Reading Swimming Club is hoping that by the time some of its youngest prospects reach their mid-teens it will be hosting its annual Easter Open at the 50-metre long-course pool projected for the university site, but for now Central Pool – much smartened up over the last year - continues to generate top performances in one of the south’s best-run short-course meets.

Three days of intense competition pitted the Evening Post-sponsored hosts against large squads from Tigers of Jersey – taking a break from hosting their own Easter meet - Cardiff, Bristol and local rivals including Wycombe, Newbury and Basingstoke, plus numerous smaller teams and some individual entrants. The number of age group records testified to the quality of the swimming, and the blue riband 100m freestyle men’s grand final brought the meet to a fitting climax with a dead heat.

With 50-metre "form strokes" – back, fly and breaststroke - now axed from the national age group programme, the meet reverted to its traditional Friday afternoon start with 50m freestyle sprints and the long-distance freestyle events. Hillingdon’s Paula Wood, 25, a top-flight international open-water swimmer who thinks nothing of racing over 5,000 metres outdoors, was one only two ladies to tackle the 1500 and got close to her 2003 meet record as she beat all but the very best male swimmers.

Reading’s 1500 highlights were a 14s age group silver for Russel Korting and a bronze for Bruno Bamberger one year up, where Hillingdon’s Richard Flemming was fastest overall and set a new meet record for the age group.

For good measure, Paula Wood was also quickest in the 800, where Reading’s Holly Tanner, 14, swam an excellent 9.13.35 PB for second overall and top in her year. Louisa Herring improved her previous best by over 10 seconds and narrowly missed the 15s bronze.

The 50m freestyle as usual went to fingertip finishes. Cardiff took the first four ladies’ places in the grand final, Sian Lloyd quickest and Reading’s Danielle Mason sixth, and Guernsey’s Ben Lowndes pipped Daniel Hester of Basingstoke with less than half a second covering all six over the two lengths.

The finalists went on to contest a "skins" event on Saturday - Reading’s first taste of an exciting format where five heats are swum in quick succession and slowest eliminated each time. Despite her outside lane Mason survived into the last four before Lloyd repeated her grand final win, and Hester pipped Lowndes this time out.

The 50 free age group events were decided on heat times, and Reading Amy Kunicki won her year’s bronze medal on her 13^th birthday. Among the boys, Alex Macarthur, 12, kicked off a great meet with a silver, Kristian Statham placed fourth 14-year-old and Bruno Bamberger fifth 15.

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