THE Lancashire County Championships and Age Group Competition concluded its programme last weekend at Wigan's 50 metre pool.

The Championships attracted a huge entry of 839 individual swimmers who over two weekends competed in a total of 3,583 swims. BMSS were represented by 69 swimmers throughout the championships, all of whom have been a credit to the squad, culminating in BMSS taking top honours in the Age Group Competition when they were crowned Lancashire County Age Group Winners for 2001.

BMSS swimmers also figured in the overall British Age Group Categories Awards, with the following swimmers finishing in the top 6 :

10 year old girls: Emma-Scarlet Lindley (5th) 1610 points. Natalie Donaldson (6th) 1512 points.

11 year old girls: Sophie Howard (5th) 1910 points.

12 year old boys: Andrew Kilby (1st) 1989 points. Cristopher Moffatt (5th) 1418 points.

14 year old boys: Philip Isherwood (2nd) 3016 points.

In the final weekend of competition, BMSS had 32 finalists of which the following won their respective events:

Andrew McGrail 11 year old boys 50m freestyle, Nicole Whitehead 14 year old girls 50m & 100m butterfly,50m freestyle.

In the Heat Declared Winner Events (no finals),the following won their respective age groups:

Andrew McGrail 11 year old boys 400m freestyle, Andrew Kilby 12 year old boys 200m butterfly, 200m IM & 400 Freestyle, Brian Halstead 13 year old boys 200m IM, Philip Isherwood 14 year old boys 200m IM. David Jones 15 year old boys 200m & 400m IM & 400m freestyle, Lucy Finn 14 year old girls 200m & 400m freestyle, Hayley Tobin 15 year old girls 400m IM.

To round off an excellent competition,the following 14 swimmers produced 19 national qualifying time swims

Ashley Wilcock 12 year old girls 50m freestyle & butterfly, Rachel Hildyard 12 year old girls 50m freestyle, Nicole Whitehead 14 year old girls 50m freestyle & butterfly, Lucy Finn 14 year old girls 400m freestyle, Hollie Harthern 14 year old girls 50 m butterfly, Corinne Allmark 15 year old girls 50m butterfly, Hayley Tobin 15 year old girls 100m breastroke. Andrew Kilby 12 year old boys 200m butterfly & 400m freestyle, Christopher Moffatt 12 year old boys 200m butterfly, Brian Halstead 13 year old boys 100m butterfly & 400mIM. Philip Isherwood 14 year old boys 50m freestyle, Allan Woods 14 year old boys 50m backstroke, David Jones 15 Year Old boys 200m & 400m IM. Karl Holland 15 year old boys 200m IM.