Laura Ralph achieved three gold medals and a national qualifying time (NQT) on a successful day for City of Oxford at the Midland District Age Group Championships in Coventry.

For those swimmers with their sights on the nationals in six weeks' time, the district championships are the last chance to achieve qualifying times or improve their national rankings.

Ralph seized the opportunity and achieved a NQT in the aged 12 200m freestyle in a time of 2mins 15.71secs, winning the event convincingly.

She also improved her NQT in the 200m individual medley (IM) to 2.33.83 in another winning performance.

Her third gold came in the 100m freestyle in a personal best, only just outside the qualifying time.

She also took silvers in the in the 400m individual medley and 200m breaststroke, and a bronze in the 400m freestyle.

Matthew Corbett, 14, won two gold medals and swam three NQTs in the 200m IM, 400m freestyle and 200m butterfly.

In the butterfly, he recorded an excellent personal best of 2.14.35, eight seconds inside the NQT, making him a hot prospect for a medal at the nationals again this year.

Sam van de Schootbrugge was in similar sparkling form, winning a hat-trick of medals, with swims all well inside the national qualifying times.

His 4.43.78 for the 400m freestyle was an impressive personal best, ensuring that he will be a strong contender in the national event.

He also swam a massive pb in the 1500m freestyle in a time of 18.29.73, putting him almost a whole minute inside the national threshold. His 200m IM in another NQT earned him his third medal.

Also doing well to qualify for the district championships, but hindered by injury or sickness, were 11-year-old Simon Ward and 13-year-olds Myles Taylor and Jack Tokelove.

City of Oxford did well to finish fourth in the first round of the Milton Keynes Junior League given their depleted team, which resulted in no swimmers for seven of the 49 events.

The star of the competition was 11-year-old Chloe Stephen, who won both the 50m backstroke and butterfly.

Imogen Kempton (10) and Sam Tokelove (9), also shone. Kempton finished first in the 50m breaststroke and second in the 50m backstroke, while in his league debut, Tokelove took the 25m freestyle and was second in the 25m butterfly.

In the 12-year-old age group, Melissa Hawtin and Simon Ward were runners-up in the 50 butterfly and breaststroke, and butterfly and freestyle respectively.

Hawtin also contributed to the success of the 12-year-old girls' relay team, which won both their freestyle and medley relays.

Result: 1 Luton A 208 pts, 2 Staines 203, 3 Acton 189, 4 City of Oxford 169, 5 Kettering 154, 6 Luton B 77.