Norwich Swan Swimming Club, based at Wymondham, had great success in the A Final of the Norfolk Junior League at the Wymondham Leisure Centre.They were competing against the best clubs in the county for swimmers aged between nine and 12 years.

Norwich Swan Swimming Club, based at Wymondham, had great success in the A Final of the Norfolk Junior League at the Wymondham Leisure Centre.

They were competing against the best clubs in the county for swimmers aged between nine and 12 years.

Swan were hoping to improve on last year's fourth place overall in the county, but the team knew that to do so would require an extra special effort, and all the more so with a squad that was deprived of several key members.

However, with a great deal of encouragement from the team coaches, John Digby and Tina Bedder, plus some inspired adjustments to the swimming order, John succeeded in producing a combination that exceeded everybody's expectations, because Swan finished in second place overall to record the club's best result in this highly competitive championship for 15 years.

The top individual swimmers were: Laura Marzolini (10 years), first in the 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke; Sophie Foster (12), first in the 50m breaststroke and third in the 100m individual medley; Daryn Park(12), first in the 50m breaststroke and second in the 50m butterfly; Charlie Grisley (10), second in the 50m freestyle and 25m butterfly; Thomas Matthews (11), second in the 50m butterfly and fourth in the 100m IM, and Alex Storey (11), third in the 50m freestyle.

In the relays there were several excellent performances from Bethany Jermy, Irene Ashworth, Rachel Robinson and Isabella Carr, second in the 100m freestyle and medley relays (nine year age group); Joshua Peachment, Luke Turner, Robert Duffy and Niall Cole, second in the 100m freestyle relay (nine year age group); Niall Cole, Edmund Moylan, Charlie Grisley and Jack Benton, second in the 100m freestyle and third in the 100m medley relays (10 year age group); Thomas Matthews, Owen Richardson, Fraser Ellis and Alex Storey, third in the 100m freestyle and medley relays (11 year age group).

But perhaps the most significant result came from the 12 year boys, when Fraser Ellis, Alex Storey and Thomas Matthews (all aged 11) joined Daryn Clark to take third place in the medley relay for the 12-year age group, to be followed immediately by Alex Storey, Owen Richardson and Thomas Matthews, again with Daryn, for another third place in the 12 years freestyle relay.

Great credit must also go to Niall Cole, Isabella Carr, Irene Ashworth, Owen Richardson, Georgina Matthews and Fraser Ellis for swimming above their normal age groups, and commendations to Luke Turner (9) and Rosie Rackham (10) for entering as late replacements and thereby helping the team to gain valuable points.

A wonderful result, richly deserved. Well done to all those who made it happen!