Wow, what a night! With a packed spectator gallery and poolside at Romford’s new Sapphire Ice & Leisure pool, the refreshed and reinvigorated Essex Swimming League 2023 competition got underway with an exciting evening of swimming. We hoped you enjoyed it as much as we did.
For those new to the league, this is how the scores work:
Every event in an ESL gala scores Swim Points based on the placing. First position scores 8 points, 2nd position 7 points, 3rd 6 points etc. At the end of the night these Swim Points are added up and Gala Points are awarded based on the position each club finishes. Over the season Gala Points continue to be awarded and the final season positions are based on the total Gala Points accumulated by each club. The top club gets to keep the ESL trophy for the year.
There were a few club vs. club tussles keeping us intrigued over the evening. Runnymede and Witham Dolphins fighting it out over an eventual 3rd place with only the last race being the deciding factor between them. Similarly between Harwich, Brentwood and Hornchurch who were all separated by only 2 points at the event 36 checkpoint, but a strong last quarter performance from the Harwich swimmers saw them pull away and end up with a seven point advantage. League newcomers Woodham Ferrers, had some good swims (especially the Girls 11&Under Breaststroke) but found it difficult to make headway against some of the other clubs on the night. Finally, Basildon & Romford fought it out event by event, but a series of first place finishes in the last quarter saw the Basildon & Phoenix swimmers triumph. One round done, three to go!
Round One gala results:
| Pos | Club | Swim Points | Gala Points |
| 1st | Basildon & Phoenix | 340 | 8 |
| 2nd | Romford Town | 333 | 7 |
| 3rd | Runnymede | 242 | 6 |
| 4th | Witham Dolphins | 240 | 5 |
| 5th | Harwich | 177 | 4 |
| 6th | Brentwood | 170 | 3 |
| 7th | Hornchurch | 161 | 2 |
| 8th | Woodham Ferrers | 94 | 1 |
We hope you enjoyed the night whether as a swimmer, or a spectator. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome.
Round Two will be held on Saturday 4th March at Basildon Sporting Village. WarmUp 18:00 Start 18:30. We’ll have space for up to 400 spectators there so bring a friend or relative!
Full Event by Event results for 2023 Round One can be downloaded here (xls file)
2 Responses
What a Great Night it was! Well done to everyone that competed.
What a great night, nice to hear the crowd and the excitement these leagues bring.
Well done to all the swimmers and thanks to the organisers.