PIONEER 79 youngsters were up against the best swimmers across the North West when they took part in the recent Regional Championships.

And the four swimmers didn’t look out of place as they recorded some impressive times.

Charlotte Britland, 16, competed in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, 100m and 200m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle, recording some fine times in each.

Richard Eccles, 19, finished with some impressive sprint times in the 50m butterfly and 50m and 100m freestyle.

Club member Karmen Hammonds, 14, swam in five events for Gallica - the county elite squad - doing well in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.

And Connor Makin, also swimming for Gallica, reached the final of the 200m breaststroke with the sixth fastest time of 2mins 33.77secs.

He went faster in the final with 2mins 33.23secs to finish in seventh place overall. He also competed in the 400m individual medley and 50m and 100m breaststroke.

Pioneer 79 also took part in round two of the National Swimming League at the Palatine swimming pool in Blackpool.

At the halfway stage, Warriors of Warrington and City of Liverpool were battling it out for top spot with Pioneer and local rivals Blackburn Centurions not far behind.

Despite a battling display, Pioneer had to settle for joint fifth place with Blackburn Centurions on 138 points with City of Liverpool winning with 298 points.

l Pioneer 79 Swimming Club welcomes swimmers of all abilities from beginners through to masters. Anyone interested in joining should contact Susan on 01254 390793.