NEW Milton duo Sarah Bamber and Nicola Sloan earned a golden double for Hampshire at the Division 12 regional schools championships in Southampton.

Bamber, 14, finished almost four seconds clear of the field as she won the intermediate 100m breaststroke.

Her winning time of 1:16.19 would also have won the senior event.

Both she and fellow Arnewood School pupil Sloan can expect to find themselves in the Division 12 team for the national schools championships at Coventry next month.

Sloan, 13, notched up her win in the junior 50m freestyle time trial, held to decide relay teams at Coventry.

She was also second in the 100m butterfly in 1:10.33 and fourth in the 100m freestyle (1:04.78).

Six Dorset swimmers can look forward to selection for the national event.

Talbot Heath's Emily Freeman snatched victory by 0.06sec in the intermediate girls' 100m freestyle (1:01.20) and was also fourth in the 50m time trial (28.86).

Lydia McManus (Purbeck School) had mixed fortunes. She won the junior 200m individual medley by 1.7secs in 2:30.12 but was disqualified in the 100m butterfly for moving at the start.

Parkstone Grammar School's national youth championships finalist Hannah Blakeley recorded a winning time of 1:16.83 in the senior 100m breaststroke to book her ticket to Coventry.

She was also a close third in the 200m individual medley (2:31.28).

Clayesmore School's Michael Leung recorded third places in both the intermediate 50m time trial and 100m freestyle in times of 26.06 and 56.84.

Sabina Heywood (Talbot Heath) was third in the junior girls' 100m freestyle in 1:01.12 - slightly quicker than Freeman's winning time in the intermediate event.

But she could still find herself swimming the event at Coventry as the two girls ahead of her also won other races but can only swim one individual event at the national finals.

Heywood was also fourth in the 50m time trial in 28.78.

In the senior boys' events, Kostas Stamatakis (St Peter's, Southbourne) came third in the 100m breaststroke (1:11.83) and fourth in the 50m freestyle time trial (25.56).

Two Dorset swimmers recorded second places but are likely to miss out on selection for Coventry in favour of the athletes ahead of them.

Claire Humphries was second in the intermediate 200m individual medley (2:30.90) and Steven Simpson took silver in the junior boys' 100m butterfly (1:11.01).

Third places were recorded by Dorset's Nicole Scott (intermediate 100m backstroke), Sarah Meaker (junior 50m time trial), Claire Bennett (senior 100m back), Nicholas Marsh (junior 100m back) and Richard Watts (senior 200m medley).

Results (selected) Girls, junior - 50m freestyle TT: 1 Nicola Sloan (H) 28.10, 4 Sabina Heywood (D) 28.78, 9 Lydia McManus (D) 29.44, 12 Jenny Galloway (D) 30.87. 200m individual medley: 1 Lydia McManus (D) 2:30.12. 100m breaststroke: 1 Jennifer Galloway (D) 1:24.43. 100m freestyle: 3 Sabina Heywood (D) 1:01.12. 100m backstroke: 4 Lara Maskell (D) 1:14.12.

Intermediate - 50m freestyle TT: 3 Sarah Meaker (D) 28.57, 4 Emily Freeman (D) 28.86, 8 Nicole Scott (D) 29.27, 11 Claire Humphries (D) 29.75. 100m breaststroke: 1 Sarah Bamber (H) 1:16.19, 5 Emma Simpson (D) 1:22.74. 100m freestyle: 1 Emily Freeman (D) 1:01.20, 4 Sarah Meaker (D) 1:02.93. 100m backstroke: 3 Nicole Scott (D) 1:10.37. 200m individual medley: 2 Claire Humphries (D) 2:30.90, 4 Emily Freeman (D) 2:32.40. 100m butterfly: 4 Nicole Scott (D) 1:08.93.

Senior - 50m freestyle TT: 5 Hannah Blakeley (D) 29.26l, 8 Elaine Lewis (D) 30.19. 100m backstroke: 3 Claire Bennett (D) 1:14.48. 200m individual medley: 3 Hannah Blakeley (D) 2:31.28. 100m butterfly: 4 Claire Bennett (D) 1:15.82. 100m breaststroke: 1 H Blakeley (D) 1:16.83. 100m freestyle: 5 Elaine Lewis (D) 1:07.35.

Boys, junior - 50m freestyle TT: 5 Dominic Macdonald (D) 28.09, 9 Nicholas Marsh (D) 28.65, 11 Jonathan Marsh (D) 28.79, 12 Steven Simpson (D) 28.99. 100m butterfly: 2 Steven Simpson (D) 1:11.01. 100m breaststroke: 4 Jonathan Marsh (D) 1:21.90, 6 Carl O'Brien (D) 1:22.33. 100m freestyle: 4 Dominic Macdonald (D) 1:00.14, 6 Carl O'Brien (D) 1:22.33. 100m backstroke: 3 Nicholas Marsh (D) 1:09.06, 6 Carl O'Brien (D) 1:12.38.

Intermediate - 50m freestyle TT: 3 Michael Leung (D) 26.06, 10 James Baker (D) 27.00. 100m breaststroke: 6 Oliver Batt (D) 1:18.38, 7 Peter Oxborrow (D) 1:20.55. 100m backstroke: 4 James Baker (D) 1:08.01, 5 Kyle Winzar (D) 1:09.09. 100m freestyle: 3 Michael Leung (D) 56.84. 200m individual medley: 5 Peter Oxborrow (D) 2:39.34. 100m butterfly: 6 Kyle Winzar 1:10.06, 7 James Baker (D) 1:10.26.

Senior - 50m freestyle TT: 4 Kostas Stamatakis (D) 25.56, 5 Richard Watts (D) 25.65, 7 Leigh Jenkinson (D) 25.79. 100m backstroke: 6 Chris Wilson (D) 1:05.59. 200m individual medley: 3 Richard Watts (D) 2:16.99, 6 Chris Wilson (D) 2:33.83. 100m butterfly: 5 Richard Watts (D) 1:05.32. 100m breaststroke: 3 Kostas Stamatakis (D) 1:11.83, 4 Ryan Cottrell (D) 1:14.51. 100m freestyle: 5 Leigh Jenkinson (D) 55.90, 6 Kostas Stamatakis (D) 1:00.51.

Open - 400m freestyle: 5 Chris Wilson (D) 4:27.30, 6 Leigh Jenkinson (D) 4:28.20.

Key: D=Dorset Schools, H=Hampshire Schools, TT=time trial.

l Carol Moss, formerly swimming coach at Milton Abbey School and assistant coach to Bournemouth Dolphins, has been appointed as swimming and training officer to North Dorset District Council.

She is responsible for the development of 'wet' programmes at Blandford and Gillingham leisure centres, plus the training of swimming teachers, lifeguards and first aiders.