Several Utmost Wealth-sponsored Isle of Man Swimming Club athletes were in action on the second day of the North-West Winter Regional Swimming Championships.

DAY TWO

Alex Turnbull was first into the water and used all his experience to qualify with ease for the 50-metre breaststroke final.

After a brief rest and refuel, Turnbull picked up the pace again in the final to drop a third of a second from his heats time, finishing fourth in 29.5 seconds.

Lauren Dennett, principally a freestyle specialist, sprinted to a solid one minute 0.5 seconds in the junior 100m freestyle to take 12th overall, an excellent performance with another year to go in the age-group.

Manchester-based Kiera Prentice had a superb swim to drop a huge 17 seconds off her lifetime best and win 1,500 metres bronze, as well as claiming her second Island Games consideration time of the meet.

The afternoon session saw Turnbull return for the 100m breaststroke where he again progressed comfortably from the heat to the final.

Coming at the end of a busy weekend, his finals swim was a shade slower than his heat, but he placed a very creditable fourth overall in the Northwest region in 1m 4.67s and bagged a further Island Games consideration time to add to his morning’s 50m breaststroke A standard.

Backstroke specialist Libby Curphey set an impressive new lifetime best in the 100 metre event at the North-West Winter Regional Swimming Championships
Backstroke specialist Libby Curphey set an impressive new lifetime best in the 100 metre event at the North-West Winter Regional Swimming Championships (-)

Backstroke specialist Libby Curphey was in action in the 100-metre event in which she had recently set an impressive new lifetime best.

Some further tweaks to her race planning for Manchester saw a further half a second drop in her personal to finish ninth junior.

Curphey clocked 1:06.5, which was a third Island Games consideration time of the weekend for her and, as with Dennett, she has a further year in this age-group.

The Island Games consideration times came thick and fast, with the next set in the 50m freestyle by Chloe Batty who sped down the length of the pool to a new lifetime best of 27.49 to add to her 50m breaststroke A standard from the previous day.

Chloe Batty set a new lifetime best of 27.49 - an Island Games consideration time - in the 50m breaststroke to add to her 50m breaststroke A standard from the previous day.
Chloe Batty set a new lifetime best of 27.49 - an Island Games consideration time - in the 50m breaststroke to add to her 50m breaststroke A standard from the previous day. (-)

West Midlands and South-West Regional Championships

There was also Manx representation at the West Midlands and South-West Regional Championships respectively through Charlie Foster and Ella Justice.

Foster continued his excellent form to clock 2m 9.6s in the 200m backstroke - an Island Games ‘B’ standard - as well as adding another lifetime best in the 50m backstroke in 28.34.

At the South-West regionals, Justice produced an extremely smooth 50-metre backstroke swim to claim the gold medal in 28.21.

This time was, incredibly, her fourth Manx record breaking swim time in two days.

Justice’s superb swim topped a fantastic weekend of performances at the various winter regionals, leaving national head coach Lee Holland in high spirits ahead of the forthcoming British Winter Nationals.

VANESSA CHRISTIAN

Charlie Foster maintain his excellent form when clocking 2m 9.6s in the 200m backstroke event at the West Midlands Regional Championships - an Island Games ‘B’ standard -plus a lifetime best in the 50m backstroke in 28.34.
Charlie Foster maintain his excellent form when clocking 2m 9.6s in the 200m backstroke event at the West Midlands Regional Championships - an Island Games ‘B’ standard -plus a lifetime best in the 50m backstroke in 28.34. (-)