Arena League 2nd Round @ Leigh (Nov 2011).

Well what another great gala in what is turning out to be a fantastic season for Chorley Marlins, it's all down to the hard work and determination of the swimmers, who performed admirably against some stiff competition, and the faultless leadership of our own head coach Mary Parkinson.As you can see from the table above we finished a very credible 2nd with 218 points, which when you see the quality of the competition puts things into perspective.There were some brilliant swims on the night and all the swimmers who took part should be really proud of what they achieved both individually and as a team, WELL DONE EVERYONE.

Swimming for the Girls we had:
Emily Barclay, Caitlin Thompson, Mariette Braithwaite, Alex Highcock, Megan Ireland, Anna Doughty, Martha Horton, Kelly Roscoe, Caitlin Wilson, Emma Hewald, Elizabeth Undrell, Claire Dixon, Alice Jamieson and Emma Heald.

Swimming for the Boys we had:
Christian Lawless, Steven Hancock, Callan Sharples, Jack Hardman, Bradley Astles, Ben Gibbs, Alex Walmsley, Jack Dandy, Sam Parr, Tom Gibbs, Oliver Horton, James Highcock, William Hawkes and Connor Stevens.


As in the first round we were struggling to make a full squad especially with some swimmers dropping out late on, but with some juggling from Mary and some last minute substitutions we were ready for the off. Things started well with us gaining podium finishes in 7 out of the first 10 events which saw us loitering in 3rd place with 42 points.     
A further 5 podium finishes in the next 8 events saw us hold onto 3rd place with 77 points, but we had the competition on the ropes in the next 8 events with two 1st's, two 2nd's and four 3rd place finishes to pull us up the table and into 2nd place with 116 points. After 34 events we were still holding on to 2nd place with 145 points and we were still in 2nd after the next 8 events with 181 points but Preston were breathing down our necks and the pressure was on for us to keep finishing ahead of them in the final 8 events.    
And that's just what we did with 7 podium finishes out of the last 8 events, which were all relays, good for us as Chorley Marlins tend to do well in relay events with some strong team displays.


Of course I can't mention everyone here but there are a few special mentions I would like to talk about, and they are the swimmers that not only took part but played a pivotal role in the proceedings. The following swimmers swam in more races than anyone else and finished in high placings, but not just that, some of their races were more or less one after another which is asking a lot for any swimmer. The water had not had time to drain off their bodies before they were on the blocks again, thank you and well done to the following:
James Highcock - 6 races in total, five 2nd's and one 1st
Jack Dandy - 6 races in total, one 3rd, two 2nd's and three 1st's.
Emily Barclay - 7 races in total, two 4th's, two 3rd's, two 2nd's and one 1st.
Anna Doughty - 7 races  in total, one 4th, four 3rd's and two 1st's.
Tom Gibbs - 6 races in total, five 2nd's and one 1st.

The main highlight being both James and Anna who competed in the 15 and under 100m Breast and brought home the gold in both, especially Anna who was swimming up and age group as she normally swims in the 13 and under category.

The swim of the day though for me must be the best comeback of the evening and that goes to Bradley Astles when swimming the freestyle leg of the boys 11 and under 4x50m medlay relay. On the change over from fly to freestyle we were lying in 4th place when Mary said to Bradley "bring it home Bradley" and that's just what he did with an outstanding swim to bring home the team in first place and 6 points on the board, as well as a PB too. Great swim Bradley well done.

A few nervous days wait for the results to see where everyone else in the league finished after the first 2 galas. And here is the league table:

As you can see from the table below things are looking good for the 3rd and final round in Kendal.

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