Teletots secure Section One spot in Lurgan

Travelling the short distance to the neutral venue of Lurgan Swimming Pool a full squad of swimmers, coaches, officials and parents were in optimistic mood and high spirits as the visiting teams arrived and the gala commenced.

The medley team relays saw the youngest Group A swimmers in second place, as were Groups C and D, but Group B - represented by Alex Donnelly, Ryan Porter, Olivia Knox and Charlotte Campbell - had the Banbridge supporters on their feet as they held off competition from both Bangor and Briefne to take first place.

The 25m backstroke got underway with Group A and James Whan in second place followed by Daniel Kilpatrick in fourth. In Group B Olivia Knox set an outstanding pace which could not be matched to take first place - an achievement that Alex Donnelly repeated for the boys, with Ryan Porter in fourth.

In Group C Jodi Doyle and Elli Robinson secured valuable third and fourth place points and Patrick McNiff stormed home in first place with Ross Johnston in fourth. Group D saw team captains Esme Hall in third place and Lewis Houston in fourth to round off a great start to the individual events.

The 25m breaststroke allowed excellent opening points for Group A boys with Harry Farson swimming confidently to take second place with Daniel Kilpatrick in fourth.

Group B’s Olivia Knox swam a brilliant personal best to secure first place and Alex Donnelly and Ryan Porter were consistently strong in thind and fourth. Despite a phenomenal effort and a brilliant time Jodi Doyle had to settle for second place but Patrick McNiff set the pace to take a comfortable win.

In Group D Esme Hall cranked up the pace with the fastest breaststroke swim of the evening to secure an impressive first place and Christopher Burns added to the points tally with fourth place for the Group D boys.

As the excitement mounted amongst the Banbridge supporters Group A Butterfly kicked off with a great team effort from the boys with Thomas Hall in second place and Harry Farson in third.

Olivia Knox delighted the crowds with a text book swim to secure another first place followed by Alex Donnelly and Matthew Brown in third and fourth for the boys. In Group C Jodi Doyle secured third in a very competitive race with Caolan Quinn looking impressive in second place for Group C boys followed by Patrick McNiff in third.

In the closing butterfly events of the evening team captains Esme Hall and Poppy Robinson took top points in first and fourth place with Lewis Houston third and Michael Rafferty fourth for the boys.

As the tension and support for all three teams mounted the swimmers embarked on the final individual events of the evening with 25m freestyle and Daniel Kilpatrick in second place and Harry Farson in third.

For Group B Olivia Knox completed a clean sweep with another fantastic first place with Charlotte Campbell making a valuable contribution in third. Alex Donnelly finished with another consistently strong performance in second place.

In the very competitive Group C Jodi Doyle secured second place and Caolan Quinn ended the individual events, back to his very best with an exceptional first place followed by Patrick McNiff in fourth.

In Group D Esme Hall had a decisive win followed by Emer Doyle in fourth place and Lewis Houston rounded up the individual events for Group D boys in fourth place.

With support for Banbridge swimmers at an all time high the young competitors took to the water for the last time in the 4x25m freestyle team relays. Group A, consisting of Lois Lyttle, Caitlin Kearney, Harry Farson and Daniel Kilpatrick, secured second place as did Group B’s Charlotte Campbell, Olivia Knox, Ryan Porter and Alex Donnelly.

Elli Robinson, Jodi Doyle, Patrick McNiff and Caolan Quinn also took second place for Group C as did Michael Rafferty, Lewis Houston, Emer Doyle and Esme Hall for Group D.

The event closed with confirmation of Briefne in third place, Banbridge in second, securing another year of competition in Section One and Bangor as winners.

Head Coach Geraldine Hill commented on her pride in the effort and commitment from the entire squad with swimmers across all age groups surpassing her expectations on the night.