A silver lining in the pool for Northgate
A late surge in the relays took Northgate Swimming Club to second place in the Shrewsbury Masters Gala.
The Bridgnorth outfit last fielded a large team in the event in 2010, cruising to the trophy.
But standards have risen in the subsequent six years and the 15-strong Northgate side, featuring swimmers aged from 24 to 60, initially found the going tough in a tournament which featured 33 clubs.
At the lunchtime break Northgate were fifth, but turned on the pressure in subsequent races.
With the Lyle twins James and Andrew beginning to dominate their age group, Northgate began to make inroads into the gap to teams above them.
Strong wins from Steve Barnes, Holly Hawood, Paul Breese, Stuart Burton and Chris Biddle put big points on the board.
With just the relays left and Nottingham well clear at the top, Northgate were battling for second spot with Loughborough Town.
All four relay teams – three men's and one women's – scored heavily to clinch second spot.
