FASCINATING races emerged in the Troutbeck Bridge 400m freestyle championships as, for a change from sprinting, contestants had to develop tactics and conserve strength.
Emily Jeffs led the first heat of the ladies championship home from Lauren Munro Bennett and Phillipa Longley.
In the second heat experienced Masters swimmer Jill Collinson kept steady times for each length to win comfortably from Jennifer Barrett and Helen Jeffs.
The final heat saw favourite Hannah Fay and the Noble sisters Vickie and Hannah drawn together. Fay's relentless pace was the fastest for the three heats, giving her the overall championship, with Hannah Noble runner-up and Vickie Noble third.
In the men's event Joe Thompson set a grinding pace to lead home his heat from Mathew Kaye and Alex Robertshaw.
Joshua Murphy won the second ahead of Sam Kaye and Paddy Finn and in the third Stuart McGurk beat Andy Birkett and Andy Kaye.
Highlight of the evening was the final heat contested by top swimmers Sam Birkett, Tim Fay, Paul Langhorn and Oliver Murphy.
In the final 100 Langhorn and Fay increased the pace to forge ahead, fighting stroke for stroke to the finish, where Fay took the title by a fraction of a second, with Murphy third.
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