It was a tense battle between the two competition rivals, with Denman’s first place finish putting pressure on Singleton heading into the final few rounds.

Denman came away with 426 points from the carnival, while Singleton ended on 389. 

It leaves Denman only 145 points adrift of the leaders ahead of the next carnival this weekend at Greta-Branxton.

Meanwhile, third-placed Muswellbrook grabbed 282 points to stay ahead of Branxton.

The last two places on the ladder are occupied by Merriwa and Scone, who managed to add 268 and 182 points to their respective totals.

Denman Amateur Swimming Club’s Virginia Chapman said the latest carnival was a great success.

“There was a good turn-out for it being held in such a small town, around 200 swimmers competed on the day,”?she said.

Following this weekend’s round, Merriwa will host the next fixture in the competition on February 28.

The series runs between October and March.