most successful ever with a slew of records falling during a three-day meet which saw some 675 swims completed.

Ronald Cowen was among the top performers as he joined an elite group to qualify for September's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

Besides the records, a number of overseas qualifying meet standards were achieved as a group of experienced overseas swimmers helped boost the level of competition for the locals.

Cowen, representing the Dolphin club, reached the Games standard by four 10ths of a second in the heats of the 100 metres freestyle with a time of 52.80 seconds.

Alicia Mullan, also from Dolphins, had already reached the Commonwealth Games qualifying mark, but on the weekend she smashed the seven-year-old national record in the 400 metres individual medley.

Mullan clipped almost five seconds off the previous record held by Jenny Smatt with her time of 5:16.95. She also had a superb swim in the finals of the 400 metres freestyle, just missing a new national record by one 100th of a second.

That record was set by Lesley Cherry-White in March, 1985.

Tamika Williams, from Sharks, set a new national record in the heats of the 50 fly with a time of 30.49 seconds. She broke her own record set last year by 22 100ths of a second.

In the finals of the 50 free, Williams enjoyed a battle with visiting Paige Kearns who also set a new national record of 27.48 seconds to beat another of Smatt's records by two 100ths of a second. The old record had stood since 1989.

Kearns also set a new allcomers record in this event with a time of 26.45, eclipsing her own record from last season by almost a full half second.

Stephen Fahy, another local Commonwealth Games qualifier and a member of the Harbour Swim Club, set a new national record in the heats of the 50 fly with a time of 25.62 seconds. That saw him beat his own record set in June, 1996, by 17 100ths of a second.

Fahy also set a new national record in the 100 fly with a time of 56.69, beating his own record by 1.19 seconds and was only 1.6 seconds behind Steve Parry, the British World Championship team member, who set a new allcomers record in the same event with a time of 55.03.

Fahy set a third national record in the 200IM, beating his old mark by a full two seconds in 2:08.30, and once again, in the same race Parry set another allcomers record of 2:05.29 to smash the old record set four years ago by almost five seconds.

South African 1996 Olympic finalist, Brendon Dedekind set a new allcomers record of 28.83 seconds in the 50 breast, beating the old mark set in June, 1992, by 12 100ths of a second.

Parry also smashed the allcomers 200 metres butterfly record set in June, 1993, by Davis Valdes by almost eight seconds with a time of 2:00.24. Kearns, visiting from Brevard, also set an allcomers record in the 400 free with a time of 4:27.88, beating the previous mark set in June, 1995, by over a second. The weekend meet, which also saw several Caribbean Championship qualifying standards achieved by younger swimmers, culminated in one of the most exciting senior men's 100 free finals seen in Bermuda as only two seconds separated the first five swimmers.

Fahy and Cowen tied for third place in 52.79, easily a Commonwealth Games qualifying time, and were only 1.5 seconds behind the winner of the event, Olympic finalist Dedekind with Parry in second place.

STEPHEN FAHY -- three new national records.