JAMES Escolme was outstanding when a 29 strong squad of Kendal swimmers competed against the elite from across the North of England in Sunderland’s 'Summer Splash' long course meet.

He gave an immaculate display of backstroke swimming combining great technique with superb talent in the 50m sprint, taking gold in a time of 33.40.

Turning to his favourite stroke, he took on a 14 strong field of 13-year-olds and set a blistering pace in a race which developed into a battle with Stockton’s Ben Swann in which he just touched first to take gold in 2:48.25.

The 100 Breaststroke came down to another clash with Escolme and Swann and in another dramatic finish Escolme this time had to settle for silver.

A bronze for his 200 individual medley completed a highly satisfactory all round performance.

Megan Jones also gave a great account of herself, picking up a total of six medals.

Her gold in the 50 breaststroke sprint was a masterpiece as she displayed controlled aggression and hit the line in a brilliant 37.87.

She kept up her momentum by lifting silver for 50 backstroke and 100 breaststroke and went on to battle to bronze medals for 50 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 200 breaststroke.

The Kendal swimmers also performed superbly in the relays as their 9/12 year old boys' squad of Lennon Bell, Joseph Bulman, Joel Saunders, Mathew Foster, Jake Gibson and Mathew Gibson combined brilliantly in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle events.

Jake Gibson led out at backstroke and put them in the mix, with Mathew Gibson keeping them up there with a magnificent breaststroke leg.

Handing over to Foster for butterfly, he dug deep and led a devastating attack which clinched them a medal, then anchor man Bell stormed through the freestyle leg to take a well earned bronze. Repeat performances in the freestyle relay saw Bell and Foster being joined by Bulman and Saunders to collect another well earned bronze.

The 9/12 years girls also produced a medal winning performance in the freestyle relay with Emma Duxbury and Annie Bottomley keeping them in the hunt and handing over to powerhouse Isabelle Wall-Budden who produced a superb effort to enable anchor speed merchant Sophie Roberts to burst through and snatch the bronze.

Back in the individual events, Roberts showed her class at 100 Butterfly where a brilliant performance saw her take gold by three seconds, and she followed this up with a brilliant piece of sprinting to take silver in a blanket finish in the 50 freestyle.

Kendal’s other gold medal came from a fantastic effort by Max Ainsworth on the final day in the 50 breaststroke sprint where he snatched the win by a fraction in 36.75.

More outstanding swims brought well earned minor place medals to Bottomley, Bethan Rowley, Gibson, Lucie Bulman and Anna Roberts.

And Adam Stansfield and Jacob Saunders made a massive contribution, competing in no less than twenty one races between them to set a marvellous example for the younger swimmers.