LEDBURY and District swimmers travelled to Newport to compete in the final round of the Wyvern League.

Against top teams from south Wales, including City of Newport, Torfaen, Abertillery, Blaenafon and Chepstow, they arrived at the venue in determined fashion.

Newport, coming into the final with a big lead after the first five events, fielded their strongest team for a number of years and forged ahead early on, leaving Ledbury to battle for second with Torfaen.

There were many notable swims from Ledbury. For the boys, Ben Collins showed gritty character to swim four good races, despite feeling unwell.

Matt Thomas showed his class swimming up against older competitors and 15-year-old Bradley Williams was a credit to the team in truly fighting form in his final Wyvern meet.

For the girls, both Josie Thomas and Emma Tillott showed plenty of potential for the future, while the relay teams saw some classy swims at all age groups.

Girls’ team captain Ellie Ainsworth maintained her fine form from previous rounds by taking maximum points in the 100-metre freestyle.

In the end, Ledbury finished second on the day and third in the overall competition, drawing with Torfaen but edging into the runners-up spot on count-back.

Head coach Duncan Loraine said: “The team swam incredibly well and deserve a great deal of credit for their effort.

“It’s been a challenging season but third place overall in the league is a good achievement and gives us a solid foundation to build on in 2016.

“Club captains Ellie and Elliot Heath have led by example and all our swimmers have given 100 per cent.”