25 Aug 2007 - Kinross close gap at top of 1st Div

The third 1^st Div gala saw our team again make the short trip down to Arbroath for host team Blairgowrie’s gala.

 

For the first time this season we did not manage to field a full squad with the 11/12 boys missing their relays.

 

The team had some changes due to people moving up to the Premier team and some swimmers being unavailable. However, we remained confident that we could perform well and had a strong looking team.

 

It was apparent from the off that the team would have their work cut out as a very strong squad of youngsters from Kinross helped them pull out a 6 point lead by the end of the medley relays.

 

Into the individual events and we knew that we were going to have to scrap for every point as Menzieshill sniffed that they too were in with a shout. By the end of the first of the four individual rounds there were only three points separating ourselves who had done well to overhaul Kinross and Menzieshill back in third spot.

 

By the time the second round of individual swims was completed, it was Menzieshill who had the ‘bit between their teeth’ and had overcome both Kinross and ourselves to take the lead. There were still only three points separating the three of us so this gala was ‘up for grabs’.

 

The third round of the individuals was a good one for us as we opened up a five point lead over the other two contenders.

 

Kinross had now taken up the fight and in the fourth round, managed to produce a ten point swing to edge back into the lead with only the free relays to go.

 

Kinross had all eight relay teams and even although we fought hard we came up a point short of them at the end of the day and had to settle for second spot and a further four points.

 

The smiles were well deserved for the Kinross swimmers who must have been extremely pleased to have won a 1^st Div gala in their first year back in this division after a season in 2^nd Div.

 

It would look as though it will be Kinross who will be our main contenders in the fight for the divisional title in the remaining two galas although the others may well have their own ideas of how they will take the glory.

 

Monifieth and Blairgowrie were having their own battle to see who would get the two points and who would have to settle for one. Blairgowrie put up a much better performance than at their last outing and were never more than six points adrift of Monifieth who fell a bit short of their performance at the last gala where they took second place. Blairgowrie at one point sneaked into fourth place a point ahead of Monifieth and possibly had hopes of keeping themselves off the foot of the league only to be thwarted at the end of the day.

 

All to play for then !! That’s maybe the way it should be and it has ensured that we will need to be at our best next time out.

 

Full result

 

1st        Kinross            154 points    (5)

2nd      DCA                 153 points    (4)

3rd      Menzieshill       141 points    (3) 

4th       Monifieth         121 points    (2)

5th       Blairgowrie      115 points    (1)

 

 

Overall positions after 3 galas

 

DCA                14

Kinross            12

Menzieshill       8 

Monifieth         5 (deducted 1 point for non appearance at 1st gala)

Blairgowrie      4