On Sunday 30th November the National Junior Swimming Final was held in Liverpool, involving the top eight teams in the country with Southport Swimming Club coming out in first position to be crowned National Champions, in an epic 49 event gala. The road to being named as the top junior (9 – 12yrs) side in the country began back in May when the club competed in the top division of the North West Micro League. Competing against teams from the North West in four galas in which they dominated each round. This placed them into the swim off to see who would represent their league in the North of England final. The swim off took place in Lancaster in September, in which the towns team won by forty points to comfortably secure their place in the northern area final for the forth year in succession. Here in October the team took on the other five top teams from the north, City of Newcastle, City of Liverpool, City of Leicester, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe and last years National Champions Borough of Kirklees (Huddersfield, Batley and Dewsbury combined). The prize for the top four teams was a place in the National Final. In a closely fought match in which Southport led the way up until 10 races to go when Borough of Kirklees just went ahead to take first position, these two teams leavingthe other big City teams some way behind. Southport went into last Sundays National Final with revenge on their minds to over haul Kirklees and beat the other top seven teams in the country City of Norwich, City of Newcastle, City of Liverpool, Thurrock, Hillingdon and Boldmere. Again Southport got off to a flying start and after 10 events they were in first position by three points over Kirklees. After twenty they had moved to fourteen points ahead and after thirty event were nineteen ahead. The Southport coaches knew that Kirklees would finish strong and after 40 events the gap had closed to seven, with all the other teams trailing some way behind with the two top teams battling for glory. The atmosphere at the Everton Park pool was electric with full capacity of competitors and specators getting around 750 people cheering on their teams. As the gala came to the final event the cannon, Southport led by four points. In this race consisting of the fastest swimmer boy and girl in each of the four age groups 9, 10, 11 and 12 completing 25meters each. Kirklees took an early lead with Southport trailing in 5th position which would have placed Kirklees ahead of Southport overall. At the half way stage Southport had moved into forth, gradually they pulled back into second spot with one swimmer to go they managed to hold on dramatically, to be crowned as National Champions for 2008 by just three points. The final result being Southport 292, Borough Kirklees 289, City of Liverpool 230, Thurrock 214, Boldmere 200, Hilllingdon 194, City of Newcastle 182 and City of Norwich 160. The Southport coaches and team managers were overwhelmed with the result, seeing 5 years ago the junior team where in Division B of the North West Micro League and only finishing 5th in the local Merseyside league. They added “ The phenomenal rise of the club is down to the commitment of the swimmers, parents, coaches and helpers. The extra facilities obtained in the last year with the help from Pontins, Formby Pool and Swimscool at Marshside. We can now compete with the very best in the country because of the amount of water time obtained” The 2008 National Junior Champions, Southport Swimming Club have been made up of, 9yrs Cameron Leece, Cameron Cheston, Mathew McGregor, Nathaniel Ball, Thomas Barrett, Robert Harrison, Adam Jones, Amy Carroll, Ellen Webster, Elle Delmonte, Martha Chapman, Victoria Hill and Charlotte Casselton. 10yrs Charlie Hayward, Ryan Rimmer, Ethan Clark, Jacob Lea, Alec Scott, Daniel Boal, Olivia Disley, Victoria Gowcott, Joanne Whittingham, Holly Knowles and Hanna Bradburn. 11yrs Sam Delmonte, Jordan Macdonald, Jack Swainson, Nathan Hall, Josh Moniz, Lauren Cheston, Olivia Petrie, Jade Forster, Lauren Whiteside and Sophie Wilcock. 12yrs Charlotte Disley, Rebecca Sutton, Olivia Marshall, Elliot Otty, Ethan Williams, Joseph Whiteside, Cameron Fenton and Michael Lyall.