KIM Rowles produced the ultimate "captain's innings" to turn clear water into gold at the English Schools championships in Manchester.

Rowles, skipper of the junior girls' team for the Division 12 region, which includes Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex and the Channel Islands, found herself in fifth place as she dived in for the anchor leg of the 4x50m medley relay.

The leading teams were already two seconds down the Commonwealth Games pool and even a bronze medal looked like mission impossible.

But the Bournemouth Dolphins 13-year-old had other ideas.

Showing the kind of form that has already earned her selection for the Welsh youth squad, the Talbot Heath student quickly caught her four rivals, then powered past them to claim victory in a long course time for the team of 2:09.74.

Her official split was a startling 28.63 - a personal best by two seconds!

Rowles, who went straight from Manchester for a week's training with the Welsh Commonweath Games and youth squads at Rhyl, said: "I was a bit worried before I went in. One of the girls ahead of me was Katherine Pester from Plymouth, whom I have never beaten before.

"But as captain I felt I had to do it for the team. I was very pleased at the end!"

Her jubilant team-mates, who included a second Dorset swimmer, Rebecca Cottrell, from Dorchester, practically carried her along the poolside.

Rowles showed similar form in her individual event, the junior 100m freestyle, improving her PB by 1.5sec to come fourth in 1:03.20.

Her Bournemouth Dolphins team-mate Chris Campbell, 13, from Arnewood School, New Milton, achieved an individual second place in the junior boys' 100m butterfly in 1:03.55.

Also second was Nicole Scott, of Ferndown Otters and Queen Elizabeth's School, Wimborne, who recorded 1:05.34 in the intermediate girls' 100m butterfly. She missed the gold by just 0.14sec.

Emily Freeman (Ferndown and Talbot Heath) followed up her backstroke second place in the National County Team Competition at Sheffield a week earlier by reaching the intermediate girls' 100m freestyle final at Manchester. She then placed fifth in 1:01.16. Sarah Bamber, from Arnewood School, came sixth in the intermediate girls' 100m breaststroke in 1:18.90.

Also sixth was Laura Bowen-Ashwin, from Bridport, in the junior 100m breaststroke (1:21.58) while Rebecca Cottrell was eighth in the 200m individual medley (2:36.32).

Dominic Macdonald received six of the best as his club Bournemouth Dolphins surged to the top club award at the Avalon open meet at Millfield.

Dolphins amassed 16 gold medals, 15 silver and eight bronze and had 32 other top eight placings as well as some unexpected early season PBs.

Macdonald, 14, finished nearly four seconds clear in the 13-14yrs 100m backstroke in 1:08.74 and almost three seconds ahead in the 200m freestyle (2:10.80).

He also took gold in four other events - the 100m freestyle (59.40), 50m backstroke (32.47) and butterfly (31.06) and the 200m individual medley (2:27.11) in which team mate Nick Marsh took the silver (2:32.65).

Roles were reversed in the 200m backstroke in which Marsh took the gold (2:22.18) and Macdonald the silver (2:29.21).

Ten-year-old Oliver Maddock won four golds and a silver. His wins came in the 10yrs 200 and 400m freestyle (2:51.01 and 5:59.42) and the 50m backstroke and freestyle (41.65 and 35.28) and his second place in the 50m butterfly (44.18).

Carl O'Brien won triple gold in the 13-14yrs 50 and 100m breaststroke (35.83 and 1:18.47) and 50m

The 50m freestyle produced a grand slam result for Dolphins with Nick Marsh and his twin brother Jon taking silver and bronze. Jon was also joint third in the 50 breaststroke.

Danielle Francis and Stephanie Phelan took gold and silver respectively in 15 and over the 200 and 400m freestyle.

Francis, whose winning times were 2:13.84 and 4:37.96, was also second in the 50 and 100m freestyle (29.25 and 1:02.59) while Phelan added a bronze in the 100m breaststroke (1:25.23).

Qualifying

Kostas Stamatakis achieved a qualifying time for the national youth championships as he took silver in the 15/o 50m freestyle in 25.61.

He was also second in the 100m breaststroke (1:11.85).

Other medallists: 10yrs Darren Price 2nd 200m medley 3:21.79, 3rd 50m freestyle 36.61. 11-12yrs Daniel Bridges 2nd 100m freestyle 1:08.98; Anthony Bush 2nd 50m breaststroke 44.66. 13-14yrs James Solly 2nd 200m backstroke 2:48.25, 3rd 50m butterfly 32.66; Bridie Shanahan-Smith 2nd 100m freestyle 1:05.38, 3rd 200m freestyle 2:22.70; Becky Brown 3rd 400m freestyle 5:01.73, 3rd 50m freestyle 30.80.

Poole came home from Wareham with the Keysworth Engineering Cup despite a valiant effort from the host club, who were only three points adrift after the first 30 events.

Twelve wins from the last 19 races secured the win for Poole, who registered 22 victories in all.

Poole swept the board in the 14/u girls' events with Charley Gale winning the 50m freestyle in 29.97 and the 50m breast in 37.60 and Lara Maskell easing to victory in the 50m back (34.54) and fly (33.36).

Emma Thorne and Sophie Notley joined them to win the 14/u 4x50m medley and freestyle relays in 2:18.85 and 2:03.71.

The 10/u girls also scored freely with Grace Howie winning the 50m backstroke in 46.71 and Phoebe Notley the 50m fly in 49.99.

They then teamed up with Charlotte Blow and Yipmun Allen to win the 10/u medley and freestyle relays in 3:05.02 and 2:36.97.

The women's events produced four wins with Sarah Meaker taking the 100m freestyle in 1:02 03 and Karen Yendole the 100m butterfly in 1:14.43.

Meaker, Yendole, Katie Morris and Elaine Lewis also won the medley and freestyle relays in 2:19.78 and 2:02.19.

In the 12/u age group, Emma Baird won the 50m butterfly in 35.65.

Chris Wilson was a double winner in the men's events, taking the 100m backstroke in 1:03.26 and the 100m freestyle in 58.54.

Kyle Winzar added a third victory in the men's 100m fly (1:06.40).

The 10/u boys' events produced two wins - from Jay Olenicz in the 50m freestyle (33.04) and Oelnicz, B Tucker, M Titcombe and D Palmer in the 4x50m freestyle relay (2:43.37).

Alex Holloway held off pressure from Wareham to win in the 14/u 50m butterfly in 34.04.

Result: Poole 151, Wareham 129, City of Southampton 117, New Milton 82.