TEENAGER Kieran Bird has been crowned county champion after taking the 1,500m freestyle crown at Bletchley in fine style.

The 16-year-old led from start to finish at the first event of this year’s ASA Oxfordshire & North Buckinghamshire County Championships, giving Bicester Blue Fins, who came third overall last year, an excellent start.

Bird, already a county record-holder and last year’s junior champion, topped the field of 40 swimmers with a time of 16mins 9.88secs.

In the County Junior Championship, Joshua Rowland secured Bicester’s other podium finish, clinching silver in the 1,500m freestyle.

Clubmate Tom Thornley was fifth, while Oliver Inness, William Whitley, Ben Inness and Freddie Ashley-Sparks were 11th, 25th, 28th and 33rd respectively.

The 13-14 boys age group were Bicester’s stand-out performers in the relays.

Ashley-Sparks, Christopher Littleton, Alexander Pryce and Matthew Thornley came seventh in the 4x50m medley, earning valuable points in the championship standings.

Ryan McKenzie then joined Ashley-Sparks, Littleton and Pryce as they also secured seventh in the 4x50m freestyle.

Twelve-year-old Lottie Wynne-Jones came agonisingly close to a podium in the girls 800m freestyle, missing out on bronze by just three seconds to finish fourth.

Bicester also had six other competitors in the race, with Sinead Vine-Nealon (15th), Maddy Powell (21st), Chloe Wanless (26th), Olivia Ashley-Sparks (29th), Charlotte Inness (65th) and Chiara Brown (68th) all finishing.

The Bicester Blue Fins head coach, Craig Oliver, said: “This was a great start to our county championships campaign.

“We’re again punching above our weight against the big city squad opposition.

“With more swimmers qualifying to compete at this level than ever before, we’re determined to win more medals that last year which was our best ever.”

The next round of the championships, which involves the middle distance individual events and girls relays, is at Aylesbury’s Aqua Vale Swimming & Fitness Centre this weekend.