City of Newcastle Amateur Swimming Club won each of their regional qualifying rounds and the regional decider to qualify fastest for the Junior League northern final at Felling Pool, Gateshead. The final comprised of 49 individual and team events in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly for swimmers aged nine to 12. Newcastle went on to win the northern final for the first time with 202 points, four points clear of second-placed Lincoln Vulcans, after claiming 14 race wins. Stockport Metro were third with 190, Borough of Kirklees fourth with 180, Southport fifth with 153 and Nuneaton and Beckworth sixth with 103 points. Swimming Development Officer Dawn Peart said: "This was by far the strongest final Newcastle has been in. "To win it for the first time puts us in a very strong position to contest the national final, for which we have now qualified, at Weston Super Mare on November 20." Newcastle had eight individual winners - Josh Hobbs (boys' nine-years freestyle), Steph Redfern (girls' backstroke), Lucy Gordon (girls' 12yrs butterfly), Ellen Barton (girls' 10yrs butterfly and freestyle), Charlotte Sim (girls' 11yrs freestyle), Alice Miller (girls' 12yrs breaststroke) and Andrew Dixon (boys' 12yrs breaststroke). The six squad wins came from the girls' 12yrs medley & freestyle teams, girls' nine years freestyle team, boys' nine years freestyle team and the girls' 11yrs freestyle and medley squads. City of Newcastle need to raise funds to cover travel and accommodation expenses for the trip to Somerset. Anyone able to help should contact club secretary Janet Eyre on (0191) 211 6250. Sunderland and North Durham Finswimming Club have secured a training session at Consett's Belle Vue Swim Centre on Monday (5.30-6.30). The club's next competitive outing is on Saturday, November 26, at Edenbridge, Kent, when the 2005/6 British National Finswimming League fixtures get under way with the Edenbridge Open Meet incorporating the British Short Course Championships. Sunderland/North Durham will face teams from Tonbridge, Southampton and Swansea. | 
