Sponsored by Topline and Wm Taylor Pools Ltd, the Championships went right to the last race, with Lancashire having to finish ahead of their nearest rivals Northumberland and Durham to retain the title.
A total of 38 teams, and more than 1,000 competitors, battled it out across two divisions, with 31 races in each division.
And it was Lancashire who emerged victorious in Division 1 with 480 points, followed closely by Northumberland and Durham with 476 points and Middlesex with 473 points.
The day had got off to a great start. 2007 European Junior Championship medallist Rebecca Turner clocked 57.43 to take the Girls 16/17 years 100m Freestyle, followed by Scotland East’s Eloise Barber (58.06), who battled with Suffolk’s Rebecca Reader (58.09) to take second place by just three hundredths of a second.
Not to be outdone, Leicestershire’s Tsubasa Nakagawa, the current British junior record holder (SC) for the 50m Freestyle, touched in 51.20, the exact same time as Scotland East’s Jak Scott in the 16/17 years 100m Freestyle.
Lancashire also claimed their first win early on, with Danielle Lowe touching in 1:12.32 in the Girls 12/13 years 100m Breaststroke. Northumberland and Durham rival Laura Allison took second in 1:13.39, with Annabel Humphreys taking third in 1:13.99 for Berks and South Bucks.
After 15 races, just under the half way point, Lancashire were out in front with 226 points but Northumberland and Durham were right behind with 223 points, with Middlesex pushing hard with 218 points.
Lancashire’s Boys Team Captain Nicholas Tawn led by example and took the Boys 16/17 years 100m Breaststroke in 1:04.00, just holding off Cheshire’s Russell Smith in 1:04.06.
While Lancashire’s Danielle Lowe added to a day’s great performance with second place in the Girls 12/13 years 100m Butterfly in 1:05.33, behind Derbyshire’s Fiona Donnelly who touched in 1:04.46.
As the teams headed into the relays, the Girls 16/17 years 200m Medley was to mirror the final results. Lancashire led from the start and held onto their lead finishing in 2:02.69. But they were pushed all the way by Durham, who finished second in 2:03.20.
But after missing out on a top three finish in the Boys 12/13 years Medley and the Girls 14/15 years 200m Medley, Lancashire knew they had to finish ahead of their rivals in the last race of the day – the mixed 6 x 50m Free relay.
Ultimately their third place (2:35.60) was enough to put them one place ahead of Durham (2:38.06).
Lancashire’s Tawn said: “We knew it was going to be tight but we really didn’t know if we had won until the end of that last race.
“We had a great team spirit and there were a lot of good swims which gave us the title.”
Lancashire’s Girls Team Captain Katrina Alder added: “It is just brilliant to win again. I have been in the team ever since I was old enough and this year it was crazy!”
It was not such good news for Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Hampshire who finished in the last four positions in Division 1 and will be relegated to Division 2 next year.
Taking their place will be Scotland West (whose 458 points took first place in Division 2), Dorset (448 points), Essex (442 points) and Nottinghamshire (425 points); the exact four teams that were relegated from Division One last year.
The early pace in Division 2 had been set by Nottinghamshire and Essex, with Notts swimmer and 2007 European Junior medallist Sasha Matthews taking first in the Girls 16/17 years 100m Freestyle in 57.70 and Essex’s Alex Jameson taking first in the Boys equivalent race in a time of 52.67.
Dorset kept themselves in the running with some solid performances, including a fantastic swim by 12-year-old Amelia Maugham, who annihilated the field in the Girls 12/13 years 100m Freestyle, touching in 57.84, the fastest time of any of the 37 swimmers in her age group in either of the Divisions, and nearly a second and a half ahead of second place Rachel Martin (59.28).
At just under the halfway point, Essex had built up a 14 point lead over nearest rivals Scotland North (208 points) with Dorset in third with 206 points.
But Scotland West pulled together some solid performances in the latter races to take Division 2, including a win for Lee Emmerson in the Boys 12/13 Years 100m Butterfly in a time of 1:02.87 ahead of Dorset’s Thomas Mules (1:03.28) and Lincolnshire’s Oliver Bitowt (1:04.24).
To view a full set of results, including the final points tables please visit www.britishswimming.org and follow the links from the homepage.
