Youngsters making waves as terrific Team Luton top the table

The boys 11-year-old’s top swim went to Finley Kiernan whilst Lyla Howard won the girls 11yrs top swim, narrowly beating team-mate Veronika Popow who took second.

Jack Juggins was recognised for the boys 12yrs, with Rhys Davidson taking second in the boys 14yrs.

Popow and Lyla Howard showed both great rivalry and team spirit by dominating the girls 10-11yrs age group.

A clean sweep of the medals by Team Luton in the 100m breaststroke final saw Veronika take gold, Isobel McCulloch silver and Caitlyn Kean a hard earned bronze.

The 50m freestyle saw five of the eight lanes taken by the club.

Howard won gold, Popow the silver, Millie Hyde was fourth, Catherine Lempriere touched sixth and McCulloch seventh.

Kiernan won a host of medals in the 10-11yrs boys event including gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle, while club-mate Spencer Leaning triumphed in the 100m butterfly.

Juggins had outstanding championships too, winning all his events in the 12yrs age group bar the 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle.

Rhys Davidson picked up five Junior Championship titles over 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 400m IM, despite ceding a year to older swimmers.

For 14-year-old Menna Walmsley the championships were her most successful to date.

She claimed silver in the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly plus the 800m freestyle and 400m IM were the first County medals she has ever won too.

Jennifer Brooks also claimed her first medals with a bronze in the 14yrs 400m and 800m freestyle.

Despite illness prior to the meet, Anna Fallon smashed her PB by five seconds to take bronze in the 15yrs 400m IM and the Junior championship.

Oli Hunt won his first county medal, a bronze, in the boys 15yrs 50m breaststroke.

Chiara Rogers dominated the girls breaststroke events, winning the 50m, 100m and 200m in her 15yrs age group, claiming Junior and Open County titles in the 100m and 200m plus the Junior title in the 50m.

She also took gold in the 15yrs 100m butterfly and the Junior title as well.

Abbie Barnwell brought home gold in both the 15yrs 400m and 800m freestyle and Junior Championship.

Competing in a grand total of 26 races Celyn Walmsley dominated the 200m and 400m IM and 200m backstroke from start to finish, with gold in the 100m and 200m breaststroke too.

County record holder Chantal Smith won the Ladies’ 400m freestyle along with the 200m butterfly.

Matthew Wright put in strong performances across the championships, picking up five golds, two silvers and a bronze.

His time of 4:06.17mins in the 400m freestyle broke the previous County record by over 1.5 seconds.

Team Luton also achieved some notable results in the relays with the 10-11yr girls’ team of Howard, Popow, Hyde and McCulloch winning both the 4x50m medley and freestyle events.

In the Open Relays, the Ladies won gold in the 4x50m medley, 4x100m medley and 4x100m freestyle.

The medley teams comprised King (backstroke), Walmsley (breaststroke), Rogers (butterfly) and Smith (freestyle).

Representing the club in the freestyle relay were Smith, Barnwell, Rogers and Walmsley.

The quartet of Wright, Michael Poynton, Alex Mason and Rhys Davidson won Silver in the Men’s Open 400m Medley and a Bronze in the Open 400m Freestyle relay.