SWIMMING: ACCOUNTANT Chris Jones insists he is not travelling to Melbourne just to make up the numbers as he sets his sights on a Commonwealth Games final next month.

The 24-year-old Marlborough swimmer entered the sport late, having favoured tennis and golf at school, but now has a dream appearance in Melbourne to look forward to.

Jones, who starts with accountants Deloitte and Touche immediately after the Games, will be competing in the 50m breaststroke for Scotland after making huge strides in the sport over the last couple of years.

He said: "My progress shows if you keep putting the time in and you are doing it because you want to, not because of pressure from elsewhere, anything is possible.

"I was interviewed by Katherine Merry the other day and she said if I could make it to the final I would have nothing to lose. I would love to make the final and believe I do have a chance."

Up until the age of 18, Jones was struggling to even make County finals but now, just six years later, he is looking forward to locking horns with some of the top swimmers in the world.

"To break onto the international scene at this age is very rare," said Jones. "I started applying for jobs when I finished my masters degree in July because I never thought I would go anywhere with my swimming.

"When I was at school I also played tennis and golf and my swimming was not really improving. I was struggling to make Wiltshire finals and the improvements have been amazing.

"Up until I started at Southampton University my fitness was nowhere near what it should have been as the training hours were not available at Marlborough."

Fortunes changed dramatically for the former St John's Secondary School pupil when he started a maths degree at Southampton and joined the University's swimming club.

Two years on he had been selected for his first British Championships and then, a year later, he made his first national final.

"This year has been very stressful," he said. "While I have been training a lot I found I was not getting any better so I started thinking about graduate jobs.

"Then suddenly I completely surprised myself by raising my PB in the nationals in August and found myself in frame for the Commonwealth Games.

"Fortunately my future employers agreed to delay my start date until after the Games and so I have been able to concentrate fully.

"I am very excited about it but also a bit nervous as it will be the biggest event of my life, by quite a margin."

Jones, who still trains with Swindon Dolphins when he can, warmed-up for his trip to Oz with a bronze medal in the US Open.

"My confidence is higher than ever," he said. "It felt great to be standing on the podium next to two Olympic finalists. I believe I can keep improving.

"The problem with my distance is in Britain the three top guys are former world finalists in Darren Mew, James Gibson and Chris Cook.

"It is hard for me to get a look in in the British squad, which is why the Commonwealths are such a great chance for me."