HAMPSHIRE backstroke swimmer Katy Sexton is preparing for what could be an exciting summer with a head-to-head against the commonwealth champion this weekend.

The race between Portsmouth Northsea's Sexton and Sarak Price of Barnett Copthall could be one of the highlights of a meet at Bath specially designed for top British swimmers preparing for this summer's Barcelona World Championships.

Sexton set two Commonwealth and British records herself at the trials in March, and is looking forward to renewing her competition with Price. The backstroke pair's duel at the Nationals was the highlight of the competition for some and Sexton hopes to continue her winning streak in Bath.

"The competition is always there between Sarah and I, and it will be interesting once again to go against her this weekend," said Sexton. "However, I have performed well enough to make the World Championship squad so it will be different for me this time. I can relax and just concentrate on the training as opposed to chasing a qualification place as I have done in the past."

British Swimming national performance director Bill Sweetenham will use the University of Bath meet to demand greater things from his swimmers in readiness for taking on the rest of the world in July.

All swimmers will be asked to swim to within two per cent of their personal best times at the Bath event and, in some cases, finals will be contested by swimmers who have achieved this rather than those who swim quickest.

It will be the first time the nation's elite have competed since the British Championships in March where those hoping to go to the World Championships in Spain were given their first opportunity to qualify for the squad.

The Bath event is stage one of three meets that have been specifically designed by Sweetenham to ensure swimmers build on their times in the run-up to the World Championships.

Stage two will be held in Swansea from May 30 to June 1 before the swimmers have their second and final chance of qualifying for the World Championship squad at the stage three meet, the Scottish Long Course Championships in Glasgow, from June 19-22.

It will be a punishing meet this weekend for the British Swimming contingent as, already in heavy training ahead of Barcelona, they will be expected to undergo a heavy workload throughout the meet when not competing.

British swimming head coach Ian Turner said: "Swimmers achieved selection times at the Nationals in Sheffield with a minimum of racing but now we want to maximise the racing so they can go to the Worlds with thorough race preparation on top of a lot of hard work," said Turner.

Isle of Wight breaststroke ace Darren Mew will provide more drama along with the rest of the men's breaststroke contingent - James Gibson of Loughborough, Adam Whitehead of Coventry, Chris Cooke of Newcastle and Ian Edmond of Edinburgh.

Other aspects of the new look competition format will see heats being contested in the evenings while swimmers will compete in semi-finals and finals during morning sessions.