On Sunday, Braintree & Bocking Swimming Club played host to teams from Chelmsford, Colchester, Borough of Castle Point, Potters Bar and Thurrock in a National Junior Speedo League gala.

Proceedings started well for Braintree, when the mixed nine years quartet, of Oliver Wiseman, Megan Costin, Michelle Taylor and Adam Shepherd, came from last to first to win the opening event.

This was followed by two solid second places from the 11/U 4x25 medley relay teams of James Birch, Edward Savage, Andrew Matthews and Alex Pearson and Lauren Costin, Nikki Yearley, Alex Wilson and Yasmin Khoshkhou.

Adam Byford gained a vital metre at the turn to win the 12/U 50m backstroke and Alex Pearson made the win look easy in the 10/U 50m breaststroke.

The nine years 4x25m medley relay team of Sophie Nehammer, Megan Costin, Michelle Taylor and Rachel Watts came a close second, as did the 11/U girls freestyle relay team.

In the 12/U 50m fly, Adam Byford came second and a good swim from Alex Pearson pulled his 10/4x25m medley relay team of Nathan Langridge, Joshua Brand and Phillip Hammond, from last into second place and the rest of the team kept the place secure.

The nine years 4x25m freestyle relay team of Harry Savage, Oliver Wiseman, Dean Woodcock and Adam Shepherd also came from behind, this time to clinch first place.

James Birch gained a second place in the 11/U 50m backstroke and by this time Braintree had pulled out a slender lead over the Potters Bar team.

Good placings then became difficult for Braintree to achieve, although the boys' 10/U freestyle relay team came from behind to gain a second place, as did Alex Wilson in the 11/U 50m fly and Hannah Richardson in the 12/U 50m freestyle.

The boys' nine years relay team gained a second place in the medley relay to add to their previous win and Alex Pearson and Yasmin Khoshkkou also gained second places in their respective 11/U50m freestyle events.

In the final event, the cannon 8x25m freestyle relay, Braintree were involved in an exciting battle with Chelmsford and in a race that saw the advantage going one way and then the other, Braintree had to concede and settle for yet another second place.

It would have been fitting for Braintree to have finished second behind a strong Potters Bar team but Thurrock crept up in the last few events to edge Braintree into third.

The final points position was Potters Bar 182; Thurrock 165; Braintree & Bocking 161; Castle Point 152; Chelmsford 125 and Colchester 104.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.