News Archive   

Wigan BEST/Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (June 06)
Time trial notice. Trials Information. Time trials are open to all 9&under/10/11 years old. To be held on Sun 2 July at Hindley starting 3pm. Please email the individual entry form by Fri 23 June 06. Apologies for the clash of date with the club badge gala which starts at 5.15pm at Hindley on the 2nd July. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible for Wigan BEST to find an alternative date due to a busy gala schedule in June and July. Under the circumstances please be sensible about the number of events you enter if you wish to attend both galas. If you are in any doubt about what to enter then please take advice from your group coach.

Inter Association Results (May 06)
Shauna Duffy came 4th in the 10 years 50m freestyle in a PB time of 33.49. Shauna also came 10th with a PB time of 40.62 in the 50m back stroke. Carla Tither came 2nd in the 11 years 200m breast stroke in a PB time of 2.58.32. Farima Mehrabi came 7th in the 14 years 200m freestyle in a time of 2.21.96. Luke Sallis came 11th in the 10 years 50m breast stroke in a time of 48.38. Chris Walsh came 9th in the 13 years 100m back stroke in a time of 1.14.02. Full results.

Liverpool City Open Meet (May 06)
To be held at Everton Sports Centre on 8/9 July. Details. Entries to Andy Cathie by 28 May.

Bolton & District Mini League (May 06)
The semi-final is to be held on 17 June at Hindley. Results of qualifying rounds and draw for semi-final.

Central Lancs Junior League & Junior Jubilee (May 06)
Results & fixtures on the Central Lancs web site. Ashton had a good win over Atherton in the Junior League and finished a close second in a tightly contested Jubilee second round gala.

Speedo League 1st Round Draw (May 06)
The draw for the first round to be held on 14 Oct 2006 is as follows:
Gala 1 - Ellesmere Port , Ashton Central, Warrington, Royton, Runcorn, Leyland
Gala 2 - Lancaster, Northwich, Newton, Bolton, Altrincham, Neston

Representative Honours for Ashton Central swimmers (May 06)
The following swimmers have been selected to swim for Central Lancashire in the Inter-Association gala to be held at the Palatine Pool, St.Annes Road, Blackpool on 27/28 May:
Carla Tither, Shauna Duffy, Bethany Ashurst & Farima Mehrabi
Chris Walsh, Luke Sallis & Adam Bradburn

ASA North West Region Age Groups and Youth Championships (Mar 06)
Age Groups to be held on 3/4 and 10/11 June. Closing date for entries is 3 May.
The Youth Champs are to be held on 29/30 April & 1 May. Closing date for entries is 10 April.
Both events will be held at the Manchester Aquatic Centre. Click here for full details including entry forms.

Success at the Lancashire County Championships (Mar 06)
Carla Tither won silver in the 11 years 100m Breast stroke with a National Qualifying Time of 1.25.64 and bronze in 200m breast. She also finished 12th overall in the BAGCATs. Natasha Petterson won bronze in the 12 years 1500m freestyle.
Full Results

Club badge gala (Feb 06)
Entries are being taken for the badge gala to be held at Hindley on Sunday 26 March. Please see your group coach for further details. Entries need to be in by 5 March.

Swim 21 Accreditation Achieved (Feb 06)
Following success at the national Swim 21 panel on 15 February Ashton Central have achieved the Swim 21 Accreditation Silver Award at Teaching Club level. Ashton Central are only the second club in the area to achieve this prestigious award from the ASA. The award follows over two years of hard work by a number of people in the club. Special thanks go to all those who have contributed to this success. However, the work doesn't end there. We now need to continue improving the club's processes.
Swim 21 is the ASA's quality accrediation system for swimming clubs and covers the following aspects of club operations: Swimmer development, Teacher/coach development, Club Management and Partnerships. In a nutshell, Swim 21 is the ASA's “quality mark” which recognises clubs that demonstrate commitment to providing a safe, effective and quality swimming service.

Central Lancs Championships (Feb 06)
To be held at the Manchester Aquatic Centre on 8 April. Entry forms need to be returned to Peter Don-Duncan by 26 Feb. Event details can be found on the Central Lancs web site.

