Stockport Metro are National Champs

Stockport Metro won the 42nd National Arena Swimming League in emphatic fashion last Sunday, winning the first three events and from there never being overtaken in the points table. The national league final, which was held in Sheffield, comprised the top 10 teams from regional leagues that ran between October and December last year.

Metro wrestled the title back from Plymouth Leander, who have won the title for the last three years.  Headlining for Metro were Commonwealth medallists James Goddard adn Keri-anne Payne, winning the first two events, the Men's and Women's 200m Individual Medley. Goddard also won the Men's 100m Backstroke, and in a stunning display of versatility in the 100m Butterfly, he came within four one-hundredths of a second of defeating Commonwealth Games medallist Anthony James of Plymouth. Keri-anne, Olympic medallist in the swim marathon (10km Open Water Swim) made a decisive contribution in much the shorter events (100m Backstroke and 50m Relays).

It was a solid display that also saw wins for Harrison Coulter in the Boys 11 years 50m Butterfly, Lewis Robinson in the Boys 13 years 100m Butterfly and David Carry in the Men's 100m Freestyle.

Richard Blackshaw, Head Coach at Stockport Metro, was understandably pleased with his team's performance. Especially pleasing was 'the strength and depth that the team showed across both male and female in all age groups'. He seemed to be more happy with the way his swimmers raced than with the outcome, commenting, 'Our technique and starting and turning skills were great across the board, and we finished our races so well that we won decisive points from moving from 4th to 2nd for example in the last 15 metres of so may races. The swimmers can all be exceptionally proud of themselves'.