Sedgefield's junior international swimmer and waterpolo player Angela Winstanley-Smith, 15, has been chosen as the Northumberland and Durham Counties Swimmer of the Year, writes ERIC WILKINSON.

She will be presented with the Arthur Mothersdale Memorial Trophy, won for the past two years by Olympian Susan Rolph, at tonight's Northumberland and Durham Counties annual dinner and dance at Pittington.

Angela, who lives in Newton Aycliffe and is a pupil at Woodham Comprehensive School, burst on to the scene in April, when at the age of 14 she became Great Britain's youngest ever international waterpolo player in a junior tournament in Holland. She recently became a member of the British senior women's squad.

Next month Angela swims for Britain in the annual three nations junior international contest against Germany and Italy in Hamburg. In August she won the girls 15 years 100m backstroke title at the national age group championships in Coventry and was runner-up in the 200m. Last month at the English Schools national championships in the Isle of Man, she became the intermediate (14-15yrs) girls 100m backstroke champion and should be in the team to meet Scotland, Ireland and Wales in the Home Countries School International contest in Wales next March.

Last weekend Angela was the player of the tournament when the ASA's inter-district girls (U-16) waterpolo competition was staged at Manchester. She scored 25 goals in the North-East district's four games, including seven in the deciding match against the North West, which the NE lost 12-10 to finish as runners-up.

This weekend Angela returns to Manchester for a Great Britain senior women's squad training session.

The Northumberland and Durham Masters team finished third with 173 points behind Yorkshire 203 and Lancashire 179. Cheshire scored 172 and Cumbria 75 at Harrogate in one of three national Masters inter-county contests.

The Twin Counties had seven wins through Cliff Ward (Stockton) 65 and over 50m freestyle; Paul Rose (Chester-le-Street) 45 and over 50m butterfly; Martin Douglas (Newcastle) 25 and over 50m breaststroke; Eddie Sawyers (Newcastle) 55 and over 50m breaststroke; Verity Dobbie (Gateshead) 35 and over 50m breaststroke; Mary Purvis (Alnwick) 45 and over 50m butterfly and their men's combined 100 years plus 4x50m medley relay team