Biggleswade Swimming Club s eighth open meet at the Saxon pool was the most successful ever. There were 34 visiting clubs and around 2,500 swims completed during the weekend – even after nearly 1,000 had been rejected because the meet was full. Biggleswad

Biggleswade Swimming Club's eighth open meet at the Saxon pool was the most successful ever.

There were 34 visiting clubs and around 2,500 swims completed during the weekend - even after nearly 1,000 had been rejected because the meet was full.

Biggleswade had a squad of more than 50 swimmers and pyramid partners Mid Beds Swim Squad brought eight more who train together with many of their swimmers.

The Biggleswade and MBSS swimmers achieved their targets with ease.

In around 340 swims they earned 235 personal bests, 140 East Region qualifying times and eight national qualifying times.

The meet offered all possible events from 50m sprints to the 1500m freestyle and the finale of the meet was the 50m freestyle skins final.

This was an exhilarating event in which the eight fastest swimmers in each of the girls and boys' 50m freestyle heats were invited to compete in a series of 50m races from which the slowest finisher in each race was disqualified from the next. Thus the final, seventh races were between two girls and two boys.

In the girls' event, the fastest entrant was Cara Purvis from Hatfield.

In the sixth race she was beaten for the first time by Biggleswade swimmer Harriet Brettle who claimed lane four, seeded to win, for the final.

By now the atmosphere on poolside was electric as the home supporters scented a possible upset.

And Harriet delivered as she beat Cara again in the final and won the skins final for Biggleswade.