THERE was tension and drama in the final round of the Herts League Club Galas on Saturday, with promotion and relegation at stake for swimming clubs across the county. In a tight finish with dramatic final races, City of St Albans Swimming Club (CoStA) B

THERE was tension and drama in the final round of the Herts League Club Galas on Saturday, with promotion and relegation at stake for swimming clubs across the county.

In a tight finish with dramatic final races, City of St Albans Swimming Club (CoStA) Blue team finished in third place on the night, leaving them ninth overall in Division One, and securing their top flight status for another season.

CoStA Gold team finished in a comfortable fourth position in their gala on the night, narrowly missing out on promotion from Division Three.

Coach Sarah Stevens was delighted with the results. "We are jubilant that CoStA have once again maintained their status in the top league of the county. The squad worked hard putting in double sessions every day over the half term; they deserved this result. The Gold team only narrowly missed out on promotion, showing what talent we have throughout the club."

For much of the night CoStA Blue were leading with some fantastic swims giving them 16 first place finishes and 25 PBs. It was neck and neck as CoStA, Stevenage and Berkhamstead traded places at the top but in the final two relay races CoStA fell behind, and ended the night one point behind Stevenage in third place. Attention now turns to the Hertfordshire County Championships held where CoStA will compete to determine the top swimmers in the County.