Final Crusader Gala … could we win the League?

There was an air of anticipation and hopes were high as the Wasps team prepared for the final gala of the season at Buxton – there was an outside chance that we could bridge the gap and win the league, gaining promotion to the first division. However we had not quite prepared for the Newcastle big guns who were out in force – they put in a stunning performance and in spite of a fantastic effort we had to settle for 2nd place as the final points were added up.

On the night we won 10 first places and we gained a total of 209 points. There were some great races - first places were: Charlotte Archdeacon in the Open Ladies 100IM and 100m Breastroke; the 14/u girls medley relay; James Cook in the 11/u 50m Fly; Bryony Archdeacon in the 14/u girls 50m Free and Thomas Penn in the 14/u boys 50m Free; Tait Furnival in the 11/u girls 50m Free; the Open Ladies Freestlye Relay; Abi Fawcett in the 14/u Girls 50m Breastroke.

A special thanks to Callum Trent and Thomas Penn who both swam in 7 races each and commiserations to those swimmers who put in a sterling effort only to be beaten by those big guns!

Congratulations to the following swimmers who were unbeaten in all 4 of the Crusader League Galas: 14/u Girls Medley Team – Abi Fawcett, Bryony Archdeacon, Ellie Reid, Lydia Jamieson and Rachel Trent Charlotte Archdeacon in the Open 100IM and the 100m Breastroke.

Well done to all swimmers who took part. There were 18 personal bests during the gala which is a clear demonstration of how hard everyone had been training and how well the team swam on the night.

There are no more Club galas now until next season’s first National Swimming League event on 10th October. Plenty of training time till then!