AMERSHAM Swimming Club have dominated the Thames Valley Swimming League in recent years and show no signs of relinquishing their stranglehold.

In round one of the new season they asserted themselves again with an emphatic victory that could set them up for a fourth title in succession.

They beat off competition from Windsor, Chesham, Chalfont, Wycombe and Slough & Eton thanks to 17 relay wins out of 19 races and a host of individual triumphs.

Ten-year-old Ceara Barber won the 50m breaststroke and backstroke, Max McPhilips added the 50m breaststroke and butterfly while Amy Hollingsworth and Ellis Morgan also touched the wall first in their butterfly races.

James Bell, 11, added two more wins in the backstroke and freestyle with further victories coming from Rosie Whittaker (freestyle), Lily Pearson (backstroke), Joseph Horstead (backstroke), George Elliott (breaststroke), Florie Moir (freestyle), Amy Bloomfield-Proud (backstroke), Georgina Bradley (breaststroke) and Jamie Fulcher (breaststroke).

Their performances helped Amersham to 241 points, with Windsor second on 195.

Chesham, Chalfont Otters and Wycombe followed them in the standings.

Meanwhile, Amersham’s older swimmers were also flying the club flag and none more proudly than Sophie Elphick in a Level One long course meet in Portsmouth.

The 18-year-old surged to three gold medals in the 400m individual medley, the 200m freestyle and the 200 individual medley.

Capping that, her times in the 400m and 800m events were both within the national qualifying times.

There was also a gold medal for Hugo Bellamy in the 14-year boys 1,500m freestyle, while Sophie Bradley won a silver and two bronzes, younger sister Georgina added another bronze and Thanya Jasinska raced to podium finishes in the 50m and 400m freestyle.