Central Lancs Age Groups (Feb 06)
Ashton Central results. Full results on Central Lancs Web site.

Long Term Success (Jan 06)
Long Term Success is a document produced by British Swimming describing Long Term Athlete Development and the journey through swimming. It is an essential read for all parents and especially those new to competitive swimming.

Success at the City of Liverpool Winter Distance Meet (Jan 06)
Carla Tither won gold in the 200m breast stroke in a time of 3.11.88 (10yrs) and Chris Walsh (12yrs) won silver in the 200m freestyle in a time of 2.24.04.

Wigan BEST/Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (Jan 06)
Time trial notice. Trials Information. Time trials are open to all 9/10/11 years old. To be held on Sun 26 Feb at Hindley starting 3pm. Please email the individual entry form by Sun 5 Feb 06.

Fee structure for 2006
Download (pdf file)

North West Area Age Groups & Youth Championships May/June 2006 (Dec 05)
Age Group Qualifying times    Youth Qualifying Times  The closing date for entry is after the Lancs County Champs.

Lancashire County Age Groups & Championships March 2006 (Dec 05)
Qualifying times   Disability qualifying standards    Programme of events   BAGCAT categories   Entry Form The closing date for entry is immediately after the Central Lancs age group galas in Feb 06. You will need  to achieve the qualifying times at the Central Lancs age groups if you have not already achieved them at an ASA licensed meet since 1 Oct 05.

Speedo League Final (Dec 05)
Recorded times 

  If you would like a full resolution copy of the final team photo then please email.

Club Gala Results (Nov 05)
Day 1    Day 2   Age Group & Special Award Winners

Central Lancs Junior League (Nov 05)
Ashton Central won the overall 14 years age group shield.  The 14 year girls finished top of their league with the 10 12 and and 16 year girls finishing 2nd. Ashton were 3rd in the overall table. Full results.

Speedo League 2nd Round (Nov 05)
As you will see from the recorded times most swimmers improved on their 1st round times (improvements are highlighted). This shows what a superb effort was put in as a team. Even though we were second best to Bolton on the night we lie second in the table only one point behind Bolton going into the final.  Well done to all swimmers. Note that the final will be held on Sunday 11 Dec with a warm-up at 13.00. The team will be boosted by the inclusion of Helen Don-Duncan who is available to swim in the final.

Speedo League (Nov 05)
Team sheet and event list for the 2nd Round at Biddulph on Sat 12 Nov. Note that the final will be held at the Manchester Aquatic Centre on Sunday 11 Dec. Results of Round 1 and the table showing Ashton currently lying in first place can be found on the Speedo website.

Speedo League 1st Round (Oct 05)
Recorded times.

Warburton galas (Oct 05)
Note that these galas are without cards. If any swimmer who has entered and is now not competing then please contact the Central Lancs organiser by email no later than the night before the gala at b.ps@tinyworld.co.uk. The warm up times for the 16 Oct are 9am and 1.15pm (girls first).

Speedo League Event List (Oct 05)
Full event list for the 1st round to be held at Woolston on Saturday 8 October. Warm up 6pm.

Competitive Start Award (Oct 05)
Well done to the following swimmers who passed their Competitive Start Award held at Parr Swimming Pool, St Helens on 1st October 2005.
Gavin Anders, David Hill, Bethany Ashurst, Carla Tither, Rebecca Cooper, Amy Brown, Holly Argent, Jacque Peet, Connor Pilling, Richard Draper, Dannii Tither, Rachael Cooper, Rebekah Hatton, SamanthaTrow, Samantha Brown, Shauna Duffy, Hannah Meyrick, Nathan Bennet, Duncan Cathie, Luke Sallis, Arianne Sallis, Emily Newcombe, Duncan Cathie.

Central Lancs Junior Swimming League (Sept 05)
Ashton Central are currently lying in 1st place following completion of their fixtures. We now look certain to finish in the top two or three. Full results and league tables can be found on the CL web site (click on the CL logo above).

Wigan BEST Time Trials (Sept 05)
Full results. Well done to all the Ashton Central swimmers who took part.

Team for Speedo League 1st Round
Team sheet

Speedo League
Download newsletter.

