HOT on the heels of their recent success at Millfield, the Hampshire county swimming team were in winning form again last weekend in the Southern Counties' Inter-County Team Championships at Crystal Palace.

Against strong opposition, they scooped all three trophies for the second year running.

The age group swimmers showed the way and were ahead by four points after the first ten events, with wins for Nathan Hayes (16/17yrs 100m butterfly), Emma Wicks (12/13yrs 200m medley) and the girls' 14/15yrs medley relay (Louise Cox, Elizabeth Brown, Laura Chase, and Julia Beckett). The open age group swimmers had a harder job against very strong opposition, and, despite some close finishes, were trailing in fourth place.

But in the next ten events, it was the age groupers who found the competition very tough, with only one first place - Simon Le Couilliard with an excellent win in the 100m butterfly - dropping the team to second behind Kent by 15 points.

By event 30, and just past halfway in the programme, Hampshire had taken things in hand.

The age groupers produced some solid swims, turning in three individual wins, including Martin Cox in the 12/13yrs 100m butterfly, and maximum points from both the girls' and boys' 14/15yrs freestyle teams of Julia Beckett, Kerrie Taylor, Laura Chase and Louise Cox for the girls, with Simon Le Couilliard, Edward Askham-Spencer, Matthew King and Max Underhay for the boys.

Looking to join in the fun, the open age group swimmers turned up the heat. With a second place from Laura Chase and a win from Christopher Thompson in the 200m medley, they edged into the lead from Kent by a point.

Using their experience, the seniors collected a further individual win from Caroline Smart (100m butterfly) and three team victories from the ladies' medley quartet (Alexandra Hamilton, Rikki Jackson, Caroline Smart and Tara Hutt), the ladies freestyle team (Alexandra Hamilton, Gail Strobridge, Tara Hutt and Caroline Smart), plus the men's freestyle squad (William Felgate, Christopher Thompson, Alexis Militis and James Woodcock) to win the section by just 1.5 points.

Having established their halfway lead, the age groupers were in no mood to relax, and continued to dominate the pool.

A further nine wins came from Elizabeth Kreuz, Ian Powell, Julia Beckett and Simon Le Couilliard in 100m backstroke, Julia Beckett and Emma Wicks in the 100m freestyle, Louise Cox in the 200m medley, the boys' 12/13yrs freestyle (James Stockdale, John McHarg, Martin Cox and Lewis Blake) and the 16/17yrs girls' medley (Elizabeth Kreuz, Rikki Jackson, Katherine Gamlin, Gail Strobridge).

No one could stay with them and this excellent set of results pulled them well ahead of the other counties, winning their trophy by a convincing 37.5 points. Together with the open age group triumph, county president, Mary Collett, joined the team on the winner's rostrum.

Hampshire head for Sheffield later this year to contest the Inter-County Championships.