Brighton were confirmed as the No.1 club after the last of this year's Sussex County Championships events.

Amy Kent scored a hat-trick and Claire Manton and Hannah Belameh completed doubles as Brighton won 13 titles in their own pool at the Prince Regent.

The club completed the five-meet series with 58 trophies.

Spokesman Brian Smith said: "That is the best we've ever done by a long way and it is down to a very professional attitude installed into the training schedules of some talented swimmers."

Amy won the women's and girls' 200m freestyle and girls' born 1988 200m individual medley. Claire claimed the girls' 50m breaststroke and girls' born 1987 200m individual medley and Hannah took the girls' born 1991 100m butterfly and 4x25m individual medley.

But there were tears to go with the cheers when ten-year-year-old Lucy Udeen was disqualified after finishing first in her event.

Smith said: "Poor Lucy was disqualified after winning her age group 50m butterfly on a technicality and then she was pipped in the 100m. She burst into tears."

Christopher Verrall had two national qualifying times for Hastings Seagull. He clocked 25.86sec in the boys' 50m freestyle and 27.64sec in the butterfly to join clubmate Trevor Gaunt, who has qualified in the backstroke, at this year's ASA Championships in Sheffield.

Gaunt switched stroke at the Prince Regent to triumph in the boys' born 1983/4 100m breaststroke.

Head coach John Webster said: "Christopher, Trevor and others, like Ben McIvor and Joel Hill, are showing the potential of the youngsters we have got coming through. There were so many personal bests at the Prince Regent.

"John Atkinson, assistant to the ASA's new performance director Bill Sweetnam, who helped produce the likes of Ian Thorpe for Australia's Olympic team, is visiting us on May 10. It is the first time I've known this happen.

"Internationals Lisa Chapman and Lindsey Waller, are Hastings products. The ASA want to see what we are about and we can learn from them."

Shiverers international Simon Burtenshaw made a shock appearance after last week ruling himself out of swimming for up to six weeks because of jaundice and a virus. Burtenshaw won the men's 50m freestyle and helped his club finish second behind Crawley in the 4x100m medley relay.

The 19-year-old from Hove said: "I had blood tests which weren't as bad as I'd feared. I couldn't let the team down.

" I thought I could cope and got within half a second of my personal best with my split freestyle time of 50.3sec in the relay."

Crawley set a county and championship record 4min.32.94sec to win the women's 4x100m medley relay.

There were individual successes for Alex Brown (men's 50m butterfly), Sharon Crowhurst (girls' born 1982 or earlier 100m breaststroke) and Toni Buckingham (girls' born 1991 50m butterfly). Lauren Short (Littlehampton) completed a double in the women's 50m breaststroke and girls' born 1983/84 100m breaststroke.

Philip Durrant (born 1988) and Derrick Lee (1986) won their boys' 200m individual medleys for Haywards Heath.

Other winners included: James Towner (Eastbourne), Gemma Spofforth (Bognor Regis), Craig Steenhoff (Hailsham), Charlie Ticehurst (Shiverers), Holly White (Brighton), Lauren Hemsley (Eastbourne), Emma Eaves (Brighton), Jemma Lowe (Chichester Cormorant), Ben McIvor (Hastings Seagull), Ziggy Tate (Brighton), Tom Rooke (Brighton) and Garth Kates (Brighton).

Organiser Margaret Tuppen, the Sussex secretary, believes this year's Championships were more than just the winning.

She said: "Ziggy Tate, from Brighton, had just beaten Adam Rawstrone (Bognor) into second place in the boys' born 1991 100m butterfly.

"But there they were exchanging phone numbers had become friends through the championships."