third with 60m swum. When the final touch came he had slipped to fifth. But this was an excellent swim that was attacked right from the gun. His time was two seconds faster than his pb and was a Western Counties qualifying time for 2003. It was an age group club record, that could stand for a while.

Head club coach Nigel West is very happy with the results so far. ?To be able to swim well enough for finals at this standard is great for the swimmers; they probably only have a maximum of five hours of pool time a week compared to the city clubs that have three or four times as much.? he said.