Swimming: Ecstasy and agony for swim club mates

Scott Talbot-Cameron made no mistake with a back-up Commonwealth Games qualifier in winning the national 100m backstroke title at the West Wave Aquatic Centre last night.

But, there was no joy for his North Shore clubmate and national record-holder Cameron Gibson.

In swimming a solid 56.02s, Talbot-Cameron went close to his personal best, comfortably under the 56.32s target.

Gibson, who turned after 50m 0.75s behind Talbot-Cameron's 27.00s, stormed home to be within 0.31s at the finish - but agonisingly, one one/hundredth of a second outside the Games' time.

"I swam it pretty much as I wanted to, but was probably a bit slow in the last 25m," said Talbot-Cameron. "I knew he [Gibson] would be coming at me.

"It probably helped me he was not in the lane next to me as I was able to concentrate my own race rather than worry about him."

Jan Cameron, who coaches both swimmers and took special pride in her son's triumph, said Gibson would have other chances to make the team.

He will swim the 200m backstroke (tonight) and the backstroke lead-off leg for the 4x100m medley relay in the last event of the championships on Saturday night.

North Shore's Alison Fitch was as impressive in winning her 100m freestyle semifinal and booking her Games trip.

The fastest qualifier - but outside her 56.56s target in the heats - Fitch made no mistake last night with her winning 56.29s. She also had the satisfaction of dragging Lauren Boyle under the standard as she clocked 56.54s.

They joined Daniel Sharp, who later won the 50m freestyle for swimmers with a disability - swimming 25.94s to better his 27.24s target - as the three individual swimmers to qualify in the session.

But, as good as she felt, Fitch said her priority in Melbourne would be the 200m.

"I knew if I swam to my game plan I could get the time," said Fitch who, with Boyle, had been a member of the 4x200m freestyle team who went under that target time on the first night.

The men's 100m butterfly final was another agony and ecstasy tale.

Moss Burmester, who went under the 53.78s target by the barest of margins in the semifinals, returned to take the hotly-contested final, storming home over the last 50m to overhaul his North Shore team-mate Corney Swanepoel.

While Burmester confirmed his place in the Games team with his winning 53.02s, Swanepoel faded to 53.97s - almost 0.2s outside his 53.78s target.

Swanepoel must now nail a qualifier in the 50m butterfly - heats/semifinals today, final tomorrow - or by recording a Games-winning selection spot in the medley relay.

Christchurch's Georgina Toomey chased visiting Swedish star Therese Alshammar all the way in the 50m butterfly final to finish second.

But, unlike those who dipped out last night, she at least had the satisfaction of knowing she had knocked over the qualifying time in the semifinals as had Nichola Chellingworth, third last night, with her 27.72s swim a day earlier.

Glenn Synders (North Shore) clipped 0.2s from his heat time in winning last night's 50m breaststroke semifinal in 29.24s but will need to go even faster in tonight's final to challenge the 28.50s he needs for a qualifier.

His best chance lies in the 100m on Saturday.

Fifteen-year-old Cara Baker swam strongly to head Boyle in winning the 800m freestyle with defending champion Shannon Clayton in sixth place.

Although she was outside the 8m 47.41s Games' target, the Miami-based Palmerston North youngster has booked places in April's world short course championships in Shanghai and August's world youth championships in Rio, Brazil.

In the last event of the session, the winning Auckland women's team went under the 4x100m freestyle relay standard to confirm a start in Melbourne.

It was the second time on the night the target had been beaten as the combined times of the first four swimmers in the individual championship - won by Fitch - was also under the 3m 49.89s requirement.

The two women's freestyle relay teams and 11 individuals have now bettered Games' qualifying marks.