ROSS Brewer is going for Commonwealth gold for the third time when the games begin tomorrow in Melbourne.

The Great Missenden gymnast won golds in 1998 and 2002 in Kuala Lumpur and Manchester and he is now gunning for his third team gold when he competes on Thursday.

And Brewer is not the only one from this area with eyes on first place.

Wycomb District swimmer Simon Burnett is looking at a handful of golds when he takes to the pool on Thursday.

The 22-year-old, from Chinnor, is one of the favourites in the 100m and 200m freestyle, especially after Australian legend Ian Thorpe pulled out of the Games through illness.

And Burnett is keen to start winning some medals.

He said: "I'm in a position where I can do well and I've never had to think like that before.

"I have to show that I can do it on occasions like this."

On the track, Amersham's Nicola Sanders is hoping to retain the form she showed when winning the indoor 400m at the AAA Championship last month.

She races in the 400m hurdles next Wednesday where she will pit her wits against former 400m hurdles world champion Jana Pittman.

Sanders said: "I'm trying not to think about her too much. I know I can go faster but I can't really control what she does."

In the women's 10,000m, Sir William Borlase's maths teacher Hayley Yelling is looking to go better than her fifth place in the same event last time around. Her race is next Tuesday.

The rugby sevens start tomorrow with Dave Seymour keen to help England get over the disappointment of 2002 when they crashed out at the quarter-final stage.

England are in a pool with Australia, the Cook Islands and Sri Lanka, with Seymour, from High Wycombe, keen to do well.

He said: "To be selected for any England team is an honour and it will be an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity which I am hungry for."

Karen Atkinson, who lives in Marlow, will be heavily involved in England's netball campaign, which starts on Friday, while High Wycombe's Mark Bantock will want to lead England to a bowls gold.

In the cycling, Stuart Dangerfield is looking to banish his disqualification from the time trial in Manchster when competing in next Tuesday's event.

He is coached by High Wycombe Cycling Club's Gordon Wright.

As well as the athletes, there are a number of other local people representing England at the Commonwealth Games.

Marlow's Jason Lee is the men's hockey coach. John McGuinness, from Gerrards Cross is a bowls official.

High Wycombe's Martyn White is a shooting official and Mike Loosemore is a boxing official from Wendover.