SWIMMING: Whitbread the toast in City's flying start

FABIAN Whitbread was the star of City of Oxford as they began the defence of their county championship team title at Bletchley.

The 21-year-old laid down the gauntlet with a decisive win in the men’s open 1,500m freestyle, gaining a county short course record time of 15mins 58.95 secs.

His City clubmate Ewan Springett, 13, picked up a bronze medal in the junior men’s 1,500m freestyle.

City’s girls also made an impressive start, with Lisa Van Breugel winning silver and Elizabeth Oliver bronze in the open 800m freestyle. Oliver, 16, also gained a silver in the junior competition.

City’s 13-14 year-old team of Springett, Callum Smart, Christopher Wood, Zac Bischoff and Lewis Pearce picked up silver medals in the 200m medley and 200m freestyle relays.

The club’s younger 9-10 year-old boys’ team of Jacob Adams, Freddie Cooke, Jamie Conway and Christopher Littleton added to the medal haul with a silver in the 200m freestyle relay and a bronze in the 200m medley relay.

Abingdon Vale youngsters smashed two long-standing club records while picking up silver medals.

Both records were set by their boys’ 11-12 year-old relay team of Oliver Hodgson, Daniel McNamara, Max Bolcato, and Blaine Carpenter.

The team clocked 2.22.41 for the 200m medley to shave a full four seconds off the Vale record, which had stood for 21 years.

They finished second to the Bicester Bluefins team of Oliver Inness, William Whitley, Freddie Ashley-Sparks and Ethan Miranda Gale, who clocked 2.17.72.

The Abingdon quartet then came second to Maxwell SC in the 200m freestyle in 2.03.30. This was almost six seconds inside the previous club record set in 1998.

The county championships continue at Aquavale Aylesbury tomorrow.

OXON & NORTH BUCKS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Boys – Open 1500m freestyle: 1 F Whitbread (City of Oxford) 15mins 58.95 secs. Junior 1500m freeestyle: 3 E Springett (City of Oxford) 17.05.72. Aged 9-10 200m medley relay: 3 City of Oxford A (C Littleton, J Adams, F Cooke, J Conway) 2.42.33. 11-12 200m medley relay: 1 Bicester A (O Inness, W Whitley, F Ashley-Sparks, E Miranda-Gale) 2.17.72, 2 Abingdon Vale A (O Hodgson, D McNamara, M Bolcato, B Carpenter) 2.22.41. 13-14 200m medley relay: 2 City of Oxford A (E Springett, C Smart, C Wood, Z Bischoff) 2.01.58. 9-10 200m freestyle relay: 2 City of Oxford A (J Adams, F Cooke, J Conway, C Littleton) 2.21.73, 3 Witney A (B Wotton, C Belcher, H Jinks, C Jarvis) 2.32.02. 11-12 200m freestyle relay: 2 Abingdon Vale A (O Hodgson, D Mc|Namara, M Bolcato, C Blaine) 2.03.30, 3 Bicester A (O Inness, W Hhitley, F Ashley-Sparks, E Miranda-Gale) 2.03.35. 13-14 200m freestyle relay: 2 City of Oxford A C Wood, Z Bischoff, L Pearce, E Springett) 1.51.82, 3 Bicester A (T Thornbley, C Laird, R Cattle, K Bird) 1.52.62.

Girls – Open 800m freestyle: 2 L Van Breugel (City of Oxford) 9.07.88, 3 E Oliver (City of Oxford) 9.07.06. Junior 1500m freestyle: 2 E Oliver (City of Oxford) 9.07.06.