Phoebe Lenderyou of Ponteland, who swims for City of Sunderland, was the star performer as she won five Golds and took the award for the best overall 12-year-old girl in the ASA Age Group Championships.

Her victories came in the 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 200m backstroke events, while she secured Silver in the 100m backstroke and reached the final of the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle competitions.

Clubmate and fellow Ponteland resident Kathryn Woolston-Thomas achieved a Bronze medal in the 100m freestyle, and also swam in the final of the 400m freestyle in the girls' 13 years section.

At the ASA Youth Championships Hepscott's Kayleigh Dawson, who swims for the City of Newcastle club, took Bronze in the 800m freestyle for the 14/15 years age group and was part of the club's 4x100 freestyle relay team that won Bronze.

She also made the final of the 200m and 400m freestyle, finished in tenth position in the 1500m freestyle and swam as part of the City of Newcastle team in the final of the 4x100m medley and 4x200m freestyle relay events.


Newburn swimmers James Garland and Becky Wilde, both from Morpeth, stepped up from Age Groups to Youths this year.

James, competing in the 15/16 year age group, qualified in six events — 100m, 200m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, 200m and 400m individual medley. He swam soundly, achieving a new personal best time in the 800m freestyle, and finishing as 14th 15-year-old in the 1500m freestyle.
Becky also qualified in six events — the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m feestyle, 200m and 400m individual medley — for the 14/15 year age group and swam well, achieving a highest finish of 14th place (tenth 14-year-old) in the 1500m freestyle in a new personal best time.

Another Newburn swimmer Rachel Smedley, from Ponteland, qualified in the 800m freestyle in which she swam well and achieved a new personal best time.

Other Age Group qualifiers included Morpeth resident Tom Sproston (Newburn), who swam in the boys' 13 years 200m, 800m and 1500m freestyle in his first national championships, and put in some good performances, achieving a personal best time in the 800m.

Andie Hinitt (City of Sunderland), who lives in Morpeth, was a member of the City of Sunderland girls' 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley, and 4x200m freestyle relay teams along with both Phoebe and Kathryn that reached the final.