Sporting Digest: Swimming

SARAH HARDCASTLE collected her fifth title at the National Winter Championships in Gloucester yesterday when she raced to victory in the 400 metres freestyle.

NATIONAL WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP Finals (Gloucester) MEN: 50m backstroke: 1 N Willey (Barnet Copthall) 25.95sec; 2 J Hunter (Warrender) 27.16; 3 J Fitzgerald (Beckenham) 27.25. 50m freestyle: 1 N Metcalfe (City of Leeds) 23.71; 2 A Ruckwood (City of Birmingham) 23.79; 3 J Gojkovic (City of Sheffield) 23.85. 100m backstroke: 1 M Harris (Waltham Forest) 54.26; 2 N Willey (Barnet Copthall) 56.59; 3 G Robins (Portsmouth Northsea) 56.59. 100m freestyle: 1 A Clayton (City of Leeds) 51.30; 2 M Stevens (Satellite) 51.70; 3 M Bowd (Walsall) 51.85. 200m breaststroke: 1 A Clapper (City of Coventry) 2:14.85; 2 I Swift (City of Bradford) 2:15.58; 3 A Ayres (City of Swansea) 2:16.70. 200m butterfly: 1 J Hickman (Stockport Metro) 1min 57.21sec; 2 D Warren (City of Leeds) 2:01.75; 3 P Latimer (Warrender) 2:01.83 (Scottish record). 1500m freestyle: 1 G Smith (Stockport Metro) 15:12.20; 2 P Stackhouse (Stockport Metro) 15:16.08; 3 M Clements (Portsmouth Northsea) 15:28.82. 4 x 100m freestyle relay: 1 City of Leeds 3:24.68; 2 City of Cardiff 3:27.94; 3 Portsmouth Northsea 3:28.34. 4 x 100m medley relay: 1 City of Birmingham 3:48.19; 2 City of Leeds 3:50.20; 3 Portsmouth Northsea 3:50.31. Top male swimmer: Hickman. WOMEN: 50m backstroke: 1 K Osher (Barnet Copthall) 29.62; 2 E Tattam (Portsmouth Northsea) 29.85; 3 A Bennett (Nova Centurion) 30.02. 50m butterfly: 1 A Bennett (Nova Centurion) 28.84; 2= N Goodwin (Nova Centurion), K Martin (Stirling) 28.89. 100m backstroke: 1 Osher 1:02.08; 2 H Slatter (Warrington Warriors) 1:02.85; 3 J Deakins (City of Coventry) 1:02.93. 100m breaststroke: 1 J King (Tigersharks) 1:10.06; 2 K Rake (Maxwell Chipping Norton) 1:10.18; 3 H Gorman (Nova Centurion) 1:11.91. 100m butterfly: 1 S Greenep (Ferndown Otters) 1:02.48; 2 Goodwin 1:02.54; 3 Bennett 1:02.74. 200m breaststroke: 1 King 2:30.00; 2 Rake 2:33.06; 3 Gorman 2:33.48. 200m freestyle: 1 S Hardcastle (Bracknell) 2:00.08; 2 C Huddart (City of Leeds) 2:02.76; 3 S Colling (Derwentside) 2:03.58. 400m freestyle: 1 Hardcastle 4:07.06; 2 V Horner (Derwentside) 4:12.95; 3 Colling 4:13.28. 400m medley: 1 Hardcastle 4:44.02; 2 H Slatter (Warrington Warriors) 4:46.38; 3 D Palmer (Killerwhales) 4:49.38. 4 x 100m freestyle relay: 1 Nova Centurion 3:53.94; 2 City of Cardiff 3:54.08; 3 Portsmouth Northsea 3:56.51. 4 x 100m medley relay: 1 Nova Centurion 4:17.72; 2 Borough of Kirklees 4:23.18; 3 Portsmouth Northsea 4:23.87. Top female swimmer: Hardcastle. Overall: Hardcastle.