There was a superb first outing in a long time for one of the talented youngsters at First Strokes Godmanchester Swimming Club.

Charlie Birdsall was taking part in the East Region Future Champions meet for swimmers aged 10 or 11, his first competition since February 2020.


But he showed absolutely no sign of rustiness as he produced a series of fine swims at the event, held over a single weekend at Basildon.

Despite swimming against much larger clubs from across the region, such as Ipswich, Colchester, Hatfield and Norwich, Birdsall finished in the top 10 in all his events.

He placed fourth in both the 50m and 100m freestyle races but his best performance came in the 50m backstroke with a wonderful third place.

The reward it brought was a bronze medal and a huge smile.