Enniskillen Lakelanders could not make it four wins out of four at the Lakeland Forum on Saturday as the lost out Leander from Belfast by 16 points in the latest event in the Aquasprints.

This was the largest squad ever assembled by the Lakelanders with a few young swimmers getting their first taste of competitive swimming. These included Summer Armstrong, Jonah Balfour, Patrick O’Sullivan, Morgan Kelly and Hannah Lynch.

The event began with the Medley relays and perhaps the most exciting race of the evening was the very first one! The Lakelanders Group A team of Kate McDade, Eloise Boyd, Oliver Mooney and Jamie Lannon, urged on by coaches Rob Eynon, Clare Morris and Fionna Martin, were beaten to the touch by one tenth of a second.

The Group B and D relay teams also came out second best to a very strong Leander squad.

A win for the Group C team of Patrick Williams, Annabel Morrison, Isobel Lannon and Callum O’Hare kept the Lakelanders’ hope of victory alive. At the end of the Medley Relays, Leander led by eight points.

The individual events began with the backstroke, which proved to be an evenly matched competition.

Wins for Oliver Mooney, Nial Bruce, Isobel Lannon, Patrick Williams and Jake Cadden along with a second place finish by Ela Winters saw the Lakelanders close the gap to six points.

PBs in backstroke were recorded by Niamh O’Donnell, Eloise Boyd, Oliver Mooney, Morgan Kelly, Zara Welsh, Patrick Williams, Callum O’Hare, Nial Bruce, Ruairi O’Connor and Dylan Convey.

The Lakelanders dominated the breaststroke event.

Wins from Kate McDade, Oliver Mooney, Abigail Boyd, Annabel Morrison, Patrick Williams and second place finishes from Eloise Boyd, Jamie Lannon, Nial Bruce, Isobel Lannon, Callum O’Hare, Molly Johnston and Jake Cadden, saw the Lakelanders edge ahead by eight points at the half-way stage.

Much coveted PBs were recorded by Darcy Balfour, Oliver Mooney, Patrick Williams, Austin Cassidy, Ciosa McConnell, Ella O’Donnell and Owen O’Donnell.

The butterfly was another closely contested event.

Crucial first place points were secured by Oliver Mooney, Nial Bruce, Isobel Lannon, Patrick Williams and Jake Cadden, with Abigail Boyd and Annabel Morrison also adding to the Lakelanders total with second place finishes.

However, Leander proved to be just a little bit stronger on the butterfly and cut the Lakelanders’ lead to four points. Niamh O’Donnell, Kate McDade, Oliver Mooney, Molly Rice, Oisin Cox, Annabel Morrison, Anna McDade, Niamh Henry, Rory Keogh, Ciosa McConnell and Matthew Dolan all achieved PBs in this gruelling event.

The final individual event was the freestyle and with the Lakelanders holding a four point lead, much depended on the outcome. This proved to be a strong event for Leander. Isobel Lannon, Patrick Williams and Jake Cadden were the only Lakelanders to secure first place in their categories. Second places were achieved by Nial Bruce and Leah Irwin. A host of PBs were secured, but despite these Leander still held the upper hand. Niamh O’Donnell, Oliver Mooney, Abigail Boyd, Nial Bruce, James Mongan, Leah Irwin, Niamh Henry, Patrick Williams, Conan McCaffrey, Sinead Barrett and Jake Cadden were the Lakelanders who enjoyed the accolade of PBs.

Going into the final event, the freestyle relays, Leander had now opened up an eight point lead! They continued to display their dominance in this stroke by winning three out of four relays, the sole Lakelander victory coming from the all-conquering Group C.

This left the final result Lakelanders 192 to Leander 208 at the end of a thrilling, closely fought encounter.

Top Lakelander of the evening was Patrick Williams who remained unbeaten in all of his six events! All in all, the young Lakelanders can be proud of their achievements, which is evident from the number of PBs recorded! They now set their sights on another home encounter with Alliance this Saturday.