BROTHER and sister Jamie and Jasmine Holmes led a gold rush for Bournemouth Dolphins swimmers on the first weekend of the South West Age Group Championships at Millfield.

Twelve-year-old Jamie hit the gold trail when he won the 12yrs 200m breaststroke in 2:50.61.

Within an hour, 11-year-old Jasmine was also visiting the top step of the podium after winning her age group’s 1500m freestyle in 19:32.95.

They now have five national qualifying times between them with hopes of more to come.

Jasmine’s 1500m swim elevates her to sixth in the national rankings for 11-year-olds – and first among those born in 1999. It also gave her victory by 14 seconds. She later added a bronze in the 11yrs 400m freestyle in 5:03.85.

Dolphins’ Jack Burton and Dan Speers followed their medal-winning exploits at Sheffield with gold and bronze, respectively, in the 13yrs 200m breaststroke in 2:37.99 and 2:40.27. Dorset provided three of the first four in this final as Ferndown’s Noah Vides knocked eight seconds off his PB to claim fourth place in 2:45.23.

The time also means he will be joining them at next month’s nationals.

Tom Kingham added two medals to Dolphins’ haul – gold in the 11yrs 100m freestyle (1:04.70) and bronze in the 200m breaststroke (3:10.98) – while team-mate Jasmine Oliver-House won the 10yrs 200m butterfly in 3:04.94 and Harry Thorpe claimed silver in the 14yrs 100m freestyle (56.82).

Bradley Currie’s win in the 11yrs 400m freestyle in 5:04.15 took Dolphins’ gold tally to six, although he is now with Poole SC. Dolphins’ boys team of Speers, Burton, Thorpe and Mikey Kingsley are hoping to qualify for the national relays after winning bronze behind high-flying Plymouth Leander and Millfield in the 4x100m freestyle and medley.

A third relay bronze came from Dolphins’ 4x200m freestylers Rachel Hawkins, Sophie Cooke, Bethany Folland and Jasmine Holmes.

Christchurch and New Milton Seagulls’ Andrew Botros will be heading for his first nationals after slashing nine seconds off his PB to win the 11yrs 200m butterfly by 15 metres in 2:42.58.

The time was also nine seconds inside the national qualifying standard and ranks him fourth in the country in his age group.

Club-mate Peter Griffiths became regional champion in the 1500m freestyle for the third year running with a winning 18:06.05. The 13-year-old finished 32 seconds ahead but, agonisingly, was six seconds short of the national time. Alan Wong came back from a week of illness to top Ferndown’s tally with gold in the 12yrs 100m freestyle in 1:01.20. Matthew Collins won silver in the 10yrs 100m backstroke and bronze in the 100m freestyle.

Silver also went to both Luke Stuart, as he improved his national qualifying time with 3:04.74 in the 11yrs 200m breaststroke, and Christy Cole in the 12yrs 100m freestyle, with bronze going to Jaz Hepburn in the 12yrs 1500m freestyle.

Todd Price added two silvers for Otters although, like Currie, he has recently switched to Poole. He was second in the 13yrs 200m butterfly (2:27.42) and 400m freestyle (4:37.67).

Among his new Poole team-mates, Harry Kemp won silver in the 200m butterfly and 400m freestyle and Emily Clarke silver and bronze, respectively, in the 12yrs 1500m freestyle and 200m butterfly.