Great day out at Templemore for Banbridge swimmers

FEBRUARY 18 was a great gala for the Banbridge squad as they headed off to Templemore in Belfast to compete against a strong team.

First off the blocks were the Group A medley relay team consisting of Caitlin Kearney, Lauren Lyttle, Rebecca Pinkerton and Lauren Armstrong. They swam well but Templemore carried off first place to begin with. The Group B boys however met the challenge and William Pinkerton, Harry Dougan, Daniel Kilpatrick and Harry Farson swam for their lives and secured an excellent first position.

The strong Group B team, led first by the girls, saw an excellent win from Abbie McAnearney, Ellie Robinson, Olivia Knox and Jodie Doyle. The boys kept up the tremendous stamina renowned for their group and Michael Rafferty, Patrick McNiff, Joel Milligan and Caolan Quinn swam a superb first place.

The Group C girls, Poppy Robinson, Allyce Nixon, Megan McKenna and Jenny Wilson kept up the momentum by securing another first place. Group C boys, however, were up against fierce competition and Nicholas Reid, Sam Farson, Keelan McCambridge and Scott Donnelly managed to come in second.

Group D girls, Olivia Loy, Kate Farson, Heather Wilson and Hannah Dunbar did their best but the opposition came in first. Group D boys were more successful and Patrick Morgan, Cameron McDonald, Daniel Chambers and Graham Stevenson swam a wonderful first place.

Next up was the Group A girls backstroke. Templemore was very strong in this group so Banbridge fought hard to achieve third, fifth and sixth. The swimmers were Lauren Armstrong, Lauren Lyttle and Caitlin Kearney. Group A boys, Rory McNiff, Harry Dougan and Harry Farson achieved excellent positions of second, third and sixth.

Group B girls backstroke, saw great positions of first, second and fifth from Abbie McCullagh, Olivia Knox and Emma McElderry. Group B boys - Patrick McNiff, Joel Milligan and Ross Johnston came in third, fourth and fifth place.

Group C girls, Jenny Wilson, Megan McKenna and Poppy Robinson, produced a hat-trick, a fine first, second and third. Group C boys, Keelan McCambridge, Scott Donnelly and Aaron Keegan went on to swim fourth, fifth and sixth.

Group D girls, Kate Farson, Heather Wilson and Olivia Loy pulled in fourth, fifth and sixth place.

Group D boys consisted of Patrick Morgan, who swam an impressive first place in backstroke and Daniel Chambers and Conor Morgan who came in third and fifth.

Now, to the breaststroke. Jessica Robinson, Caitlin Kearney and Rebecca Pinkerton swam for the Group A girls and came in fourth, fifth and sixth.

Group A boys, William Pinkerton, Daniel Kilpatrick and Patrick Doyle, achieved a fine first, second and sixth place.

Group B girls, Jodi Doyle, Ellie Purdy and Olivia Knox, swam superbly, bringing in first, third and fourth.

Group B boys, Patrick McNiff, Michael Rafferty and Ryan Porter, produced an excellent first, third and sixth.

Group C girls were Allyce Nixon, who swam a superb time and her team-mates, Jane Kilpatrick and Lauren Robinson, who achieved fourth and fifth.

Group C boys were Scott Donnelly, who swam a wonderfully fast time to come in first place and his team-mates, Nicholas Reid and Aaron Keegan, who came in fifth and sixth.

Group D girls and boys finished up this part of the competition with the girls , Olivia Loy, Kate Farson and Hannah Dunbar, coming in second, third and sixth and the boys (Daniel Chambers, Cameron McDonald and Graham Stevenson) achieving very fast times and coming second, fourth and fifth place.

The next part of the competition was the exciting butterfly. First up were the Group A girls. This consisted of Lauren Armstrong, Caitlin Kearney and Eimear McMullan. They produced fourth, fifth and sixth.

Group A boys with their wonderful leader, Harry Farson who came in a strong first place, was joined by two other great fliers, Harry Dougan and William Pinkerton, who came in third and fourth.

Group B girls, Abbie McCullagh, Ellie Robinson and Olivia Knox, were in top form to achieve first, second and fourth.

Group B boys, Joel Milligan, Caolan Quinn and Alex Donnelly, finished a strong first, third and fourth.

