IT WAS success all the way for local clubs in the National Speedo League with all five east Dorset squads making it through to their respective finals.

Ferndown Otters and Bournemouth Dolphins both qualified comfortably for the eight-team Premier Division West final after finishing second in their respective second round galas.

But they will be travelling to Weston-super-Mare on December 11, rather than the usual venue at Millfield School, whose 50m pool was already booked for a water polo event.

Poole scraped into the Division One final at Gloucester on a countback of race wins in the first two rounds after tying with Dinnaton on both league and gala points.

Wareham will also be heading for Hutton Moor for a Division Two final which follows the Premier Division showdown.

In Division Three, unbeaten Seagulls will be leaving early for a 1pm start at Gloucester, where they will be among the favourites for promotion.

Ferndown Otters

Ferndown's star-studded ladies' team led the scoring as Otters made sure of their customary place in the final with second place in their second round gala at Plymouth.

It will be their 20th final in 21 years.

Alex Savage contributed to a maximum of four wins as Ferndown dropped only two of the available 42 points in the women's events.

Savage, who will miss next month's final because of international duties at the European short course championships in Vienna, won the 200m individual medley in 2:16.94 and the 100m breaststroke in 1:11.22.

She also shared a medley relay victory with Keeley Sheppard (back), Hayley Morris (fly) and Karen Legg (free) in 2:01.91 and a 6 x 50m freestyle win in which Emily Freeman and Sadie Howes joined the esteemed quartet (2:49.21).

Legg, in the water for the first time since August, also won the women's 100m freestyle in 57.88.

The other two open ladies' results were second places from Hayley Morris in the 100m fly (1:06.62) and Keeley Sheppard in the 100m back (1:09.62).

Lydia McManus was in fine form, winning the 13/u 100m butterfly (1:08.00) and freestyle (1:03.91).

Fran Hughes added to Ferndown's tally of 10 wins in the 10-11yrs 50m breaststroke (40.27).

Other wins came from the boys' 9-11yrs and girls 15/u medley teams of Luke Raggett, Alex Sampson, Chris Allen and Chris Wignall (2:44.72) and Nicola Cruickshank, Emma Simpson, Lydia McManus and Emily Freeman (2:09.49).

Emily Freeman achieved three individual second places - in the 15/u 100m fly (1:09.61) freestyle (1:01.21) and the 13/u 100m fly (1:01.21).

Second places also went to Nicola Cruickshank in the 15/u 100m backstroke (1:09.61) and Leigh Jenkinson in the men's 100m freestyle (55.93).

Relay seconds: Girls 15/u free Nicola Cruickshank, Hannah Jenkins, Emily Freeman, Lydia McManus 1:56.90; 9-11yrs medley Jacey Mayall, Nancy McManus, Fran Hughes, Georgina Blake 2:37.97. Boys 15/u free George Melling, Daniel Raggett, James Blake, Ashley Mace 1:49.25.

Result: Plymouth Leander 257, Ferndown 197, City of Truro 172, Weston-super-Mare 157, Hereford 143, Soundwell 122.

Bournemouth Dolphins

Bournemouth Dolphins missed out on last year's final but 12 wins, eight second places and a stack of personal best times ensured a better result this time.

Fourteen-year-old Claire Humphreys followed up her girl-of-the-meet award at Millfield a week earlier with a second place in the women's 200m medley (2:27.54) followed by wins in the 15/u 100m butterfly (1:08.78) and breaststroke in 1:19.56 - a PB by seven seconds.

She also shared a second place behind Kelly College with 6 x 50m freestyle team-mates Amy Rees, Ashleigh Osborne-Scott, Sabina Heywood, Danielle Frances and Corinna Colmer.

Dominic Macdonald, 13, also resumed where he had left off a week earlier, winning the 13/u 100m breaststroke in 1:18.10 and, 15 minutes later, the 100m backstroke in 1:07.35 - personal improvements by three and four seconds respectively.

He also shared medley and freestyle wins with 13/u team-mates Chris Campbell, Jon Marsh and 12-year-old Charles Solly.

Campbell himself swam two outstanding 100m butterfly races in 20 minutes, placing fourth in the 15/u age group in 1:06.68 and second in his own 13/u section in 1:06.91.

