ALEX SAVAGE was in sparkling form with four individual and two relay wins as Romsey & Totton's A team secured a third place finish in the third Hants & South Coast Minor League qualifying gala.

They finished some way behind Hart and hosts Alton but well clear of Fareham Nomads' C string in fourth. The result means both Romsey A and Fareham C join Southampton and Eastleigh in the B final at Waterlooville.

Savage came home ahead in the girls under-15 100m backstroke (1.11.53) and breaststroke (1.21.73) - then repeated her breaststroke win in the open age group (1.18.64) and added the open 100m individual medley (1.09.49).

She also joined winning relay teams in the under-15 freestyle (with Emma Templeman, Charlie Cardy, Kathy Abraham - 2.07.92) and the mixed open medley (with Paul Hallum, Ashley Savage, Vicki White - 2.06.83).

In all Romsey & Totton notched nine wins and 12 sec-ond places. Vicki White won the open 100m butterfly (1.10.05) then teamed up with Paul Hallum, Annie Bainbridge and Chris Coombe for her second relay win, in the mixed open freestyle (1.51.66).

Michael Sweetenham won the boys under-15 100m freestyle (1.05.22). Hallum (open 100m butterfly), Ashley Savage (open 100m breaststroke), Coombe (open 100m freestyle) and Templeman (under-15 freestyle) also picked up individual silvers - as did Robert Coombes (in both open 100m individual medley and backstroke), Vicki Keld and Marc Pinkney (in their respective under-13 50m freestyles) and Matt Tilbury (under-13 50m breast-stroke).

The girls' under-13 squad of Vicki Keld, Stephanie Noble, Katie Hunter and Nicola Allen took second in both 4x100 freestyle and medley, while the girls under-15 squad took 4x200 medley silver.

Fareham Nomads' C team will be satisfied with their performance amid A and B-string opposition.

Daniel Crook provided their one win in the under-13 50m butterfly; but a strong all-round performance meant Nomads swimmers placed sixth in only three of the 49 events, ensuring their mid-table finish. R&T's B string was a distant sixth and last, but enjoyed the highlights of three third-place finishes - from Tony Edwards in the 100m open butterfly, Tony Fields in the open 100m back-stroke, and the boys under-11 4x1 med-ley team.

RESULT: 1 Hart A 239, 2 Alton B 233, 3 Romsey & Totton A 188, 4 Fareham Nomads C 149, 5 Hart B 137, 6 Romsey B 59. (Ferndown B DNS)

In the fourth qualifying gala, Rushmoor's total dominance makes them favourites for the overall title.

In the battle for the minor placings, New Milton Torpedoes squeezed past Basingstoke B for fourth place. Their strong team effort - yielding six new club records - was spearheaded by a pair of under-11 bronze medallists.

Geoffrey Shaw was third in the 50m freestyle (44.12) and Nicola Sloane took third in both 50m backstroke (48.73) and butterfly (51.06).

New Milton and Isle of Wight B go into the C final at Fleet, while Gosport Dolphins host Ringwood, Winchester B, Isle of Wight C, Romsey B and Ferndown B in the D final.

RESULT: 1 Rushmoor 265, 2 Tigers (Jersey) 208, 3 Havant & Waterlooville B 173, 4 New Milton 128, 5 Basingstoke B 127, 6 Ringwood 108.

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