Having camped out there for much of the spring while taking part in the Lancashire County Championships and North West Regionals, several Isle of Man swimmers headed back to Manchester Aquatics Centre for a high-quality National Qualifier meet recently. 

The Utmost Wealth-sponsored Isle of Man Swimming Club team was headed by Commonwealth Games finalist Harry Robinson who led from the front, producing two medal-winning swims. 

This included a super-fast 25.38-second swim for silver in the 50 butterfly, beaten only beaten by City of Manchester’s Commonwealth medallist Jamie Ingram.  

Robinson went one better in the 50m backstroke, clocking 26.81s to take gold ahead of Ingram. Robinson’s form is a good sign for the upcoming British National Championships where he will compete in the 100m freestyle, 50m back and 50m butterfly. 

Libby Curphey was also in action in Manchester in her favoured backstroke events, cranking out some rapid performances with a 32.4-second clocking in the 50m backstroke, a 1m 09.03s in the 100m back and 2:31.5 in the 200m back.  

Curphey was delighted to secure her place in the English Summer National Championships over the weekend, where she will compete in the three backstroke events. 

Ed Pearson showed true character in coming back from a 1,500M freestyle disqualification (where had been hoping to qualify for Nationals) in style. He produced some fantastic performances, including a huge 100m backstroke personal best of 1:17.4 to take age 13 bronze.  

Pearson racked up the Manx team’s biggest personal best margin (a huge 17 seconds) in the 200m breaststroke and then demonstrated his versatility with a brilliant 50m backstroke bronze and a well-deserved 50m butterfly gold.  

Oscar Maddrell had a brilliant series of swims in the age 12 events, with his standout swim being gold in the 100m freestyle in a massive personal best of 1:07.31. Maddrell also won bronze in the 50m freestyle in 31.7s to round off a superb debut season competing in the UK. 

Carter Kneale followed on from a gruelling series of county and regional championship weekends with a slightly less hectic schedule and was rewarded in the 1,500m freestyle with an 11-second personal best of 19m 14s.  

Kneale also impressed in the tough 400m individual medley where he clocked a rapid 5m 45s to again place fourth. Kneale was rewarded for his consistency and determination with a 200m IM personal best of 2m 36.5s and the bronze medal in the age 13 category. 

Olivia Williamson produced some big personal bests, including an impressive two-second reduction in her 200IM PB to a swift 2:56.3, taking 11th place in the age 13s. She also produced a very speedy 36.3-second 50m butterfly for 12th place and a huge four-second personal best in the 100m back.  

Olivia is another of the Isle of Man Swim Club swimmers to have achieved nationals qualification – she will take part in the Welsh Nationals in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events. 

Aoife Hughes had an extremely fluent 50 butterfly swim, an event at which she excels, and  she touched in a rapid 34.91s for 15th place in the age 14 category.  

Hughes then went on to set impressive new personal bests in the 50m and 100m backstroke events of 38.11s and 1:24.2s respectively. 

Beth Christian was delighted to come away with eight personal bests from eight events. She swam a powerful 50m butterfly where she clocked a two-second personal best of 35 seconds, an eight-second PB of 3:15.00 in a very well-paced 200m breaststroke and a seven-and-a-half-second personal best in the 200m freestyle. 

Over the course of the season Evelyn King has thrown her name in the ring alongside Libby Curphey and Kaya Reynolds as one of the island’s leading female backstroke exponents. 

True to form, she produced a superb 200m backstroke and new personal best of 2:48.1. She also set a further lifetime best in the 50m backstroke with a rapid 35.2 seconds. 

Caitlin Kirby also produced a plethora of personal bests. In the 50m freestyle she reduced her best by a phenomenal 3.4 seconds to 33.43s and her 100 freestyle time by an incredible nine seconds. Kirby also had a superb swim in the 50m ‘fly with a two-second PB of 38.11. 

Oliver Dowty was rewarded for his determined swims with some huge personal bests including a 1:09.42 100m backstroke clocking, while a fantastic 200m backstroke swim saw him place 13th in 2:29.94.  

Dowty also had some good freestyle swims, with his 1:01.2 100 metres freestyle particularly noteworthy. 

Thanks go to team managers Emily Curphey, Mat Williamson and Vanessa Christian, to Tracey Kirby who acted as an official, the coaching team of Lee Holland and Chris Pearson and Utmost Wealth for the invaluable support. 

VANESSA CHRISTIAN