TWO Dartford swimmers represented south east England in the modern pentathlon national final and won bronze team medals.

Ten-year-olds Sally Nicholas and Georgina Ladley, along with Canterbury-based Hannah Wyatt, of the North Kent Modern Pentathlon Club competed in the 10-year-old category at the final.

The trio took in 50 competitors on a 1,000m cross-country sprint over the hills above Sheffield and then over 50m in the Ponds Forge swimming pool.

Both Sally, of Downes Road, Dartford, and Georgina, of Paddock Close, Darenth Green, are new to running and trained with the Dartford Harriers.

They were not fazed by the strong competition or the extremely cold conditions and finished well in their individual heats, securing the team's interim second place.

In the pool the girls were in their element and Georgina's fluent stroke helped her out-swim her opponents to finish a comfortable first in her heat.

The overall final results saw Sally finish seventh, Georgina take 13th and Hannah take 17th place a combination which earned them the team bronze.

They collected their medals from Kate Allenby, who won bronze in the modern pentathlon at the Sydney Olympics.

North Kent chief coach Kevin Ladley said: "It was an awesome experience for the youngsters.

"The sheer scale of the event and the quality of the opposition would have deterred lesser competitors.

"I have seen a vast improvement in their abilities over the past year. This is due to the dedication of their coach, Steve Harris, and the girls' commitment to win."

At the other end of the age scale Ron Evans, Richard Corbidge and Kevin Ladley won team bronze in the masters category.