SOUTHAMPTON Trampoline Club have pulled off a major coup by getting four girls through to the National Grade 1 finals.

Steph Stanley, Becki Stanley, Katie Woodgate and Claire Madigan are all off to meet the cream of the country's crop at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena this weekend.

Howard Tear, who coaches the girls at Taunton's College in Southampton, said: "This is a fantastic achievement to have four girls from one club qualifying for these prestigious finals. This is the very top of British trampolining."

Already this season Becki Stanley - fourth in the World Over-18 ladies' Championships in Germany last year - has won two open Grade 1 over-18 competitions and finished third in the open ladies' Grade 1 event in Birmingham.

Madigan has two top-ten places in over-18 competition to her credit, while Woodgate - just 16 years of age - qualified in the under-18 age-group with an excellent seventh place at the Grade 1 competition held at Reading in May.

Steph Stanley, together with Becki and Claire, makes up the over-18 ladies' team that will represent Southampton at the NIA.

This has been a tremendously successful season for the Southampton club. Not only have they dominated the area scene at Grade 3, 4 and 5, but Samantha House has qualified up from Grade 2 to Grade 1 and Amy Sheehan, Bethany Martin and Andrew Thompson have reached the Grade 2 national finals this November.

Meanwhile newcomer Zach Lutz, who only took up trampolining last October, has zoomed up from Grade 5 to Grade 2 in one season.

"We have many talented youngsters coming up through the ranks, an excellent coaching staff and, together with funding from Southampton City Council and Lottery grants, we have established a set-up ranging from beginners right up to international standard that is the envy of many clubs in the south," said Tear.

The club already has a presence at Oaklands, Hamble and Redbridge and is starting up a new centre at Toynbee School in September.

The most talented youngsters are promoted up to the main centre at Taunton's College, which is kitted out with 14 trampolines and some top quality coaches.

The club also have several home-trained coaches working at centres such as Wildern School and Fleming Park and there are six hours of beginners' and improvers' classes available at Taunton's.