Hannah Clegg finished second-best in a regional championship race for the second time in two months at the Southern Counties winter championship.

But, where last month's Southern Schools silver ended a long run of school-level success, her 50m backstroke silver at Barnet Copthall this time could just mark the start of bigger things.

Clegg, a bronze medallist in the 100m, was touched out in the 50m finish by Olympian Katy Sexton as the pair finished clear of the rest. She had pushed the British champion close at the Guildford open meet in the summer; then in the Olympic trials. She finished tenth in the semi-final, just 0.9sec off a place in the final, but over 4sec shy of the new GB record with which Sexton booked her Sydney ticket.

Here, there was little more than 1/10th sec in it.

"They were the two class swimmers of the field," declared happy Fareham Nomads coach Stewart Crowe. "I should imagine Katy's had a bit of time out since Sydney but she's an international swimmer and it's great for Hannah to be up there".

Great, too, for Jo Swatton, who stepped back in time for her first open Southern Counties championship in nearly 15 years - and left swimmers half her age trailing in her wake. The World Masters gold medallist, in unstoppable form this year in age-group events, matched Clegg with silver in the 200m backstroke - beaten only by Ealing's junior international Charlotte Dallas.

Nomad freestyler Rebecca Newman managed fourth in the 200m (2.09), fifth in the 800m (9.18) and seventh in the 400m, all in the same day, while sprinter William Felgate was sixth in the 50m freestyle.

Emma Wicks continued to mark herself out as one of City of Southampton's most promising youngsters, with a tremendous swim in the junior 200m butterfly at the winter Southern Counties.

Her 2.35pb may only have placed her eighth in the junior event - but that's for under-17s. Wicks is just 12, and this time should easily qualify her for next summer's age-group Nationals.

It's too early, of course, to say how far Wicks may go but coach Alan Ayles is clear that "anything she gets, she deserves. She trains about nine sessions a week and works very, very hard. She's a very determined little girl."

City's Southampton University student Aaron Rogers was fourth in the 400m individual medley, a second off a medal and a little way off his best in 4.53.

Julia Beckett provided Winchester City Penguins' highlight, adding a junior 100m backstroke silver medal here to her national age-group silver in the summer.

Romsey & Totton stars Ashley and Alex Savage both missed out on the medals, with three fourth places between them.