SWIM Bournemouth are heading for their second Arena Junior League national final in three years after coming fourth in the south of England inter-league showdown at Barnet Copthall, north London.

The Southern Junior League champions now head for Corby, Northamptonshire, on Sunday, November 30 to take on the best seven other junior league champions in England.

Swim Bournemouth head coach Emma Richards said: “This was a great result. To come fourth against large city squads is a fantastic achievement by the swimmers and our age group coaching staff.”

Swim Bournemouth needed to achieve a top-four place at Barnet to make the national final.

They did so at the expense of M11 Junior League champions Barnet Copthall, who were eighth in last year’s national final, and the winners of the Derby & Notts Junior League, City of Derby, who last made it to Corby in 2011.

Two of Swim Bournemouth’s four race wins came in the 10yrs girls’ events – from Amy Brown in the 50m breaststroke (42.01) and Hermione Cull in the 50m freestyle (32.25).

Their other winners were Tiger Kelleway in the boys’ 12yrs 50m freestyle (28.61) and Ella Bowman in the girls’ 11yrs 50m butterfly (35.38).

The three winning girls were also contributed to a string of second places.

Bowman was runner-up in the 11yrs 50m backstroke and joined Charlotte Head, Rosie Holland and Jessica Kelleway to come second in the 11/u freestyle and medley relays.

Holland herself had an individual second place in the 11yrs 50m breaststroke.

Brown was second in the 10yrs 50m backstroke and Cull in the 10yrs 50m butterfly and they were joined by Aimie Quarrie and Alex Palotai Avella for second place in the 10yrs freestyle relay.

Swim Bournemouth’s nine-year-old boys achieved a trio of third places, Matthew Workman in the 9yrs 25m freestyle, Felipe Gregory in the 25m breaststroke and the 9yrs medley relay team of Darcy Cornette, Gregory, Workman and Daniel Randall.

Third places also went to Tiger Kelleway in the 12yrs 50m backstroke and the 12yrs girls’ freestyle team of Casey Smith, Fran Gallimore, Isabelle Hepburn and Abbi Quarrie.

Result: 1 Guildford City 232, 2 Northampton 208, 3 City of Norwich 182, 4 Swim Bournemouth 148, 5 Barnet Copthall 142, 6 City of Derby 117.