Ben Gibbs, 16, was another high points scorer, taking the men's 100m fly in 1:00.00 and the backstroke in 1:01.81, while 20-year-old Tom Cunningham took the 100m freestyle in 54.29.

Kostas Stamatakis and John Adye joined Gibbs and Cunningham to win the men's medley relay and, with Mark Forrester and Ross Gardner, to place second in the 6x50m freestyle relay.

Sabina Heywood won the 13/u 100 freestyle in 1:01.0 and came second in the backstroke.

Tom Bufton provided a token win for the 11yrs age group, taking the 50m breaststroke in a fine 43.81.

Result: Kelly College 242, Bournemouth Dolphins 200, Tigersharks (Swindon) 175, Stroud 168, West Wilts 146, Bristol North 109.

Wareham

It was ladies' night for Wareham as they stormed into the Division Two final with second place in their round two fixture at Exeter.

The open ladies squad produced five of the club's 14 wins as the Water-Rats grabbed matched their first round result.

National youth championship finalist Hannah Blakeley was involved in four of those wins.

The Parkstone Grammar School sixth former got Wareham off to a flying start with victory in the 100m individual medley in 1:11.55 and later followed up with an easy win in the 100m breaststroke (1:17.59).

She also shared in a 4 x 50m medley relay victory with Kim Novell, Anneka Rose and Laura Budden and in a 6 x 50m freestyle win with these three plus Michelle Redout and Hannah Smith.

Novell herself, meanwhile, won the women's 100m freestyle in 1:04.48.

For the juniors, Brogan Lovett achieved her customary win in the 11/u 50m breaststroke (44.38) before teaming up with Ellie Maynard, Jessica Millar and newcomer Ione Ibbotson to win the medley relay and with another newcomer, Rachel Woolley, in place of Ibbotson for the freestyle.

Joshua Eiles-Clarke spear-head the boys' efforts and was involved in four victories.

He took the 15/u 100m butterfly in 1:08.08 and the 100m freestyle in 58.15 and joined Peter Oxborrow, Sam Thompson and Scott Major for medley and freestyle relay successes.

Oxborrow himself won first in the 15/u 100m breaststroke (1:22.10) and came second in the 100m backstroke.

Om Thakker won the 11/u 50m Backstroke in 41.75 and in the same age group Joshua Dobson came second in the 50m breaststroke.

Other second places came from Abigail Maynard in the 13/u backstroke, Jessicah Meteau in the 13/u 50m freestyle and Hannah Tomes did likewise in the 15/u100m butterfly.

Relay seconds: Girls 13/u freestyle (Abigail Maynard, Jessicah Meteau, Hannah Lyons, Hannah Smith). 15/u freestyle (Hannah Tomes, Sam Major, Michelle Smith, Abigail Jessop); medley (Cindy Connor, Major, Smith, Jessop).

Result: Yeovil 218, Wareham 206, Exmouth 181, Bristol Henleaze 165, Paignton 151, Salisbury 124.

Poole

Poole found their second round visit to Exeter almost as hard as their first round gala, but managed 11 wins and 15 personal best times proved just enough for third place - and a place in the Division One final.

The girls produced the lion's share of wins, most notably Sarah Meaker, who took the women's 100m individual medley in 1:11.54 and the 100m freestyle in 1:03.47.

Karen Yendole, 24, had the swim of her life in the women's 100m breaststroke, holding off a Newport rival to win by 0.3sec in 1:17.21.

Nicola Sloan and Sarah Bamber chipped in with victories in the 15/u 100m fly (1:10.32) and breaststroke (1:17.24) respectively.

Emma Baird took the 11/u 50m fly in 37.49.

The girls' 15/u relay team of Sloan, Bamber, Lara Maskell and Meaker won their 4 x 50m freestyle and medley races in 1:56.67 and 2.11.89 then, with Yendole and Elaine Lewis, took a thrilling 6 x 50m freestyle in 2:56.14.

The boys' team of Littlefair, Rafferty, Olenicz and Gale also achieved freestyle and medley relay wins (2:15.87 and 2:43.38).

Result: Newport 236, Taunton Dean 219, Poole 184, Barnstaple 153, City of Cardiff B 140, Carn Brea 108.