FERNDOWN eight-year-old Craig Freeman made a golden debut at the Independent Schools Association's 29th national championships in Coventry, writes Roger Guttridge.

The Ferndown Otters youngster actually achieved the qualifying criteria to compete at last year's event but at the age of seven was considered too young.

A year on, the Park School, Bournemouth, pupil left no-one in doubt about his right to compete. In the Year 4 under 10 boys' 50m backstroke, he took the lead after 15 metres and touched for gold as his nearest rival was passing under the turning flags.

Later he added a silver medal to his gold, narrowly losing out on the touch after a close battle over the last 20 metres of the 50m freestyle.