TAVISTOCK swimmer Oliver Taverner is a British record holder after achieving great success at the Portsmouth Northsea Easter Festival.

The Mount Kelly pupil swimmer, aged 13, had a superb race to break the 100 metre breaststroke British and English age group record, posting a time of 1 minute 07.98 seconds. This broke the previous mark, held by Olympian Craig Benson by 0.35 seconds.

With this time, Ollie is now currently ranked fastest in Great Britain by more than three seconds looking ahead to the 2015 British summer nationals. Ollie also won a further three gold medals in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, as well as claiming bronze on the 200m freestyle.

It was a great festival for Mount Kelly swimming. His fellow schoolmate Megan Bowen was also in fine form in Portsmouth, winning the 200m freestyle, 800m freestyle and 200m intermediate, as well as claiming silver in the 50m freestyle and 400m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle. Team mate Dani Baker also had a great meet, winning silver in a new season's best of 1.04.27 in the 100 backstroke and again taking second in the 200 backstroke.

Senior swimmers  Emily Cutler and Leah Picillo also had a strong weekend, with Leah winning the 400 IM and Emily claiming victory in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events. In addition, Harry Hathaway finished first in the open 1,500m freestyle in a new seasons best time, and Toby Stanyer and Will Luckham-Down both took medals in their favoured events. 

The Mount Kelly junior swimmers then demonstrated their potential for the future, with Jack Plummer, aged 12, winning four golds and five silvers. 

Jacob Newcombe then claimed gold in the 200m backstroke and silver in the 100m backstroke. Jacob Gibbons finished second in both of the sprint butterfly events and Tom Brew added a bronze in the 200m butterfly in a new personal best. 

Following Mount Kelly Swimming's success at Portsmouth as well as the previous weekend in Sheffield,  all the swimmers will now look to the the ASA Regional Youth and Age Group Championships in May as their next opportunity to qualify to the 2015 British summer nationals.