A YOUNG team from Andover narrowly missed out on the first place in a swimming and waterpolo competition.

Andover Swimming and Waterpolo Club’s junior swimmers finished just three points behind the winners at the Rother League Gala, that was attended by swimmers from Southampton, Romsey, Totton & Eastleigh, Locks Heath, Bassett JSF, and Seaclose.

All swimmers were aged under 14 and took it in turns to compete in an action packed evening that saw Andover take the lead early on in the competition.

The evening wasn’t without excitement with a couple of false starts, but the youngsters from the Andover club held their nerves well and swam with energy and enthusiasm.

Poppy Harris started off the evening with a 25m freestyle race. In the under 10 freestyle, Poppy started the club off well with a determined race.

She was in action again with a mighty 10-person relay squad, each swimming 25 metres freestyle for the final event.

The crowd were on their feet cheering for all of the swimmers which saw, Poppy Harris, Max Smith, Summer Clark, Corey Marvin, Alice Ross, Petr Koltovs, Catherine Massey, Matthew, Amelia Horne and Oscar Green achieve a second-place finish.

All the points were added together, based on attendees and placing in the races, which saw Andover narrowly miss out on first place by just three points.

The young squad were thrilled to be part of the gala and have their sights set on a few more competitions, taking place over the coming months.