Plymouth Leander hosted Round 2 of the prestigious National Arena League this weekend, where some of the South West’s top swimmers gathered at the Plymouth Life Centre. Team Bath AS, Cirencester, Poole (A), City of Cardiff, and Bristol Penguins competed.

Team Bath AS’s 20+-strong squad included 10-year-olds Freddie, Ethan, and Lola, the youngest in the team, who were making their debuts at the event. They were joined by Team Bath AS’s seasoned professionals, Max Adams, Mark Edmundson, Rue Fowler, Oliver Saunders, Olly Watts, and Poppy Williams, all 2022 British Summer Championship qualifiers.

Similar to Round 1, face paint made an early and vibrant appearance: dots, stars, palms, inspiring words, beards, and even squiggles were carefully and skilfully designed by teammates to bring the #blueandgoldarmy and Arena League spirit alive. There was plenty of noise and excitement, with air horns and chants filling the air throughout the racing creating a fantastic atmosphere. Kerry Haines, Team Manager, says, 'As always, there was amazing team spirit and support amongst the team. The swimmers had fun donning their blue and yellow face paints in some creative ways! We hope it has washed off in time for school!"

The events remained the same as Round 1, with the mixed 4 x 50 Freestyle and Medley relays still proving to be the most exciting for spectators and some fast, competitive racing from all the teams. There were some standout performances from Team Bath AS in these events, but solid performances across all age groups and events despite some inevitable nerves kicking in.

It was close in the end, with Team Bath AS just missing out on 3rd place. Kerry says, "Round 2 saw some superb swims from our swimmers, resulting in us coming 4th place on the night, only two points behind Cardiff. Thank you to the parents and team managers who supported the long trip to Plymouth. I am sure you will agree it was well worth the early start!"

Round 2 results:

A big thank you to our Team Bath AS managers and, of course, to our fabulous swimmers. And well done to all the fantastic teams who took part. Round 3 takes place on 10 December 2022.

For more information: http://nationalswimmingleague.org.uk