Swimmers at the Huntingdon Piranhas started their year in winning style with individual successes at the Cambridge and Biggleswade open galas. With tough qualification times, the Cambridge Open is the first major open gala of the year held locally and the

Swimmers at the Huntingdon Piranhas started their year in winning style with individual successes at the Cambridge and Biggleswade open galas.

With tough qualification times, the Cambridge Open is the first major open gala of the year held locally and the Piranhas swam to six medals.

One of the team's youngest competitors, nine-year-old Zoe Griffiths, won silver in the 50m freestyle.

Honours also went to Charlotte Harrison, 12, with silver in the 200m butterfly and bronze in the 100m backstroke, Chelsea Prouten, 14, won bronze in the 100m breaststroke, and Tamara Richards, 15, bronze in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

The medal tally more than doubled to 13 at the Biggleswade Open the following weekend where the team struck gold.

Eight swimmers had qualification times for the event. Double gold medals went to Prouten in the 14-and-under 50m breaststroke and 200m breaststroke.

Gold went to Charlotte Harrison in the 12-and-under 50m butterfly, and Ryan Skeels in the 14-and-under 50m butterfly.

Harrison, Prouten and Ryan Skeels added to their gold medals with lesser medals.

Richards won two silver and two bronze medals and also qualified for the skins final, for the eight fastest freestyle swimmers. In a thrilling end to the weekend, she was fourth overall.

Matthew Lardner, 14, Kristen Chadband, 13, and Samantha Green, 13, all recorded personal bests.

Also tasting success recently were the squad at the Junior Fenland League, where Remmick Sargianopoulos, Lauren Woods, Madison Mayers-Brandrith and Zoe Griffiths all recorded wins.