Group C girls, Jenny Wilson, Megan McKenna and Poppy Robinson were a force to be reckoned with as they surged through the pool with a fabulous first, second and fourth finish.

Group C boys, Scott Donnelly, Aaron Keegan and Nicholas Reid, swam well in third, fifth and sixth position.

Group D girls, Olivia Loy, Kate Farson and Heather Wilson, swam hard and achieved fourth, fifth and sixth.

Group D boys, Patrick Morgan , who was unstoppable in first place and Graham Stevenson and Cameron McDonald who swam fine times supporting their older team-mate.

Next up was the all important front crawl!

The front crawl began again with the Group A girls. Lauren Armstrong secured third while Caitlin Kearney and Lauren Lyttle came in 5th and 6th. Group A boys, Harry Farson, Daniel Kilpatrick and Rory McNiff were very strong in their group producing excellent first, second and fourth positions.

Group B girls, as always, swam their hearts out and Jodi Doyle, Ellie Robinson and Abbie McCullagh achieved wonderful places of first, third and fourth. Group B boys were very successful. There was a very tight race with Caolan Quinn coming in first place, Patrick McNiff coming in just behind and their younger team-mate, Alex Donnelly picking up points for sixth place.

Group C girls, Megan McKenna, Jenny Wilson and Lauren Robinson brought home precious points for their team with a first, second and fifth place. Group C boys, Keelan McCambridge, Scott Donnelly and Aaron Keegan secured third, fifth and sixth.

Group D girls, Hannah Dunbar, Heather Wilson and Olivia Loy swam in and fourth, fifth and sixth.

Group D boys, Cameron McDonald, Daniel Chambers and Graham Stevenson, swam superbly in second, third and fifth place.

The final individual swim, the Individual Medley, was a true test to the stamina of the swimmers.

Group A girls, Lauren Armstrong, Caitlin Kearney and Rebecca Pinkerton sustained fourth, fifth and sixth. Group A boys, Harry Farson, William Pinkerton and Daniel Kilpatrick, produced superb swims in first, third and fifth position.

Group B girl Jodi Doyle swam her best time and achieved 1st place, followed by Abbie McCullagh in fourth and Olivia Knox in fifth. Group B boys, Patrick McNiff, Joel Milligan and Michael Rafferty swam strongly to produce first, third and fifth.

Group C girls, Jenny Wilson, Allyce Nixon and Jane Kilpatrick swam a fine trio of first, second and fifth place.

Group C boys, Scott Donnelly and Keelan McCambridge came in fourth and fifth place.

Group D girls, Kate Farson, Hannah Dunbar and Olivia Loy came in fourth, fifth and sixth. Group D boys, including Cameron McDonald, who swam a superb time in 1st place and Daniel Chambers and Graham Stevenson bringing in third and fifth.

Finally, the freestyle relays were to come and as we all know, the relays really bring in the points. At this stage, it is really all about stamina and the coach, Geraldine Hill, knowing who to place in these all important teams that will decide who shall come away victorious.

Group A girls, Lauren Armstrong, Jessica Robinson, Rebecca Pinkerton and Caitlin Kearney swam in second place. Group A boys, Rory McNiff, William Pinkerton, Harry Farson and Daniel Kilpatrick produced the goods with an excellent first place.

Group B girls as always did not disappoint with a superb win from Olivia Knox, Jodi Doyle, Abbie McCullagh and Ellie Robinson. Group B boys also never let us down with a superb win from Patrick McNiff, Michael Rafferty, Joel Milligan and Caolan Quinn. This B group always has an exciting finish!

Group C girls, produce another fabulous finish from Jenny Wilson, Allyce Nixon, Megan Mc Kenna and Poppy Robinson. Group C boys, Keelan McCambridge, Nicholas Reid, Scott Donnelly and Declan Loy came in second.

Group D girls, Heather Wilson, Olivia Loy, Kate Farson and Hannah Dunbar came in second place. Group D boys, Daniel Chambers, Cameron McDonald, Patrick Morgan and Graham Stevenson produced a powerful end to the night by powering home in first position.

Banbridge were looking strong and they did not disappoint. The final score was Templemore 563-581 Banbridge.

Well done Banbridge! Now you are runners-up in the first division. For further information contact the website: www.banbridge.asc.co.uk

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