WORCESTER reached the Arena National League Midlands final for the second consecutive year after an outstanding performance in round two.

The team travelled to Derby with six swimmers unavailable but full of confidence after a strong result in the opening stage.

Expecting a fierce, close contest beforehand, Worcester finished just behind the hosts and well clear of the other four teams to comfort - ably take one of the prized top two spots.

Derby managed 237 points, Worcester 212, Long Eaton 154, Leamington 150, Stourbridge 149 and Bicester 141.

Worcester won 16 of the 50 races, only one less than Derby, with 11 coming in the individual races as the club’s stars put on a real show.

The youngest members led the way with Becky Yates grabbing a brace of victories, finishing first in both the 11/u backstroke and freestyle.

Yates then teamed up with the 50-metre butterfly victor Aimee Monks, Sophie Pettit, Brony Lowe and Lottie Martin to win both the medley and freestyle relays in some style.

George Glover led the 11/u 50m breaststroke but all four boys made a significant contribution with Daniel Day (second 50m backstroke), Max Rice and Oliver Foster combining for second-place finishes in the two relays.

In the 13/u boys, Worcester enjoyed a clean sweep with Matthew Richards (butterfly and backstroke), Aaron Cook (breaststroke) and Will Gearey (freestyle), all individual winners.

Sam Hartley, Isaac Shep - herd and Louis Doyle dropped in to swim one relay leg each brilliantly as Worcester finished clear of their rivals in both medley and freestyle events.

In the older age groups, first places were hard to come by though Charlotte Hall (15/u 100m freestyle) and Robin Williams (open 100m butterfly) exemplified the overall team spirit, battling hard to win tight finishes.

The stars were undoubtedly young Olivia Fletcher and Sam Hall who, with a few older swimmers away competing at the British University Championships, stepped up superbly to fill the gaps left.

They competed in seven events each, most notably the open 200m individual medley where both finished fourth.

Fletcher, still only 12, managed a personal best and close second in the 13/u 100m breaststroke, plus a stunning win in the 13/u 100m freestyle when close to breaking the one-minute barrier for the first time.

Along with Charlotte Hall, Hattie Goff and Sophie Da vis, Fletcher was also a member of the winning 15/u freestyle team.

Sam Hall had to settle for a couple of second-place fin - ishes in the 15/u 100m butterfly and breaststroke but impressed yet again.

The club’s swimmers will now look forward to the final on Saturday, December 12.

This will be the first time Worcester have competed in back-to-back finals in the Premier Division.

The swimmers are already relishing the opportunity to test themselves against the best in the Midlands.

Other team members at the event were Jenny Gearey, Leyla Tayar, Josie Arm - strong, Lottie Trevethan, Yasemin Tayar, Sophie Groves, Lucy Clayton, Samantha Gearey, Emma Lovesey, Kai Gooden-Morris, Robert Latta, Mike Adair, William Hadley, Ben Holmes and Joel Smith.