Linslade Crusaders Swimming Club compete in dramatic final of Chiltern League

On Saturday, Linslade Crusaders competed in a dramatic final of the Chiltern League at Tiddenfoot.

After the first two rounds we had a narrow lead going into the final. Everyone was filled with lots of excitement at the beginning and after some last-minute team changes, we were ready.

With everyone cheering very loudly when our team was called, we couldn't wait to start. This didn't cease when the racing started, from the very beginning cheering on our first swimmer to our final relay, the team cheered and supported each other creating a wonderful atmosphere.

Chiltern League is a “no faster than” gala, meaning that if a swimmer or team wins a race but the swim is faster than the “no faster than” time, they get no points for that race – creating a tense atmosphere.

We had many fantastic swims throughout the night, with personal bests being set for almost every other race. The most dramatic part was possibly the relays at the end, as many of our teams were involved in races being won by narrow margins.

We were filled with nerves when it came time to read out the results. Whilst many swimmers from the other teams had gone home, most of ours had waited to hear the results. To begin they read out the results from the night and we were nervously waiting for them to call our name. The announcer read out 2nd place where he read out Witney & District with 172 points, this meant that we had won on the night by a very narrow 4 points.

Overall we won 16 races and came 2nd 10 times.

After this they read out the overall placings, with Witney & District in 3rd and Flitwick Dolphins in 2nd. When 1st was called, I and the other club captain, Clara Foster, were very proud to receive the winners' shield and trophies.

After three exciting rounds, it had all paid off.

We want to say a big thank you to all the officials and volunteers who made this night possible, as well as a big well done to all the teams who competed.