British junior water polo international Angie Winstanley-Smith (Sedgefield) played her part in Britain finishing second, just seven points behind Germany, in the annual three nations junior international swimming contest in Hamburg with Italy third, writes ERIC WILKINSON.

This was Angie's first appearance in the British junior swimming team and she finished fourth in the 50m and 100m backstroke and fifth in the 200m. Last year at Cambridge Germany won by 68 points.

Olympian Sue Rolph, now back with Newburn, the club she started with before moving to Newcastle and with new coach Paul Hogg, the former national long distance swimming champion, gained three bronze medals at the European short course championships in Valencia, Spain, in the 100m and 200m individual medley and the 4x50m freestyle team.

Sedgefield club members Angie Winstanley-Smith, intermediate 100m backstroke and Matthew Bowden senior 100m breaststroke, along with Christopher Surtees (Middlesbrough) intermediate 100m butterfly, Andrew Thirlwell (Newcastle) intermediate 100m freestyle, and Joanne Jackson (Richmond), junior 100m butterfly, the sister of Olympian Nicola, who gets her first international selction. All winners at the English Schools national championships in the Isle of Man in October, are included in its team for the 30th home countries schools international against Scotland, Wales and Ireland in Wrexham on March 24.

Bowden and Thirlwell were also in the team which kept its unbeaten record at Ipswich last year and Surtees was in the team the previous year in Ireland.

The most successful competitor at the Wear Valley Christmas Stocking open gala was Aimee Ramm (Kingfisher) who was first in four events to win the girls open and 15 and over top points prizes. Newcastle's Danielle Berry scored a hat-trick to take the girls 12 award.

Robyn Neely (Durham), 11, and Louise Mead (Newcastle), 13, both had doubles to claim their age group prizes. Sarah Bennett (Gateshead), 10, and Vicky Miller (Newcastle), 14, both had one win to top their age group points.

The boys open and 15 and over prizewinner was Michael Roy (Derwentside) with two first places, Durham's Dayne Hitch also with two wins, top scored in the ten years section. Ben Newman (Newcastle) and Matthew Clark (Derwentside) shared the 13 years prize; Stephen Borthwick (Newcastle), 14, Robert Irwin (Wear Valley), 12, and Andrew Clapham (New Earswick), 11, all with maximum points in one event were the other age group points winners.

Peter Thompson (Middlesbrough), 10, Katie Marie Hall (Derwentside), 16, and Graham Parker (South Tyneside), 16, scored doubles but missed out on the top points awards