The North-East is to lose its second World-class swimmer this year, Richmond's Nicola Jackson, who competes for the Derwentside club where she is coached by former international swimmer David McNulty, is to move to Bath in September to train at the national centre of excellence, based at the university there, on the advice of Britain's new national performance director, Aussie Bill Sweetenham, to further her international swimming career, writes ERIC WILKINSON.

But unlike Commonwealth Games champion Sue Rolph, who left Newcastle to live and train in Wales, Nicola will retain her North-East swimming links. Two weeks ago she eclipsed the British women's 200m freestyle record in a time that would have won her the gold medal at last year's Sydney Olympic Games, when winning the Scottish open championship in Glasgow, which was also the fourth and final trials for the World championships which start in Japan in two weeks time.

On her return Nicola will join many of Britain's World-class performers at Bath, including World record holder Mark Foster.

The NE Counties breaks new ground for its annual overseas international competition this weekend when 16 swimmers, 12 boys and four girls, will race at the Meeting del Castello, Bellinzona, Switzerland, this weekend.

The object is to give its promising young swimmers a taste of top class competition. It includes three members of the Newcastle club in Paul Woodley, Jeremy Woon and Paul Wilson plus Philip Wright and Michael Roy from Derwent Aquatics, the rest are from Yorkshire.

The GB junior women's waterpolo team, which has been training at Paignton for the past week, includes three Sedgefield players in Carol Mohan, Samantha Mitchell and Charlotte Nichols. It should have been four, but the team's top player, Angie Winstanley-Smith, has had to withdraw because of a shoulder problem and will be out of the water for two months.

She will be sorely missed when the championships open in Manchester on Sunday and Britain meets Russia, the favourites.

Other teams in their group are Spain, Germany, Greece and France.

Sedgefield's Andrew Bowden is training with the GB junior men's waterpolo team at RAF College Cranwell this weekend in preparation for the European junior men's championship in Germany at the end of the month.

For the second week in succession Chris Alderton (Durham Aquatics) with six wins was the most successful local swimmer when the second half of the NE Counties age group championships was held at Leeds. He was first in the 14 years 100m and 200m butterfly and freestyle; 200m and 400m individual medley.

His team mate Stephanie Proud won four gold medals, 13 100m and 200m freestyle, 200m and 400m individual medley and Peter Thompson (Middlesbrough) scored a hat-trick in the 11 200m butterfly, freestyle and individual medley.

Doubles were achieved by Abby Johnson (Durham Aquatic) 11 200m freestyle and individual medley, Laura Duffy (Tynemouth) 12 100m and 200m butterfly and Andrew Thirlwell (Newcastle) 16 100m butterfly and freestyle.

The fourth and fifth of the six Northumberland and Durham graded championship galas for those who were rejected or did not achieve the entry time for the county championships are staged this weekend.

Richmond Dales hosts one at Darlington Dolphin Centre on Saturday and the other is at Middlesbrough on Sunday.