WORCESTER made a strong start in the 2018 National Arena League.

At Hucknall Leisure Centre, Nottinghamshire, for the opening round, an excellent display from a full-strength squad claimed second behind a strong Leicester Sharks team.

Worcester, who missed out on the national final last year by one point, scored 245 behind Leicester's 250, But they were ahead of Sutton-in-Ashfield on 168, Belper Marlin on 146, City of Derby B on 140 and Stourbridge on 96.

The team started with second places in the first four events and had to wait until event six for their first victory out of 16 on the night.

The boys' 13/u 4x50-metre relay team of Dan Day, George Glover, Adam Rutter and Eddie Cox triumphed in two minutes 10.42 seconds.

Worcester's girls' 15/u freestyle relay team of Jenny Gearey, Megan Annis, Maddie Fox-Haskins and Josie Armstrong also finished first in 1.55.30.

The boys' 15/u freestyle relay team of Matt Richards, Will Gearey, Aaron Cook and Louis Doyle then won in 1.43.08.

David Annis starred in the boys' 10/11 year age group, claiming the 50m backstroke in 35.13 and the 50m butterfly in 33.61.

Glover won the boys' 13/u 100m breaststroke in 1.18.81.

Tabitha Monkhouse, back from studying at Swansea University, took the women's 100m butterfly in 1.04.17.

Richards, despite being only 14, won the men’s open 100m butterfly in 57.07 against nationally-ranked older swimmers.

He also finished first in the boys' 15/u 100m butterfly in 1.01.43 and the 100m breaststroke in 1.10.79.

Day won the boys' 13/u 100m backstroke in 1.04.55 and the 100m freestyle in 59.82.

Olivia Fletcher topped the girls' 15/u 100m freestyle in 58.99 while Will Gearey led the boys' 15/u 100m freestyle in 54.91.

In the 13/u age group, Brodie Willetts joined Day, Rutter and Glover to win the 4x50m freestyle relay in 1.57.68.

The 15/u age group saw Alex Farmer join Will Gearey, Richards and Doyle in the victorious 4x50m medley.

But Leicester’s relay teams held off Worcester to win six of the eight relays while Worcester grabbed two.

Worcester’s squad also included Sam Hall, Maisie Lyons, Lauren Annis, Isobel Foster, Michael Agoston, Rebecca Yates, Holly Workman, Matthew Thomas, Ben Holmes, Charlotte Hall, Amelie Forsyth-Ball, Aimee Monks, Lydia Cooper, Olivia Eggleton, Amelie Fox-Haskins, Harry Chandler, Charlie Dixon, Naomi Marsden, Lucy Clayton, Oscar Brain, Joel Smith and Beau Vaughan-Hawkins.

The city face Long Eaton, Blythe, Leamington Spa, Sutton-in-Ashfield and Bilston on Saturday with a top-two finish guaranteeing a place in the regional final.