THERE were silver linings at every turn for Swim Bournemouth’s Amy Brown as the South West Summer Championship switched their focus from youth to age group swimmers.

Wins proved elusive for Dorset’s swimmers, whose 16 podium places at Bristol included nine silver and seven bronze medals but no gold.

Brown came closest to the top step with silver medals in four of her five events.

She opened with second place in the 14yrs 200m breaststroke in 2:43.41 after clocking 2:42.21 in the heats.

City of Bristol’s Georgia Gussey took the gold in 2:40.09 and did the same in the 400m individual medley (IM) with Brown again second.

Brown faced different opposition in the backstroke and twice came within a fingertip of gold, missing out by 0.03sec in the 50m and 0.19sec in the 200m.

Mount Kelly’s Bella Hodges was the winner both times.

Poole’s Max Looker set club records on his way to four medals – silver in the 11-12yrs 50m freestyle and bronze in the 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 400m IM.

He also had three near-misses with fourth places in the 200m backstroke and 200m IM and fifth in the 100m butterfly.

In the same age group team-mates Zack Studley and Claire Stuhlmacher also won silver medals, Studley in the 200m backstroke, Stuhlmacher in the 200m freestyle.

Two Poole swimmers made the podium in the 14yrs age group.

Alan Szczasiuk won silver in the 100m breaststroke before adding fourth place in the 50m freestyle and fifth in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

Robbie Hemmings took bronze in the 200m backstroke as well as coming fourth in the 400m IM and seventh in the 50m freestyle.

“Max Looker was our standout swimmer but our PB rate was impressive and it was great to see so many swimmers making finals,” said Poole’s assistant head coach Jan Hutchings.

“Alan Szczasiuk swam a super 100m breaststroke and stepped up well in all his finals against tough opposition.”

Swim Bournemouth’s Millie Sleeman won bronze in the 11-12yrs 50m and 100m butterfly.

Tiasha Michelo followed up Bournemouth Collegiate School’s medal fest in the youth championships with an age group silver in the 11-12yrs 200m breaststroke and seventh in the 100m butterfly.

Isaac Ellis flew the flag for Seagulls with bronze in the 14yrs 100m butterfly and sixth in the 100m freestyle.

Charlie Meek made three finals for Poole, finishing fifth in the 11-12yrs 50m freestyle and eighth in the 100m butterfly and 200m backstroke.

In the same age group club-mate Betsy Vavasour marked her regional championship debut with sixth in the 100m butterfly final.

In the 13yrs age group, fifth places went to Poole’s Finley Chandler in the 400m IM and Sheila Monera in the 50m freestyle with Molly Goddard seventh in the 200m freestyle.

Other Poole finalists were Amy Gooch with fifth in the 14yrs 200m backstroke and Ryan Openshaw with sixth in the 13yrs 200m and 400m IM.

Swim Bournemouth’s Freddie Hodgetts was sixth and seventh in the 11-12yrs 100m and 50m freestyle respectively while Jenson Harris was sixth in the 50m freestyle in the same age group.