Annual Club Gala
To be held on Sat/Sun 19/20 November. Download entry form and information. Entries to be returned no later than 9 Oct 05 (No late entries accepted).

Success at the Sheffield City SC Sprints Open Meet (Aug 05)
Shauna Duffy (9yr) achieved PBs winning Silver in Front Crawl (37.27), Bronze in Fly (43.79) and a medal for 5th in Backstroke (46.85). Carla Tither (10yr) swam brilliantly winning Silver in Breast (43.87) and achieving four PB's.

Central Lancs Swim Clinic
A swim clinic will be held in early 2006 selected from swimmers competing   in the 12 year age group at the Warburton galas in Oct. More information will be available when details are finalised.

Wigan BEST/Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (Aug 05)
Time trial notice. To be held on Sun 11 Sept at Hindley. Please email the individual entry form by Sun 28 August. 

Central Lancs Warburton Galas  to be held in Oct   (July 05)
Warburton programme and entry form. Closing date for entries 21 August.

Ashton Central Swimmer killed in car accident (July 05)
Seventeen year old Ashton swimmer Victoria Gaskell was tragically killed in a car accident in the early hours of Monday 11 July. She was a much loved member of the club for many years and she will be greatly missed. She still holds the club record for the 25m breast stroke for the 6 year age group which she achieved in 1993. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to her family at this sad time.

BBC Swimming Academy
Visit the BBC Swimming Academy for technique tips from top swimmers, including video clips.

Success at the Central Lancs Age Groups (Feb 05)
Medals (15 in total) and PBs were the order of the day at the age group galas at Bury. Ashton Central Results.  Full Results on the CL web site. A special mention goes to Carla Tither (10) and Lee Duffy (11) who won medals at their first open gala. Spare a thought for those who couldn't take part - Matthew Hilton (Broken arm), Cameron Don-Duncan (dislocated knee) and Chris Walsh (Hernia op).

New Teacher
Good news at the start of 2005 is that Kirsty Nickson has passed her ASA Level 2 Teachers course. Well done Kirsty and thanks for all the hard work and time that is needed to pass this demanding course. We look forward to seeing more of her poolside and enjoying her gruelling sets

Christmas Break 2004
Training recommences on Wednesday 5th January 2005.

Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (Dec 04)
As a result of success in the 200 IM Time Trials, Ashton Central old boy Adam Bradburn has been promoted to group 1.

Wigan BEST Launched
The new competitive club, Wigan Borough Elite Swim Team, for Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence swimmers is affiliated to the Northern Counties and is now up and running as of the 1 October 2004. The club's first outing was at the Salford Potential Olympian gala in November. See web site www.wigan-best.org.uk for more information. There are currently three Ashton Central swimmers amongst the inaugural members; Rachael Don-Duncan, Bethany Ashurst and Farima Mehrabi.

Swim 21 Audit
The club has received the Swim 21 Audit Feedback Report from the ASA.

Club Gala
The club gala will be held at Hindley on 20/21 Nov 04. Entry forms are now available and need to be returned to Karen Hatton or Marie Nickson by 10th October

Sheffield Gala Results - July 04
Rachael Don-Duncan, Chris Walsh and Daniel Hilton all came away with medals. Full results: Session 1  Session 2

Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (June 04)
As a result of their success in the  June 200 IM Time Trials, Farima Mehrabi has been promoted to Group 1 and Hayley Martinus has been promoted to group 2. Well done girls.

Sad News
Former Olympic swimming coach Ivor Tattum died on Sunday 4 July 04, following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 63. The funeral will take place at 11.30am on Monday 12th July at St. Oswalds church Winwick. Ivor has been the head coach at the St.Helens swim scheme for many years. Through his dedication to the sport he coached several Ashton Central swimmers to national and inter-national success. He will be greatly missed.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad time. Highlights of Ivor's coaching career on the British Swimming web site.

Inter-association results
Full results available on the Central Lancs web site

B group 100m Time Trial Results for May 04
Full Results

C group Time Trial Results for May 04
Full Results

Swimmers selected for Greater Manchester Youth Games
Tarek Slater and Hayley Martinus have been selected to swim for  Wigan in the games to be held at Horwich on 12 Jun 2004.

