RECORDS tumbled as City of Oxford enjoyed their most successful ASA South East Winter Regional Championships.

Held in Portsmouth, City swimmers set two regional junior records, two open county and two junior county records, winning six open, five junior and five multi-disability titles.

They also picked up three silver and seven bronze medals.

David Murphy was in impressive form, winning one open and four junior titles.

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In winning gold in the junior 200m breaststroke, the 15-year-old set a new regional and Oxfordshire & North Bucks county record with a time of 2mins 18.51secs, which also saw him pick up bronze in the open event.

Murphy followed this up with gold in the male open and junior 50m breaststroke in 29.34, as well as the junior 100m breaststroke in 1.03.72.

The latter time was good enough for the open silver medal.

A fourth gold came in the junior 200m individual medley, with a further bronze in the junior 400m individual medley.

Another impressive City breaststroker, 15-year-old Emily Wood, won the female open and junior 200m breaststroke in 2.31.23 – a girl’s regional and Oxon & North Bucks county record.

Wood also picked up a bronze in the female junior 100m breaststroke.

Fabian Whitbread added to the medal rush, winning four golds.

The first came in the open 400m individual medley in a time of 4.20.94, an Oxon & North Bucks county record.

He then scooped gold in the open 200m breaststroke, his time of 2.13.93, securing another county record.

Whitbread also struck gold in the open 100m breaststroke (1.03.03) and the open 200m individual medley (2.03.15).

In the multi-disability category, Chris Currie bagged five gold medals in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle as well as the 200m individual medley events.

He completed an impressive display with silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 100m butterfly.

Annie Sharp, 14, won gold in the junior 200m backstroke and bronze in the open.

Emily Nisbet, 15, picked up two silvers in the junior 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly, while 16-year-old Shannon Motha won bronze medals in the junior 50m backstroke and junior 100m backstroke.

Ewan Springett completed the City medal bonanza when the 14-year-old claimed bronze in the junior 1,500m freestyle.

Head coach Amanda Booth praised the efforts of the swimmers, and was pleased that elements of their train-ing came to the fore in their successes.

“Turn skills are so important in short-course swimming so I am delighted that the work that the swimmers have been concentrating on in training is starting to transfer into the racing pool,” she said.

“We still have work to do, but these results are very promising for the start of the season.”

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