Royston is forever linked to crows but King James Academy may have to adopt a ducks nickname - judging by the way they took to the water at a school swimming championship.

Pupils from the Garden Walk-based school return to competitive action at the North Herts District Schools' Swimming Championship.

They were one of the 16 secondary schools involved in the event, back a year's hiatus due to the pandemic.

All secondary school age pupils had the opportunity to compete with competitions for pupils in Year 7 to Year 11.

King James were well represented with a team of 23 swimmers who had earned their place through their attendance at the school trials, which the pupils had shown great dedication to by attending before school at Royston Leisure Centre.

A number of the King James swim squad are also members of Royston swimming club and their experiences and development with the club was evident in many of the performances.

Throughout the gala there were a number of outstanding performances for the Royston school, which resulted in an impressive medal haul and five impressive school records.

There was a gold for Hamish Harvey in the junior boys' backstroke, complete with a Year 7 record, while Isaac Wilson took silver in the breaststroke and James Barnes a bronze in the butterfly.

In the junior girls' Imogen Bygrave took silver in breaststroke while Olivia Frost claimed a butterfly bronze.

The intermediate boys' medley relay team of Ryan Wall, Toby Pendrick, Jonathan Swarbrick and Blake Matthews took gold with an all-time school record while the boys' freestyle relay team, Rowan Clare replacing Pendrick, had to settle for silver alongside their school best.

Wall also had an all-time record and gold medal combo in backstroke while Matthews teamed a silver with the record swim in breaststroke.

Swarbrick also got individual silver in butterfly.

The senior girls' freestyle and medley relay squad of Morton Kearns, Emma Todd, Lauren Pinder and Eva Mather-Williams added a bronze to the tally.

There was more joy for King James after the event had finished too, with the release of the final team results.

They showed victory for the junior and intermediate boys as well as the title of overall district champions for the boys.

The senior girls managed third overall.