British women out shone the men on day two of the British Championships which are doubling up as the World Championship trials at the Manchester Aquatic Centre, with four British and two Commonwealth records.

Alison Sheppard set the standard as she became the first swimmer to qualify for the Worlds with a British and Commonwealth mark in the 50m freestyle. The twenty eight-year old Canadian based Scot, missed her British and Commonwealth record by a mere 100th in the semi-final the previous day.

But in the final Sheppard the only British female swimmer to reach a final in Sydney, made no mistakes. She stormed off the blocks and was soon into her stroke. She knew that any mistake and Rosalind Brett who erased Susan Rolph's English record in the semi-final, would swoop past.

In a perfect swim she touched home in 25.07sec and although pleased she was "hoping for a 24sec swim". But she claims that will come in Japan for her swim last night was her first of the year.

Afterwards she admitted "I can't believe it, I'm happy just to win though. The competition between Ros and myself is really tight." Adding "It's great to have someone like Ros because you can't afford to take it easy. Even if she had beaten me I would take that away with me and use it to make myself better. You always have to be positive",

Coming home a close second was Brett the Loughborough University student, who lowered her English record to 25.30sec. Her time is inside the World qualifying time but she will have to wait until the end of June hoping no one else swims faster as only the winner who achieves the qualifying time will be selected in the first phase. The second selections will be made at the end of June and will be made on the British rankings and qualifying times.

Whilst Sheppard's race is over the shortest distance the longest for women like the men is now the 1500m freestyle. British record holder Rebecca Cooke took the race on from the start burrowing a lonely furrow. But as she explained "I do a lot of work on my own in training so I know what it's like and I knew what to expect, I just tried to get further and further in front".

Inside the schedule for the British record from the start the seventeen-year old A level student from Reading, sliced nearly seven seconds off the time she recorded in Seattle almost twelve months ago. Her time of 16min 21.75sec placed her just over twenty seconds ahead of the runner up Nathalie Brown.

There was joy and disappointment for Jaime King in the 200m breaststroke for although she lowered her British record to 2min 28.10sec she was still just under one second outside the qualifying time. But undaunted the twenty four year old veteran of three Olympic games will attempt again here in Manchester at the beginning of June and then later in Glasgow.

Another who has to wait is Sarah Price who last night won her semi-final of the 100m backstroke in a British and Commonwealth record of 1min 01.36sec this was 0.44sec inside both the old mark and the World qualifying time. But the twenty one year old who swims for Barnet Copthall knows that she must win today in a sub 1min 1.80 to gain a place on the team.