THE Tornadoes of South Dorset took five of their top swimmers to the Plymouth Life Centre for the three-day long ASA South West Regional Youth Championships.

The qualifiers were Ciaran Richards, Joshua Rowe, Joshua Frampton, Oliver Mills, and Rebecca Beal.

Frampton 15 was at his first youth regionals and had qualified for 11 events, 50/100/200m freestyle, 50/100/200m breaststroke, 50/100/200m backstroke, 50m fly and 200m individual medley.

He started with 200m breaststroke where he set a good time to finish 13th.

He went from strength to strength claiming personal bests in each discipline.

Looking as strong in his last swim as in his first one, he left Plymouth tired but with a huge smile on his face.

Rowe 15, also at his first youth regionals had qualified for 50/100/200m backstroke.

He started with the 50m event where a fast swim saw him easily beat his entry time, only later finding that he had been disqualified, for a fully submerged finish.

He recovered from the disappointment of that with good 100m and 200m swims, leaving Plymouth with mixed emotions, but knowing what he needed to do to improve his performances.

Mills, 15, was at his first regional event.

He had qualified for the 50/100m breaststroke. He started with the 100m, where he swam just outside his entry time on day two of the event.

He came back on the last day determined to do better in the 50m and he did not disappoint, going almost a second faster than his entry time, and making a reserve finalist spot, another happy swimmer left Plymouth.

Richards, 18, has missed much of the 2016 season.

However he still managed to qualify for a second successive year in the 50m backstroke. He arrived at Plymouth on the first day of the competition in positive mood and produced a great swim taking almost a second off his entry time.

Beal had qualified for her 12th consecutive regionals in 50/100/200m breaststroke.

Her first event was her favoured 200m, and despite also missing much of the season she started well with a season's best time.

She followed that with a club record 50m swim, and ended the competition with a best ever long-course time in the 100m.