Hatfield Swimming Club continue to defy the odds after once again mixing it with the big boys on the national stage.

They took 11 swimmers to Ponds Forge in Sheffield for the Swim England Winter National Championships, an event held over multiple days and with most of the Hatfield team going in multiple events.

The Hatfield Swim Centre-based club are small in comparison to some they were up against but that did not faze them.

A spokeswoman said: "It confirms our place as the top club in the county.

"It was an exciting end to the year and to the short-course season.

"Between them, the Hatfield swimmers swam in 40 races over the four days of competition with Daniel Belsey and Lucas Hartley being the busiest, qualifying in five events each.

"Charlotte Williams, Ashley Ransome, Lucas Dyson-Diaz, Maxwell George and Oliver Baskerville all qualified for finals in various events.

"And the team came away with a 75 per cent success rate for personal best times which is a fantastic achievement."

Head coach Daniel Fogg added: "I was very pleased with the team’s performance, which was the best in recent years, and it feels like a great lead in to the long course season which begins in January."