Kendal swimmers did themselves proud at the City of Manchester Open Meet, pitting their skills against the big city big guns.

Thirteen-year-old Lucy Sargeant was one of those on top form in the 100m butterfly, where she came up with a lifetime best performance in 1.13.94 before turning to the 50m sprints and was again well up to her PB mark for freestyle with a time of 30.91.

The backstroke also brought her a superb time of 38.77 and a place well up the field before she finished with a good time of 1.10.82 for her 100 freestyle in a field of very high standards.

Ben Cudby only competed in two events but gave a really good account of himself, getting off the mark with fabulous effort in the 50m butterfly sprint with a PB time of 31.13 and then following it up in the 100 backstroke to go close to his PB with 1.12.52.

Megan Jones, however, was really on fire in her speciality event of breaststroke. The 50m sprint saw her turn on the power to be just touched out of a medal place in a blanket finish with a time of 36.67, just outside her best, while in the 100 she again turned on the style to record a PB of 1.19.46

She, too, then turned to the sprints and blasted her way to another PB in the backstroke in 33.93 before completing her programme with another fine swim in the freestyle, just missing out on getting under the 30 second barrier.

Fourteen-year-old Emily Gibson also gave a performance to be proud of in the 50 backstroke with a time of 35.57, and 12-year-old James Escolme – who entered six events – had his best returns in the breaststroke. His 50 sprint saw him finish in sixth place and in the 100 he grabbed a well-earned seventh place, followed by coming tenth in the 200 Individual Medley before he finished in with a great effort in the 50 freestyle sprint to record a respectable time of 32.68.