Francesca Halsall shaved 0.03sec off her own British record over 100m freestyle in Sheffield at the weekend. Her 54.53sec effort followed a 12-hour homeward-bound trip to Britain after a four-week training camp in Florida.

Coached by Colin Stripe in Liverpool, Halsall attended the camp with other members of the Britain team under the guidance of Ben Titley and must surely be looking at sub 54 territory in the not too distant future.

Caitlin McClatchey, Commonwealth 200 and 400m freestyle champion, clocked 1:58.57 over 200m and Liam Tancock, backstroke ace, a 2:02.01 over 200m medley.

With an eye on Olympic trials in Sheffield from March 30, Titley said: 'Our camp in Florida went very well and these impressive mid-season results are a reflection of that. We only arrived back on Thursday so to get to Sheffield and produce these kinds of performances is pretty special. The fact Fran broke another British Record is a testament to herself and to the City of Liverpool programme under Colin Stripe who is creating the next generation of world class athletes in Britain.'