BROTHERS Tom and James Lovesey have been chosen to represent Great Britain in the Mirror World Championships in South Africa next spring.

Based on their performance in selector events, the Sarisbury Green boys gained automatic qualification to the British team.

Although the youngest helm to represent Great Britain in the Championships, Tom already has a World title to his name - he crewed for Josh Rumbol (Poole) in the 2005 Championships in Sweden where they became Junior World Champions.

The St John's College, Southsea, pupils first started sailing when they were three and five.

They then each sailed an Optimist and did a couple of years of the Kipper Programme at Warsash Sailing Club.

In 2004 they started sailing a Mirror together and now spend all their school holidays and most weekends training or competing.

With Tom helming and James crewing, they have progressed through the RYA Zone Squad to the RYA National Squad.

National squad training will be backed up with role reversal in the Zone squad where James will helm and Tom will crew.

Mum Clare Lovesey explained: "It's a bit unusual to do it this way but the boys would both like to be able to helm and crew a boat to a reasonable standard.

"By doing it this way we have access to excellent coaching from the experts to make sure we do it right and find out which of them in future might be the better crew or helm."

l The RYA has selected the largest Volvo Keelboat squad ever with 45 sailors now on board.

More than 80 sailors aged 16-24 attended the selections, held off Weymouth and Portland , last month.

Locals selected: Nick Cherry (Southampton), Nicky MacGregor (Poole), Jonny Marshall (Lymington), Dave Newey (Southampton), James Roche (Southampton), Jo Ryley (Lymington), Jez Fowke (Weymouth), Hannah Kemlo (Lymington), Andy Clark (Warsash), Ben Field (Southampton).