commonwealth trials preview

This week sees the GB long course championships incorporating the English Commonwealth trials. Taking place in the commonwealth pool, this event also gives swimmers from the other home nations a chance to impress their own selectors on the road back to Manchester 2002.

Undoubtedly, however, all eyes will be on the performance of those aiming for English selection. Bill Sweetenham has again laid down tough selection guidelines and this year, unlike selection for last years world championships, only performances at the trials will count. This means that swimmers will have to perform on the day to ensure their place on the team with only the winners of each event guaranteed a place, and then only if they make the qualifying time. This will certainly lead to much exciting and tight racing across the week, as every tenth of a second will count.

Of particular interest will be the performance of those swimmers recently returned from the world short course championships in Moscow. Whilst Alison Sheppard must surely be a shoe in for a place in the Scottish team when it is announced, Mark Foster and James Hickman, will hope to gain the chance to defence their titles won in Kuala Lumpur, and Zoe Baker will aim to prove that she is a genuine contender in the 100 as well as 50 breaststroke. Foster will also be looking for selection in the 50 fly, the event in which he won a long course world championship bronze. Whether their efforts in Moscow will overshadow their performances here remains to be seen.

Elsewhere, pullbuoy swimmer of the year Sarah Price will be looking for selection to all three backstroke events, aiming to improve her 7th place in the 100m from Kuala Lumpur but will have to overcome defending Commonwealth 200m champion Katy Sexton to achieve this. Other races to look out for include the men's 200m free, where an tantalising showdown between Palmer, Sinclair and Salter is in prospect, and women's 200 free, where Nicola Jackson will have to better the experienced Karen Pickering to ensure her place on the team.

So in the now customary pullbuoy fashion, here's who we think will be booking their Commonwealth games places this week for the English team. We'll look at the other home nations in due course, once their selection deadlines have become nearer.

Event	Men	Women
50 freestyle	Mark Foster Matthew Kidd	Ros Brett Janine Belton
100 freestyle	Matthew Kidd Alex Scotcher	Ros Brett Karen Pickering
200 freestyle	Paul Palmer Jamie Salter	Nicola Jackson Karen Pickering Karen Legg
400 freestyle	Jamie Salter Ed Sinclair	Rebecca Cooke
800 freestyle		Rebecca Cooke Holly Fox
1500 freestyle	Adam Faulkner
50 Backstroke	Neil Willey	Sarah Price Katy Sexton
100 backstroke	Adam Ruckwood	Sarah Price Katie Sexton
200 backstroke	Simon Militis	Sarah Price Jo Fargus
50 Breastroke	James Gibson Darren Mew	Zoe Baker
100 breastroke	Adam Whitehead Darren Mew James Gibson	Jaime King Heidi Earp Kate Haywood
200 breastroke	Adam Whitehead Darren Mew	Jamie King Heidi Earp
50 Butterfly	Mark Foster	Ros Brett
100 butterfly	James Hickman Steve Parry	Georgina Lee Margaretha Pedder
200 butterfly	James Hickman Steve Parry Robert Greenwood	Margaretha Pedder Georgina Lee
200 I.M	Robin Francis James Goddard	Sarah Whewell
400 I.M	Robin Francis	Holly Fox

Please note this is only what we think might be the team; We will be equally pleased to be proved right or wrong about our prediction! If you have a comment to make e-mail it to us