Top flight flame still flickering

Seagull finished at the 2013 Arena National Premier League round two event in Woking and a top three place in the final round at Horsham on Saturday December 14 will secure their top flight status.

Having competed admirably in the first round, the Seagull swimmers faced an even greater challenge in the second round against even tougher opposition; beginning the night with the daunting knowledge that if they performed to their ranking; they would finish substantially adrift in last place.

Such a result would mean that they would be faced with an almost impossible challenge to retain their Premier League status for the 2014 season in the third and final round.

Many of the club’s swimmers competed in multiple events, many competed against swimmers who were a year older, and all competed against swimmers who are better funded and better resourced.

Yet, once again the response was awe-inspiring. They kept ahead of Maxwell in sixth place as the competition and tension built progressively. The final two relay events arrived with Seagull desperately clinging to the crucial fifth place by just a single point.

After edging ahead of Maxwell in the girls’ event by the slimmest of margins, the Seagull boys subsequently finished just behind their rivals in the last event. Seagull finished above their rivals, however, by two points in the final analysis.