At the Les Quennevais Sports Centre pool, the KPMG Jersey Amateur Swimming Association team won the gala by 223 points to 197 to register their first Inter-Insular Trophy success since 2001.
Guernsey’s Kristian Neves set records in the 100 metres freestyle, backstroke and butterfly events but it was Ebony Jacklin and Antoin Le Fèvre, the men’s and ladies’ team captains respectively, who were proudly holding aloft the silverware at the conclusion.
KPMG/JASA coach Stephen Ritzema said: ‘Saturday’s event was testimony to the improvements being seen in Channel Islands swimming. There were 17 meet records and when you consider ten of those were by Guernsey it amplifies the achievements of the Jersey team’s victory.’
Jersey swimmers, who were supported by the Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant-General Andrew Ridgway and his wife, Valerie, and Education officials Deputies James Reed and Andrew Green, won 26 races to Guernsey’s 22.
Rebecca Le Maistre and Kerrie Smith got Jersey off to a solid start by taking first and third places respectively in the 100 metre individual medley, both in personal best times.
Soon after the hunger of the Jersey team to claim back the title was typified by the 11-and-under girls’ 4 x 50 freestyle relay team when Sian Cumming, swimming the final leg, came off the final turn to claw back half a body length on her Guernsey counterpart to claim victory.
Jersey dominated the relays setting new meet records in five of the eleven relays they won.
The record breakers were: Harry Shalamon, Cameron Swart, Garth Jackson and Alex Johnson (11-and-under boys 4 x 50 freestyle); Cameron Donaldson, Declan Bourke, Gio Guarino and Henry Job (12-13 boys 4 x 50 IM); Marie Kocot, Ella Dias, Beth Cumming and Emily Bashforth (12-13 girls 4 x 50 free); Declan Bourke, Danny Blandin, Gio Guarino and Henry Job (12-13 boys 4 x 50 free) and Grace Le Couilliard, Charlotte Manning, Charlotte Samson and Sophie van Neste (14-15 girls 4 x 50 IM).
Jersey continued to pick up valuable placings and points in the individual races. In particular, the 11-and-under and 12-13 year old boys and the ladies were dominant taking the top two places in most events.
There were some fantastic swims including 31 personal bests recorded from 65 individual swims including meet records for Tom Gallichan and Gio Guarino.
Gallichan lowered the men’s 100 backstroke record from 59.02 to 58.30 while Gio Guarino broke Simon Abels’ 1987 boys 100 breaststroke time of 1.16.90 to the new mark of 1:15.48.
The KPMG/JASA team members were, 11 and under: Madelaine Corcoran, Sian Cumming, Rhianna Donaldson, Becky Scaife, Garth Jackson, Alex Johnson, Harry Shalamon, Cameron Swart, Nathan Corrigan.
12/13: Emily Bashforth, Beth Cumming, Ella Dias, Maria Kocot, Harriet Taylor, Bryony Sanderson, Henry Job, Cameron Donaldson, Giovanni Guarino, Declan Bourke, Danny Blandin.
14/15: Charlotte Samson, Charlotte Manning, Grace Le Couilliard, Katy Glendening, Sophie Van Neste, Natasha Stuttard, Emily Ritzema, Zac Le Cornu, Leon Gateley, Hugh Martin, Alex Henstridge, William Hall, Matthew Le Marrec.
16+: Emma Glendening, Ebony Jacklin, Rebecca Le Maistre, Hannah Ross, Kerrie Smith, Andrew Blake, Tom Gallichan, Michael Le Couilliard, James Payne, Daniel Hawksworth and Antoin Le Fèvre.
