BOURNEMOUTH-based Aussie Mark Forrester panned a little English gold when he took on the nation's best masters swimmers at the ASA National Masters Short Course Championships in Sheffield.

The 34-year-old schoolteacher, who swims for Bournemouth Dolphins and is also their land training coach, powered to victory in the 30-34yrs 400m and 800m freestyle in 4min 20sec and 9min 4sec.

He was also fourth in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley and seventh in the 100m freestyle.

The results completed a successful competitive year for the Queenslander, who also won double gold at the British masters championships in Glasgow before the summer, a 3.2km open water bronze at the European masters in Stockholm and a string of awards in both the British and European Surf Lifesaving Championships.

In the European Surf event, his success included age group wins in the swim and iron man competitions, second places in the ski race and 2km run plus the overall title.

In the open carnival for all age groups, Forrester - a teacher at Bournemouth's Bishop of Winchester School - was second in the iron man and provided the swimming leg for the winning relay team.

West Cliff resident Willy van Rysel, Britain's oldest woman competitor at 89, was involved in a British record-breaking relay swim with the Spencer club's 280yrs women's medley team.

That was one of eight gold medals she won at Ponds Forge in her last outing before she moves into the 90-94 age group in the new year.

Her other wins were in the 85-89yrs 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle and the women's 280yrs freestyle relay.

Poole's two representatives at Sheffield both won bronze medals.

In the 25-29 age group, Karen Yendole came third in the 100m breaststroke in 1:19.61, fourth in the 200m (2:55.05) and fifth in the 50m (37.19).

Robert Lloyd-Evans was third, fifth and seventh respectively in the 60-64yrs 200m, 100m and 50m breaststroke in 3:33.88, 1:36.67 and 44.54.

Bournemouth Dolphins' British youth squad swimmer Sabina Heywood struck gold in the 400m freestyle at the Milton Keynes Distance Meet.

The 14-year-old recorded a lifetime best time of 4:21.88 to defeat fellow youth squad member Lauren Collins from City of Birmingham.

Positions were reversed in the 200m freestyle with Collins grabbing the gold and Heywood the silver in 2:06.29.

The Bournemouth swimmer was also sixth in both the 200m backstroke in 2:27.42 and the 200m individual medley in 2:31.42.

A week earlier Heywood knocked 30 seconds off her previous best to win the 1500m freestyle in 17:47.46.

World biathle competitor Chris Wilson, 17, scored 2,204 points to win the south-west qualifier for the British modern biathlon championships to be held at Sheffield towards the end of this month.

His times in the 16-17yrs age group at Millfield were 2min 9.73sec for the 200m swim and 10min 10sec for the 3000m run.

Wilson was won of seven young Poole athletes at Millfield, the others having been inspired to take part by his success.

Phoebe Notley was second in the 11-12 age group with 2,042 points.

Melissa Courtney (12-13yrs) also took silver with 2,273 points.

Also qualifying for Sheffield were Kathleen Rafferty thanks to her fifth place in the 9-10yrs age group (1,843) and her brother James Rafferty with sixth in the 11-12yrs category (2,012).

Other results: 13-14yrs Sophie Notley 8th 2060 pts; Claire Rafferty 10th 1988 pts.