Challengers for the top spot in the Humber League travelled to Beverley on Saturday 10th September for an exciting evening of highly competitive swimming.
This second league fixture of the year saw Scunthorpe, Pocklington and Cleethorpes bring their teams to compete with host club Beverley Barracudas.
The evening began with a rousing parade of teams greeting the crowd in turn, each walking out to their chosen theme song.
And to acknowledge what had been a sombre few days for the nation, the Barracudas then led a one-minute silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, followed by opera singer Lucy Bates’s moving performance of the National Anthem.
Then the swimming commenced.
Over 48 races, the visitors put league leaders Beverley to the test. Swimmers in all age groups, across all strokes, showed quality and strength that delivered plenty of heart-racing thrills for spectators.
By the end of the meet, the Barracudas had confidently retained their place at the top of the table with a total of 168 points.
Cleethorpes and District, who’d created a few tense moments for the leaders, finished second with 115. In third were Scunthorpe Anchor, with 109 richly deserved points, while Pocklington Dolphins took fourth place with 84 points well earned by determined young swimmers.
Memorable swims included two Beverley teams in 200m medley relays, who put a good 10 seconds between themselves and the runners-up. The girls’ 13 and under team finished on 2:16.72, while the 15 and under boys clocked up 2:03.90.
Individual races revealed the quality across the clubs in our new league with many tight finishes – in one event, just one-hundredth of a second separating first and second place.
Once again, swimmers showed that there are always lots of surprises and challenges in a league like this, and it’s exciting to see the quality and talent in clubs in our area. Roll on the next fixture of the Humber League!
Coming next: Beverley Barracudas host the Autumn Equinox County Qualifiers on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September at East Riding Leisure Beverley. Keep up to date with our events calendar.