Legend Squad Deliver Triple Trophy Win!!!
Saturday 29th September saw Salisbury host the 3rd & final round of the Wiltshire Masters Swimming Championships. After two fantastic team performances from the Dolphin Masters Legend Squad in the previous rounds, 21 legends competed to try and bring Swimming Home to Swindon for the first time since 2012.
With Salisbury & Warminster massing their Squads for the final round in a bid to over-haul Dolphins lead, it was set to be a thriller right down to the last length.
As in the previous rounds Dolphins Legends delivered an outstanding team and individual performances, amassing 28 Golds, 29 Silvers & 8 Bronze medals, increasing the teams overall point’s lead & quashing the opposition’s attempts to secure the trophy.
In the individual events Dolphins claimed 8 County Records. With the new marks set by Alison Nye in the ladies 60-64yrs 100m IM, 50 Breaststroke, 25m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle (4), Nikki Harris in the Ladies 50-54yrs 100IM, 50 Breaststroke & 50 Freestyle (3) and ‘Big Gun’ Graham Perry in the Men’s 55-59yrs 25m Backstroke (1).
Once again Dolphins dominated the 2 available relay events on the night, fielding 2 teams in both. Firstly, in the 160+yrs mixed Medley Relay, with the quartet of Jonboy Audis, Nigel Masters, Louise Audis & Bronwyn Young securing Gold, and then Sarah Forbes, Doug Alexander, Graham Perry & Michelle Morgan-Smith taking the Bronze in a fiercely contested race for the silver & bronze medals.
The final event, the 6×25 mixed Freestyle Relay competing for the ‘Head Cup’ looked set to be a stunner. With both Dolphin Legend teams, Warminster and Salisbury separated by less than a second on predicted entry times. Due to the variation in swimmer order, age & ability this race is never over, till it’s over. With ½ a length to go it looked like Dolphin A were going to take the win, but an epic last 25m from sprint freestyle maestro Graham Perry, saw Dolphin B take the lead with 4m to go, leaving the Dolphin A team & a rapidly proceeding Salisbury A to contest the remaining medals. In a blanket finish, Salisbury nicked the touch on the last stroke, giving the Dolphin Legends Gold & Bronze. The B team of Charlotte Pitts, Doug Alexander, Michelle Morgan-Smith, Nigel Masters, Alison Nye and Graham Perry lifted the ‘Head Cup’ for Dolphins for the first time since 2010.
In addition, the after gala presentations saw Dolphins receive two further trophies. Firstly for Legend, Jon Audis, who secured the Men’s Under 40 Overall Individual Trophy with a dominating 13 wins out of 13 over the 3 rounds.
Then secondly, after 3 excellent and consistent team performances and the final point scores reading
Swindon Dolphin 404 2) Warminster 281.5 3) Salisbury 268, the Swindon Dolphin Masters Legend Squad were presented with the overall Top Team Trophy for 2018… bringing swimming home to Dolphins!!!
Absolutely fantastic team effort from all those who competed over the 3 rounds, thank you for all your efforts and to all those who helped make this year the success it was.
We Swam Great! We Looked Great!! We are Legendary!!!
Nigel Masters – Lead Coach Masters Legend Squad
