City of Oxford smashed five Oxfordshire and North Bucks records as they finished third in the National Arena League South, Premier Division final in Crawley.

While last year’s runners-up Guildford proved too strong on the way to top-spot, the battle for second place – and a guaranteed spot in the national B final – was a fierce tussle between City, Thanet, Sevenoaks and Ports-mouth Northsea.

But despite City securing the highest place in their history, they were lost out to Thanet who took the runners-up spot by ten points.

City could still make the National B final in a simulated gala of all the best placed regional runners-up. However, that has been delayed due to an unresolved protest at the final.

  •  Latest Sport news

City’s run of success started when Rachel Allen, Emily Wood, Ellie Millington and Amy Coombs set both a new open and junior county record of 2mins 3.96secs, in winning the girls’ 15 and under 4x50m medley relay.

Olivia Webster and Emily Nisbet joined Millington and Coombs to set a new open and junior County record of 1.51.87 in the 4x50m freestyle relay. Not to be outdone, the boys’ 15 and under 4x50m freestyle relay team of Ewan Springett, Zach Bischoff, Lewis Pearce and Chris Wood set a new county junior mark of 1.44.89.

Callum Smart and Lewis Gilchrist then linked up with Springett and Wood to win the boys’ 15 and under 4 x 50m medley relay in a new county junior mark of 1.57.84.

Emily Wood claimed the girls’ 15 and under 100m breaststroke in 1.13.53 another junior county record, all of which are still to be ratified.

Fabian Whitbread won the men’s open 200m individual medley in 2.07.81 and Emily Wood took the ladies open 100m breaststroke crown.

Emily Nisbet wrapped it by triumphing in the girls’ 15 and under 100m butterfly in 1.05.50.

Gala result: 1 Guildford 253pts, 2 Thanet 182, 3 City of Oxford 172, 4 Sevenoaks 159, 5 Portsmouth Northsea 154, 6 Beckenham 122.

  •  Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.