LEAH Altoft put in a top-class performance for Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe Aquatics by qualifying for six finals in a national competition.

Competing in the British Gas ASANER (Amateur Swimming Association North East Region) Youth and Senior Championships at Sunderland Aquatics Centre, the 14-year-old achieved six tough qualification times against older opposition.

She qualified for six finals and competed in five of those, her best finish a fifth place in the 400m individual medley.

Thomas Paine also came an outstanding seventh in the youth 1500m freestyle.

Altoft, pictured, was also in medal-winning form at the Derventio Excel Open at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

She won a gold medal in the girls' Under-14 backstroke and achieved a national qualifying time in the 100m backstroke.

That added the NQTs she achieved earlier this year in 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley.

Team-mate Callum Gladding also won a gold medal, in the Under-13 boys' 200m butterfly.

Paine also finished second in the 400m individual medley.

CASA finished the team event in fourth position behind Derby, Sunderland and Doncaster Dartes.

Gladding was on form as the club claimed two medals at the Radford Open Meet at Ponds Forge.

He finished second in the boys' 12-13 years 1500m, with Oliver Webster also on the podium in third.

Gladding achieved a national qualifying time while a number of other CASA swimmers achieved district qualifying times.

Meanwhile, CASA swimmers have also been in action in the Lincs League Team Gala at Grimsby Pool at Scartho and at Spalding.

CASA White faced strong teams including Lincoln Vulcans A, CASA Green (Scunthorpe), along with Grantham, Vulcans B and CLP.

And five swimmers managed first-place finishes: Alex Donington in the Open 100m breaststroke with a personal best time of 1:11.07; Holly Smith in the Under-14 100m breaststroke with a pb of 1:27.26; Michelle Zietsman in the Under-10 years 50m breaststroke; the girls' Under-10 four by one freestyle relay team, comprising Michelle Zietsman, Ellie Buxton, Madison Steel and Jodie Unwin; and the boys' Under-14 four by two freestyle relay team, comprising Tom Owen, Fred Rogers, Drew Horsfall and Andy Clavijo.

CASA White finished fourth as a team thanks to numerous swimmers putting in pb times.

At Spalding, CASA Red produced 13 first-place swims and 14 second places that guided them to a 216-point team victory.

Eight swimmers won their individual events: Olivia Sullivan in the Under -12 backstroke, with a pb of 39.80; Altoft in the open 100m breaststroke and open 100m butterfly; Lily Wishart in the ten years 50m butterfly, with a pb of 42.21, and in the ten years 50m breaststroke; James Burke in the Under-14 100m breaststroke, with a pb of 1:09.34; James Todd in the open100m butterfly with a pb of 1:03.82; Grace Lister in the ten years 50m freestyle and ten years 50m backstroke; Michael Dzieweczynski in the Under-14s 100m breaststroke with a pb of 1:22.69; and Charlotte Steels in the open 100m backstroke.

Two girls medley teams also saw to victory: the open four by two quartet of Savannah Cheung, Altoft, Stef Gladding and Steels; and the Under-12 four by two team of Lister, Sophie Cragg, Sullivan and Wishart.

Elizabeth Gaskell and Ellie Buxton swam in their debut first-team galas, at Spalding and Grimsby respectively.

Both were understandably very nervous but Gaskell helped her team to second place in both the Under-10 four by one freestyle and the Under-10 four by one medley. Buxton competed in the same races at Grimsby, helping her team secure first and second places respectively.