DAVID Hill of Kelly College set a new European and British record in the 200m backstroke in the S9 Disability category at the second round of the Devon County Swimming Championships at the Exe Valley Leisure Centre in Tiverton. David, who has just been announced as Devon?s swimmer of the year for the second time, now has the world record in his sights and started on the road to selection for Team GB for the Bejing Olympics in 2008. Both of Kelly?s team captains, Amanda Sanderson and Jack Cockerton, also put in some great performances. Amanda won the 200m IM championship title by just over a tenth of a second from International Swimmer Cassie Patten of Plymouth Leander and Jack added the 100m breaststroke title to the 200m gained the previous weekend. Jack then won gold in the 16 year age group for 200m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 400m freestyle as well as the 100m breaststroke and in so doing recorded three competition best times. He also found himself in the championship final for the 100m butterfly where he finished 6th and was placed 4th overall in the 200m backstroke and 400m freestyle. Amanda was also busy collecting gold medals in the 16 years age category in the 200IM, 800 and 100m freestyle with two CBTs along with an age group silver in the 100m butterfly and two overall 6th placings in the championship finals of 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. In the boys? 14 yrs age group Joshua Lake and Matthew Henry both won gold, Joshua in the 100m breaststroke and Matthew in the 200m backstroke both with new age group record times. Both boys finished in 5th place overall in their respective events. Matthew went on to win the 400m freestyle and 100m butterfly events. In the 200m IM for girls, the youngest squad member, Kathryn Stacey (10) set a new CBT in the heats and then bettered it in the final with a comfortable 12 second lead over the nearest competitor. In the 12 year category Megan Mackenzie and Sophie Howe fought for silver and bronze places. It was a similar story in the 100m freestyle with less than two tenths separating the girls in the qualifying heat. In both finals, it was Megan who claimed the silver and Sophie the bronze. Sophie turned the tables in the 100m butterfly, claiming the silver medal whilst Megan got a new pb and fourth place. With both girls and boys butterfly events taking place over the weekend, the squad registered a number of top three finishes, with David Kelly winning the 17 and over 100m event and Brikitta Batten winning the 15 years 50m race. David also raced in the 100m championship final but could find no answer to the speed of Ryan Tancock of Exeter City who bettered his own Championship Record. Silver medals in the 100m went to Samantha Tubb (15), Michael Wallis (13), Joshua Lake (14) Tom Howe (15), Luke Wakefield (16) and to Sophie Calpin (14) over 50m. Brikitta, Samantha and Sophie all added bronze medals in their respective age groups. Luke, Tom, James McFarlane and Cameron Carpenter-Warren were all silver medallists with Luke finishing behind his captain in the 400m freestyle and 100m breaststroke, Tom and James in the runner up place in their respective 400m freestyle events and Tom, James and Cameron repeating the feat in the 200m backstroke. Both Tom and Luke were in the top 6 overall, with Tom finishing 3rd in the 400m freestyle and 6th in the 200m backstroke and Luke finishing 6th in the 400m freestyle. Kelly?s Olympic Games representative from last summer, Jakie Wellman, was involved in some tremendous racing with her captain in the 100m freestyle final where both girls beat the previous record and Jakie claimed the silver medal in a time just one tenth slower than Amanda. The girls raced again in the Championship final where Jakie won bronze and Amanda came 6th with two tenths covering the last four places. Jakie also collected a bronze in the 16 years 200m IM and finished just outside the medals in the 50m and 100m butterfly. Other bronze medallists were: Tom Howe (15) and James McFarlane (13) 100m breaststroke, Sophie Calpin (14) and Sophie Stanford (16) 200m IM and Meghan Spence (16) 800m freestyle.
