CHRISTMAS came early for the Kemp family as brother Harry and sisters Maddy and Georgia hit the medal trail at Littledown.
The Poole SC trio left the Bournemouth Christmas Open Meet with a stocking stuffed with medals – plus a cash prize for Maddy.
Five of Harry’s six medals were gold as he won the 12yrs 200m freestyle, 100 and 200m backstroke and 200 and 400m individual medley.
He completed his tally with silver in the 12yrs 50m freestyle.
Maddy won gold in the 14yrs 100m breaststroke and butterfly and silver in the 200m freestyle, backstroke and medley.
She also collected the £15 prize for winning the junior medley skins knock-out competition.
Georgia took silver in the 16/o 100 and 200m breaststroke.
The medals came less than three months after separate soccer mishaps in which Maddy broke her arm and Harry suffered a torn tendon and partially split knee-cap.
Eleven-year-old Ben Samuel led an avalanche of medals for host club Swim Bournemouth, who struck gold alone 67 times.
Samuel won nine golds – in the 11yrs 50, 100, 200 and 400m freestyle, 50 and 100m butterfly, 100 and 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley.
Jay Lelliott added to his stock of Dorset county records with a winning time of 27.23 in the 16/o 50m backstroke. He also won six other gold medals – in the 100 and 200m backstroke, 200 and 400m freestyle and 50 and 200m butterfly.
But he had to settle for silver behind team-mate Martin Bleaken in the 100m freestyle and butterfly, which the Bournemouth University student won in 52.05 and 56.14.
Swim Bournemouth dominated the skins events with Kamil Kowalski, Alan Wong and Oscar Esposti registering a clean sweep in the seniors and Ben Wickens and Jordan Young coming first and third among the juniors.
Lucy Kirkham and Issie Frampton came first and second in the senior female skins.
Seagulls’ Bethan O’Hara struck gold seven times as the Christchurch club won 86 medals, broke 11 club records. The 14-year-old also won a prize from the SOS Swim Shop for the first of her victories in the open 400m individual medley in 5:11.78.
O’Hara’s other wins came in the 200m medley, 100 and 200m backstroke, 100 and 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly, and she added a silver in the 100m breaststroke.
Her 200m backstroke time of 2:23.74 equalled the Seagulls’ club record set by Donna Fochard in 1996.
Team-mate Eve Goldsack was named top girl in the 13yrs age group after winning 11 medals including gold in the 100 and 200m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
Her other winnings comprised six silver and two bronze medals.
Five golds went to nine-year-old Nathan Gerrard and Emma Garland in the 14yrs age group while 12-year-old Harriet Perfect made the top step of the podium four times.
Andrew Botros’s three gold medals included club record times of 2:18.00 and 5:02.16 in the 200m backstroke and 400m medley. He also won the 14yrs 200m butterfly.
Grace Kingsley’s six medals in the 13yrs age group included gold in the 100m breaststroke and 200m backstroke while Maisie Gormley’s four included gold in the 50m backstroke.
Two golds apiece went to 12-year-old Zoe Gannaway, 10-year-old Anashe Chisadza, who also broke three club records, and Darren Price, whose winning time of 2:15.20 in the open 200m medley was among three Seagulls records to his name.
Other medallists included - Poole: Matthew Cochrane 2 silver, 1 bronze; Guy Selwood 1 silver; Lewis Harding 1 silver, 1 bronze; Demi-Marie Goddard 1 silver; Ben Porter 1 bronze; Oliver Weston 1 bronze.
Seagulls: Leana Galton 1 silver, 2 bronze; Zac Cloete 1 bronze; Abbie Noyce 1 bronze; Jemina Paramore 1 bronze; Joe Noyce 1 bronze; Amy Mills 1 bronze.
