Dereham Otters aged eight to 11 battled valiantly to retain the Bussens and Parkin Novice Trophy.

This annual competition is held at Mildenhall, and included teams from the host club, Little Fish and Newmarket.

Otters won 15 of the 33 races and scored a total of 92 points, with Newmarket close behind with 89 points – another impressive success, against tough opposition.

The Birds Sprint Gala 2012 took place on June 2 at Dereham Leisure Centre, and saw Dereham Otters fielding three teams for the first time.

The A Team won in convincing style, defeating teams from Norwich Swans, West Norfolk and Beccles. They scored 225 points, more than 50 points ahead of the nearest rival, to keep the Birds Sprint Trophy in its home town of Dereham yet again.

The East Region Championships have shown further success for Dereham Otters with yet more swimmers achieving qualifying times this year, and six reaching one or more finals.

Special congratulations go to Daisy Mattless who achieved a bronze medal in the 10-year-old girls 100m breaststroke. Other finalists included Jed Snell, Laura Jones, Natalie Coogans, Fraser Ryan and Isabel Holmes – all also in breaststroke events.