SWIMMERS from Kilwinning and Stevenston are set to round their season in style after confirmation they have qualified for the Scottish Summer Championships next month.

Abbie Freeman (16) and 15-year-old Evan Clark will part of the team of 11 from North Ayrshire Swimming heading to compete in Aberdeen.

Head coach Ross Douglas believes there’s a real sense of achievement in getting the largest number of swimmers from the club in many years to the end of season meet.

He said: “There are kids in there who have got times which surprised me. A lot of people have really stepped up this season and it’s taken me aback and I think we’re going to be really well represented in Aberdeen and I’m really looking forward to it.

This caps a remarkable season of progress for North Ayrshire Swimming, who train at The Portal in Irvine, with the club also sending five swimmers to the prestigious British Summer Championships in Sheffield.

Added Ross: “I set a myself a target of getting three swimmers to the British,” says Ross, “so to get five is an amazing achievement and it’s taken a week for it to sink what we’ve done!

“We’ve reached a point this season where a lot of the older kids have got something to focus on which think is super-important when it comes to the summer. This is what you’ve worked for all year, so race hard, then have a break, reflect on it and give yourself new targets for next season.

“It can be a long summer break if it hasn’t worked out the way you wanted it to, so now the hard work is done it’s about fine-tuning everything.”

“It’s important now that I get my head down and think of really innovative sets and structures I can put in place for these guys to swim their best. This is the business end of the season where you need to get the job finished."