Northumberland and Durham put up a fine performance to finish second of the 39 teams, the 33 English counties plus four from Scotland and two from Wales, in the annual ASA inter-county age group competition at Sheffield. The winners for the first time were Hampshire. Lancashire were third and fourth were Yorkshire, champions for the past two years, writes ERIC WILKINSON.

Sedgefield's Angie Winstanley-Smith won the girls 14-15yrs 100m backstroke, Andrew Thirlwell (Newcastle) was first to the wall in the boys 14-15yrs 100m freestyle and along with Paul Robson (Newcastle), Chris Wilson (Wear Valley) and Richard Savage (Peterlee) was also in the winning medley relay team. The runner-up in the girls 12-13yrs 100m butterfly was Danielle Berry (Newcastle) who lives in Hartlepool.

Swimming and waterpolo international Matthew Bowden (Sedgefield) defends the English Schools senior (16-18yrs) boys 100m national breaststroke title when the 51st championships take place at Douglas, Isle of Man, this weekend. The division one (Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria, Cleveland, Tyne and Wear) teams' only other winner at last year's championships in Felling was Andrew Thirlwell in the junior (11-13yrs) 200m individual medley. He competes in the intermediate (14-15yrs) 100m freestyle this year.

The team's only winner the previous year in Jersey was Chris Surtees (Middlesbrough) from Hunwick in the junior 100m butterfly. He is in the intermediate event this year. Angie Winstanley-Smith, another dual international and a national age group champion, is in the intermediate 100m backstroke.

The strong team includes several other outstanding youngsters. Among them are national age group champion Stephanie Proud (Chester-le-Street), junior 100m backstroke, former double national age group champion Richard Savage, junior 100m butterfly; Chris Wilson, intermediate 100m breaststroke, winner of two national age group silver medals; Natasha Crawley (Middlesbrough) from Darlington, intermediate 100m butterfly, second and third at the national age groups and Danielle Berry, junior 100m butterfly, a triple national age group bronze medallist.

The winners will represent England against Scotland, Wales and Ireland in the Home Countries Schools international in Wales next year.

Many of the area's older swimmers will be competing at the national masters championships at Sheffield this weekend.

The Northumberland and Durham junior men's waterpolo team plays against the strong Lancashire side in the Northern qualifying round of the national junior county championship at the new Manchester Commonwealth Games pool next week. The Twin Counties has already beaten Cheshire and lost to Yorkshire.