Ferndown Otters retained their Southern Junior League title with a convincing victory that also maintained their longstanding record as the South West’s most consistent club.

Otters recorded 20 wins and 15 second places in the final at Weston-super-Mare, finishing out of the top two only 14 times.

They also recorded 40 personal best times in 49 events.

Their dominance built a 56-point lead over their nearest challengers to secure their 10th league title in a 22-year spell which has also seen them as runners-up eight times.

They will now represent the league in the national semi-final against other regional champions in October.

Ferndown head coach Emma Hirst said: “It was a fantastic team effort. I knew we had a good opportunity but I was surprised at our margin of victory.”

On the club’s remarkable record over 22 years, she added: “If we notice that any five to seven-year-olds have some ability, we take them out of swimming lessons and by the time they are eight or nine they have the skills to enable them to compete.”

Eight of Ferndown’s race wins came in relays.

In the individual events, double winners were Ben Samuel (9yrs 25m freestyle and butterfly), Morgan Long (9yrs girls’ 25m backstroke and butterfly), Matthew Collins (10yrs 50m backstroke and freestyle) and Alan Wong (12/u 50m butterfly and backstroke).

Ethan Bell won the 9yrs 25m breaststroke, Luke Stuart the 11/u 50m breaststroke, Myles Horlock the 12/u 50m freestyle and for the girls Christy Cole the 12/u 50m breaststroke.

Poole maintained their steep improvement curve under their young French coach Robin Armayan, finishing third in their first final since 2002 and missing second place by just three points.

Armayan said: “It was a great achievement to get to the final so I am really pleased to come third. Ferndown are really strong and I don’t think we will win next year but I think we can target second place.”

Poole were almost a match for Ferndown in the individual events, which provided nine of their 12 wins, but lacked the depth of their local rivals in the relays.

Harry Kemp and Jessica Richens recorded a ‘double double’ in the 10yrs age group, finishing well ahead in the boys’ and girls’ 50m breaststroke and butterfly. In the same age group Georga Harrison won the 50m backstroke and freestyle.

Other winners were Jacob Peters in the 9yrs 25m backstroke, Kiran Olenicz in the 11/u 50m backstroke and Emily Clarke in the 12/u 50m freestyle.

Christchurch and New Milton Seagulls – happy to be in their second final in three years – just missed their target of finishing within 50 points of the rest.

National qualifier Andrew Botros provided two of their three wins in the 11/u 50m butterfly and freestyle, while Ben Wickens won the 12/u 50m breaststroke.

Second places went to Zoe Gannaway in the 9yrs 25m breaststroke and butterfly, Christian Tie in the boys’ 9yrs breaststroke and Hannah Price in the 11/u 50m butterfly.

Result: 1 Ferndown Otters 234, 2 Weston-super-Mare 179, 3 Poole 176, 4 SX3 Swindon 168, 5 Swindon Dolphin 166, 6 Christchurch & New Milton Seagulls 101.

• Bournemouth Dolphins – league champions in 2007 and 2008 and convinced that only quirky rules stopped them reaching this year’s top six – held off a challenge from Yeovil to win the second tier final at Swindon.

Their 21 wins included two each from Beth Folland (12/u fly and backstroke), Jamie Holmes (12/u fly and breaststroke) and Grace Kingsley (10yrs back and free).

Other individual winners were Jack Olden (9yrs free), Rafael McReath (9yrs fly), Chris Parsons-Lowey (10yrs back), Matt Lumley (11/u back), Oscar Esposti (12/u free), Kiana Hooshmand (12/u breast) and Ross Webb (12/u back).

Result: 1 Bournemouth Dolphins 248, 2 Yeovil 235, 3 Keynsham 161, 4 Jurassic 137, 5 Frome 120, 6 SX3 Swindon B 114.