The Mid Beds Swim Squad claimed the sixth best medal haul in the inaugural Eastern Region Youth Championships. The competition took place at the University of East Anglia pool in Norwich over the bank holiday weekend. Harriet Brettle just missed her natio

The Mid Beds Swim Squad claimed the sixth best medal haul in the inaugural Eastern Region Youth Championships.

The competition took place at the University of East Anglia pool in Norwich over the bank holiday weekend.

Harriet Brettle just missed her national qualifying time in the heats of the 200m freestyle and showed the way for the rest of the girls to all set outstanding personal bests.

Hannah Raine and Brettle qualified for the final, with Harriet picking up her national qualifying time in 2:13.40 and a bronze medal as well.

Not to be outdone, Paul Titley swam a 19-second lifetime best in the corresponding event.

Myles Gibson swam the race of his life by smashing nine seconds off his 200m breaststroke to make the final.

Employing the new technique that the world-famous coach Josef Nagy had advised him, he claimed the bronze medal.

David Dowsett followed suit with two lifetime bests in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, taking the golds in both of the finals.

Carmen Mallet showed excellent technical improvement in her breaststroke events.

Louise King made her first major finals in 200m fly and 100m fly and swam outstandingly in both with her long powerful technique.

Hannah Raine made the finals for both the 200m and 400m individual medleys, claiming a bronze in the shorter event and two lifetime bests which were a shade outside her national qualifying time.

Helen Baldrance swam two lifetime bests in the 100m and 200m freestyle and Nikki Newell made sixth place in the final of the 100m backstroke just outside her personal best.

Nick Metcalf claimed a handful of medals in his events, having the rare chance of swimming his 200m individual medley final on his own.

Sue Morris, swimming for Mid Beds for the first time, also picked a handful of medals.

Paul Titley showed his backstroke prowess by taking the 200m backstroke in a six second personal best, leaving him just outside his national time.

The race of the meet was the 100m backstroke in which Titley and Doug Kerr went head to head. Doug snatched the gold by 0.04 from Paul.

Kirsten Farthing swam her last races in the gold of Mid Beds as she has decided to concentrate on her studies.

She managed a personal medal haul of one gold, one silver and one bronze.

Head coach Vix Metcalf was astounded at the number of medals won.

She said: "I could not believe the grit and determination shown by my youth swimmers.

"A number of the swimmers just missed their national qualifying times so we will be looking to the three meets that we are attending in May to pick these up.