Buoyed up by their successes of recent weeks, Haslemere competed in round one of the National Speedo League Western Division One at the new army 50m pool complex in Aldershot.

With teams travelling from Chesham, Chalfont, Eastleigh, Romsey & Totton and Basingstoke, the gala was a gripping affair.

The pool, with boom fitted to reduce it to the standard 25m length, proved to be a fast venue and there were many personal best performances for the Haslemere swimmers.

Host club Basingstoke were very strong and they and Haslemere sparred with each other all evening as the lead regularly changed hands.

Of the 50 events on the night, Haslemere finished first in no less than 15, with individual wins for Helen Meckiffe, Owen Morgan, Chloe Winter, Emily Francis, Daniel Wilkes, Clare Baranowski, Sarah Jackson and Thomas White.

In a close contest like this, discipline and team spirit is vital. The team fought for every point and rallied round each other to produce an excellent victory.

League swimming is all about team-work, but there were outstanding individual performances on the night. Emily Francis, improving with every swim, looked a class above the rest as she cruised to a win in the girls' U/13 100m backstroke.

Clare Baranowski was impressive in the U/13 100m freestyle with a 1min 05.06sec win and Daniel Wilkes never looked like he would be beaten in the boys' 100m backstroke.

These three are just a selection of the fine band of youngsters now making a name for themselves as Haslemere continue to build a solid base for the future.

Final scores on the night: Haslemere 219pts, Basingstoke 201, Chesham 180, Eastleigh 162, Chalfont 153, Romsey 129.

A great result for Haslemere to take forward into the second round.