SWIMMING: EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Stephanie Mahoney's win in the final race of a long day - the 50m open-age butterfly - saw Halton complete one of their best starts to a Cheshire County Championships end on a high.
Her team-mate, Lucy Myler had got off to a terrific start but at the finish little separated Stephanie, Lucy, Ellesmere Port's Loughborough-trained Yvonne Broster and Hanna Allen of Winsford.
However, Stephanie's experience and determination told as she touched first although there was less than three tenths of a second between the four at Stockport on Saturday.
Earlier, 15-year-old William Warburton had opened Halton's medal account with a great win in the 50m backstroke after a great tussle with Winsford's James Cowburn.
The win, in a new county re-cord time of 27.9, gave Will the age group title and the junior title (Under 16).
The same session saw Sarah-Louise Banner, fast becoming one of the county's best sprinters, captured the 16-years title for 50m butterfly.
The afternoon gave Halton's girl breaststroke specialists the chance to shine.
Katie Holmes set a marker in the heats, just edging out Winsford's Lucie Tetley in a national qualifying time of 1 min 15.1 secs over 100m. Turning sharply and with a point to prove, Katie destroyed the field in the age-group final to take both the age group and junior titles.
In the 12-years age group Katie Scutt was pipped into second spot by Stockport's Jessica Powell despite a new personal-best time of 1.20.8.
The evening session saw more medal success for Halton's sprinters.
In the boys' 15-years 50m butterfly, William Warburton powered away to a great win in another fast time of 27.8.
Team mate Andy Matthews was 3rd in a personal-best time of 28.7 with Jack Steele in a good eighth place.
The breaststrokers again hit the podium as Katie Scutt turned silver into gold winning the 12 years 50m event.
Katie Holmes blasted away the opposition in the 15 years age-group as she once again took the age group and junior titles.
Stephanie Mahoney finished off for Halton with her 50m butterfly swim.
Sarah-Louise Banner, Katie Scutt, and Lucy Myler all picked up silver medals for Halton while Sarah-Louise, Laura Blyth, Andy Matthews, William Warburton, John Navis and Louise Wallbank all won bronze.
Luke Joseph, Jack Steele Amy Bellfield, Jessica Wainwright and Laura Blyth added to Halton's points tally with final placings.
Ellie Newby, Amy Anderson, Anna Navis, Stephen Bailey and Chris Newby all showed good form in this tough competition with sharp PB swims and all should hit finals in the rest of this competition.
