AGE-GROUP awards went to Kendal swimmers Bethany Fleetwood, Josh Stafford, Kirsty-Jo Blenkharn for first places in final events of the Cumbria Age Group Swimming Championships at Workington.

Stafford and Blenkharn received second-place awards, while Katherine Pickthall took one for third.

Kendal's younger swimmers showed great promise when the relays brought the curtain down on the championships.

The 9/10 girls team of Cara Marshall, Rebecca Knowles, Rebecca Knipe and Bethany Fleetwood were a close-up second in the 4x50m freestyle and fourth in the 4x50m medley.

The 9/10 boys dominated their events with the A team powering to a 4x50m victory and the B team a battling third, while the A team repeated their win in the 4x50m medley with the B team second.

Teams were formed from James Clarke, Joe Robinson, Josh Stafford, Matthew Shaw, Jonathan Moseley, Nathan Hogg, Conor Bolton and Daniel Lowther.

The 11/12 girls took the freestyle and medley titles thanks to fine efforts from Holly Stafford, Natalie Knowles, Laura Hogg and Kirksty-Jo Blenkharn.

The 11/12 boys team of Chris Machell, Marc Robinson, Ross Kilshaw and Chris Proudfoot reached the freestyle and medley finals and finished fifth in both.

Kendal's 13/14 girls team of Nicola Rigg, Harriet Baker, Emma Matthews, Hannah Moseley and Ann Howell touched out Cockermouth to take the 4x50m freestyle title and went on to win the 4x50m medley.

The 13/14 boys were third in the 4x50m freestyle and fifth in the 4x50m medley with Glen Robinson, Ryan Nowell, Graham Colledge and Jonathan Lumb competing.

The girls 15/16 team produced flawless swims from Ceri Lumb, Sarah Jones, Claire Munday and Stacey Colledge to take both the freestyle and medley titles.

In the evening session, there were successes in the junior men's and women's freestyle and medley, the women's freestyle, while the A & B team were first and second in the women's medley.

In the junior women's team were Ceri Lumb, Sarah Jones, Nicola Rigg and Hannah Moseley.

The junior men were Glen Robinson, Phil Machin, Darren Stewart and Jonathan Lumb Representing the women's A team were Catherine Pickthall, Nicola Rigg, Ceri Lumb, Katie Soane, Sarah Jones and Hannah Moseley, and women's B were Emma Matthews, Claire Munday, Ann Howell, Lucy Mackereth, Stacey Colledge and Harrier Baker.

The men's team was Phil Machin, Glen Robinson, Ryan Nowell, Graham Colledge, Jonathan Lumb and Darren Stewart.

May 22, 2003 16:00