POOLE'S brand new B team look set to challenge for promotion at the first attempt following a storming victory in their National Arena League opening fixture.

While Premier Division Poole A were recording an impressive second place behind former national champions Plymouth Leander, their club-mates were going one better in Division Two at Swindon.

Poole won 31 of the 50 races and came second in another eight.

The result puts them second in the table just four gala points behind City of Newport.

Coach Becky Brown said: “Our youngest swimmers did a fantastic job in their first-ever Arena League gala.

“Some 10-year-olds were swimming in the 13 and under relays.”

Will Longhurst and Ryan Openshaw between them won all four individual events in the boys’ 13/u age group, Longhurst taking the 100m breaststroke and backstroke, Openshaw the butterfly and freestyle.

Andrew Botros, Liam Openshaw and Xavier West were also double winners, Botros winning the men’s 200m individual medley and 100m backstroke, Openshaw the 15/u 100m butterfly and freestyle, West the 11/u 50m fly and freestyle.

Openshaw’s butterfly time of 1:09.19 was a three-second PB while in the girls’ 10-11yrs 50m butterfly Grace Camm improved her time by two seconds to win in 39.50.

Other individual winners were Hannah Dean (11/u 100m backstroke), Oliver Weston (open 100m fly), Tia Paginton (13/u 100m back), Jasmine Wong (15/u 100m breast), Luca Sartorius (11/u 50m breast), Holly Harris (15/u 100m free), Poppaea Bramwell-Reeks (open 100m back), Holly Chandler (11/u 50m free), Joshua Everton (15/u 100m breast) and Morgan Long (open 100m free).

Result (points adjusted for six-team gala): 1 Poole B 292, 2 Backwell 237, 3 Kingsbridge Kingfishers 191, 4 City of Bristol B 181, 5 Swindon B 174, 6 Torquay 117.

• Poole Swimming Club have been shortlisted for the Swim England Performance Club of the Year award.

The nomination follows a year in which butterfly star Jacob Peters reached world junior finals and broke British 17yrs age group records while Jazz McCrea made European junior semi-finals.

Poole also recently won the Southern Junior League for the first time.

Award winners will be announced at Birmingham on November 11.

• Regional medallist and national qualifier Abby Manns has been appointed as Swim Bournemouth’s first-ever club captain.

Assistant head coach Sam Woodward said Manns was a “clear role model” to other swimmers and someone who had “demonstrated the values of Swim Bournemouth”.

Meanwhile Poole have appointed British junior champion Jacob Peters and British Championships swimmer Thea O’Keefe as their new men’s and women’s captains.