Dunstable trio help county to 18th

All the counties from across England took part in the event, with Ellie King, Chantal Smith and Harry Constantine all in action.

Smith and King produced faultless swims in the Individual Medley relays, while Constantine clocked 1.08.97mins in the 100m backstroke to rank him in the top five boys in England for his age.

Head Coach Tim Hutton said: “Dunstable Swimming Club are always looking to compete at the highest level and to have three swimmers selected to represent Bedfordshire is a great achievement.

“Harry Constantine deserves a huge mention with times that are now seeing him noticed on the National Stage, he definitely could be one to look out for.”

Team Luton claim impressive National Arena League win

Team Luton A claimed an impressive victory at the first round of the National Arena League at Clissold Leisure Centre in Hackney last Saturday.

A total of 392 teams, made up of more than 13,000 swimmers, competed at 64 galas across England and Wales at the same time with Luton winning their meet.

Luton put in a solid performance and won convincingly as they claimed 333 points of the maximum 400 points available as they finished 35 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

A positive swim from Abby Gee saw her open the gala by winning the ladies Open 200m Individual Medley in 2.29.55mins, with Ryan Compton fourth in the men’s Open.

The first relay section of the gala saw wins in the 4x50m freestyle relay for the 9-11 boys and 15U girls teams, while the 4x50m medley relays were won by the boys 13U, ladies and men’s open teams.

In the 10-11 section Shannay Davies came sixth in the 50m backstroke and Eoin Compton third in 40.39secs.

The 50m butterfly saw Meghan Davis swim to fourth and Dan Flemons triumph in 36.49secs.

Milly Davidson came third in the 50m breaststroke in 43.13secs and Freddie Symonds second in 42.84secs, while Abbie Barnwell was sixth in the 50m freestyle as Flemons again triumphed in 32.11secs.

The breaststroke saw Erin McNally come eighth in the 13U category, with Jack Ryan second in 1.24.89mins.

In the 15U category Keira McNally was sixth and Ryan Jarvis third in 1.17.97mins, while Beth Currant was fifth in the ladies Open and Lawrence Palmer swam an amazing 1.03.04mins to win his race by 10 seconds.

Team Luton dominated the backstroke events with Caitlin Moriarty winning the 13U 100m backstroke in 1.14.66mins and Ryan also triumphing in 1.13.60mins.

McNally, 15U, came third in 1.13.60mins, with Matthew Wright runner-up in 1.06.70.

There were victories in the open backstroke for Jess Karp in 1.10.48mins and Ryan Compton in 1.04.21mins.

Not to be outdone, the butterfly specialists were equally impressive, as Lucy Gee swam 1.17.97mins for second in the 13U 100m, with Nathan Swift victorious in 1.15.75mins.

Emma Jesson was second in the 15U category in 1.15.30mins and Steven Russell fourth.

Both Abby Gee and William Mallcott triumphed by four-second margins in the Open 100m butterfly events, while the club’s freestyle specialists also put in winning performances.

Lucy Gee was fourth at 13U and Swift second in 1.06.85mins.

Both Rachel Templeman and Wright won their 15U events in 1.03.90mins and 1.00.26mins respectively.

Amy Harris triumphed in the open age group in 1.01.60mins, with Palmer second in 55.05secs.

The second and final relay section resulted in wins for the boys 9-11 and girls 15U 4x50m medley relay teams and the ladies and men’s Open 6x50m freestyle relay teams.

Team Luton A are now looking to build on that first round success with a home draw for Round Two on Saturday, November 9, at the Inspire Sports Village, Luton.