TORNADOES of South Dorset senior swimmers Jenny Scott and Rebecca Beal have earned national championship invitations.

Both girls will now go to Sheffield in August to represent their club and race the top 18-year-old and over girls in the country.

There have been massive changes made by British swimming in the way that nationals are decided, there are no qualifying times this year, swimmers simply have to be in the top 24 nationally to be invited.

Beal entered the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the three-day Cardiff International open meet, with hopes of making the grade in the 200m.

She started on the Friday with a good 100m swim where she went faster than she had at regionals a month earlier.

On the Saturday, her focus event was the 200m, she went out hard from the start and her reward was a great swim some four seconds faster than her swim at regionals, and a lifetime best by almost a second, this had put her in with a real chance of a national invite, she finished her weekend of with a solid 50m and departed Wales a happy swimmer.

Scott had virtually guaranteed herself an invite to Sheffield in the 50m backstroke, but still wanted to add to the list. She had a busy schedule of 50m/100m freestyle, 50m/100m butterfly and 50m/100m backstroke.

She started with the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly where she made back-to-back finals, and secured a very well-deserved bronze medal in the freestyle.

Saturday was meant to be her preferred day and good swims in the morning heats led to a reserve spot in the 100m freestyle and a mid-lane entry in the 50m backstroke final.

Swimming is a cruel sport at times and it proved to be in the 50m backstroke where she had a final that she will not wish to look back on. Scott slipped on the wall at the start and although she continued and finished strongly she was last to hit the timing pad.

The last day saw another final made in the 100m butterfly where good heat and final times were produced. Scott left Cardiff with very mixed emotions, but with very real possibilities of further national qualification.

An agonising period saw the swimmers and coaches waiting to see if their times had been good enough, happily Scott has added the 50m freestyle by ranking 20th, to her 50m backstroke where she is ranked eighth.

Beal’s time was good enough to rank her 14th to send her to her first national championships.

Head coach Chris Beal was delighted with the invitations.

He said: “The girls have just focused on their training and worked so hard all season and they both thoroughly deserve their places at Ponds Forge.”