Dungannon swimmers second best against Banbridge

On Saturday 25 October Dungannon ASC senior swimmers welcomed Banbridge for the second Division 1 PTL gala of the season. After the disappointment of an opening defeat away to Coleraine in September hopes were high that the local swimmers could deliver a victory in front of the large home crowd.

Good wins for Group A and D Boys in the medley relays got the Dungannon team off to a good start and these were followed by a 1-2 in Group A Boys backstroke for Eoin McGeary and Connor Mackle along with wins for Shane Mackle and Andrew Elliott in Group C and D Boys backstroke.

In the breaststroke events Ryan McAlary and Patrick McGeary secured another home 1-2 in Group A Boys and this was followed by a win for Shane McVeigh in Group D Boys. Shane Mackle swam well for a strong second place in Group C Boys.

In the butterfly events James Moan and Eoin McGeary took a home 1-2 in Group A Boys with Adam Scott for Group B Boys and Andrew Elliott for Group D Boys taking second in their races.

In the front crawl Group A Boys led the way again with a home 1-2-3 for Eoin McGeary, Connor Mackle and James Moan and this was followed by an excellent win for Peter Lamont in Group C Boys. Chris Hill secured a hard fought second place in Group D Boys.

In the individual medley races the home highlights were a win for Andrew Elliott in Group D Boys and a close second for Eoin McGeary in Group A Boys. Dungannon’s final victory of the night came in the Group A Boys freestyle relay.

For the Dungannon girls it was a difficult gala and they struggled to contain the physically and technically stronger Banbridge team. Despite coming out second best all swimmers can take heart from the many personal bests recorded on the night and the improvement in overall performance in the last few weeks. Final score Dungannon 497-647 Banbridge.