North Herts youngsters featured prominently at the recent Herts Swimming Association BAGCat awards evening. Fourteen swimmers from the Hitchin and Stevenage clubs received top awards and two were overall age group winners. As well as competing for medals

North Herts youngsters featured prominently at the recent Herts Swimming Association BAGCat awards evening.

Fourteen swimmers from the Hitchin and Stevenage clubs received top awards and two were overall age group winners.

As well as competing for medals in individual events, the top county swimmers are awarded points for their best swim in each of five categories, much like a pentathlon.

Awards are given to the top eight swimmers in each age group and the swimmer with the highest number of points is crowned overall county champion.

Top honours this year went to Hitchin's Charlotte Reid and Christie Bays from Stevenage.

Charlotte won six gold and three silver medals on her way to the top place in the 12 year girls' age group.

Christie was top girl in the 11 year age group with an impressive haul of nine gold and three silver medals - the most wins of any swimmer in junior competition.

In the nine year girls' event, Olivia Hazel finished second ahead of Megan Pain in fourth and Fiona Thornton seventh.

Stevenage swimmers took four of the top eight spots in the 10 year age group with Jessica Jackson fourth, Lilly West sixth, Megan Nation seventh and Danielle Murphy eighth.

In the 11 year event, Maddie Churchman swam well to finish eighth and Carina Bays completed an impressive line of successes for the local girls with third place in the 13-year-old competition.

In the boys' competition, Hitchin's Yong Sung Kwon finished seventh in the 11 year group and Jake Robinson and Jack Noble were fifth and eighth respectively in the 13 year competition.

In the overall team competition, Hitchin finished a highly creditable 10th position. The large number of high placings in the junior events lifted Stevenage to fourth place overall and to its highest ever position of second in the girls' event.