Representative Honours for Ashton Swimmers
As a result of their performances in the Age Group galas the following swimmers have been selected to swim for Central Lancs in the Inter-Association gala to be held on 29-31 May at Broughton: Rachael Don-Duncan, Cameron Don-Duncan, Bethany Ashurst, Chris Walsh, Andrew Dove and Daniel Hilton. Rachael Don-Duncan has also been selected as Vice Captain for the Central Lancs team.

Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials
As a result of the March 200m IM Time Trials Bethany Ashurst has been promoted to Group 1.

Swimmers Selected for the Greater Manchester Active Sport Swim Camp
Bethany Farrell, Bethany Ashurst, Rachel Seddon, Farima Mehrabi and Chris Walsh have been selected to take part in the two day swim camp at the Aquatic Centre on 15th & 16th April under the guidance of coach Paul Remmonds.

18th Birthday for Coach Kirsty Nickson
Full story

C group Time Trial Results for Jan 04
Full Results

Central Lancs Age Groups Results
Ashton Medal winners           Full results

New fixture list for 2004
See Fixtures & Results

ASA Guide to Long Term Athletic Development (LTAD)
The ASA have published a guide to LTAD which is an essential read for all swimmers, parents and coaches.

Central Lancs Junior League (Fri 24 Oct)
Ashton 59 v Rochdale 46
Ashton 50 v Ashton u Lyne 54
The 14 year girls finished top of their age group table.   PBs

Warburton Gala #3 (Sun 19th Oct)
Bethany Ashurst added two more silver medals to her increasing collection.    Full Results 

Central Lancs Junior Jubilee Final at Tyldesley (Mon 13th Oct)
Ashton finished in 2nd place.  PBs

M&D Vice Presidents Gala (Sun 12th Oct)
Ashton finished 4th overall.  Full Results

Central Lancs Junior League vs Atherton (Sat 11 Oct)
Atherton 38, Ashton 68       League Tables

Team Gala Information
Please note that there is a new page for forthcoming Team Gala information. Just click on the menu button to find out all you need to know about team selection, warm-up times and any specific gala arrangements etc. Please look in regularly to keep abreast of all news on the team gala front.

Warburton Gala #2 (Sunday 28th Sept)
Medals for Bethany Ashurst (3 silver) and Bethany Farrell (1 bronze).
Full Results  PBs

Updated ASA Rankings
To 10 September 2003

Bolton & District Inter-Club Mini League B Final (Sun 21 Sept)
Ashton finished 3rd in the B final at Broughton behind Aquabears & Pioneer 79. Results & PBs

Central Lancs Junior League (Fri 19 Sept)
Dukinfield Marlins 55, Ashton Central 49  PBs    League Tables

Warburton Gala #1 (Sunday 7th Sept)
Medals  for Rebecca Little (2 gold and 1 silver), Bethany Ashurst (gold and 2 bronze) and Bethany Farrell (2 bronze).
Full Results

World University Games in Daegu South Korea (August 2003)
Helen Don-Duncan is swimming for Great Britain in the 200m backstroke.  GBR Swimming Team

Updated ASA Rankings
To 3 August 2003

Updated ASA Rankings
To 1 July 2003

The Wigan Graded Gala scheduled to be held on 25 Aug has been cancelled due to an insufficent number of entries.

Sheffield B&C Gala (Sunday 13 July)
Medals haul for Ashton swimmers

Central Lancs Junior Jubilee (Monday 7th July)
Ramsbotton 152, Ashton Central 102, Rochdale 88, Stockport 78
PBs     Round 3 results     League Table

Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (June)
As a result of the June 200m IM Time Trials, Rachael Don-Duncan has been promoted to Group 1and Adam Bradburn to Group 2. Well done to both of you.

Central Lancs Junior League vs Altrincham (5 July)
Records tumble in a brilliant Ashton team performance which included an amazing total of 31 PB's.

Summer Break
Last session Fri 25 July. Start back Wed 13 August.

Team Galas - Important Notice!
All swimmers please read this notice

Updated ASA Rankings
To 1 June 2003

Greater Manchester Youth Games (14 June)
Daniel Hilton, Farima Mehrabi and Adam Bradburn swam for the successful Wigan town team which convincingly won the swimming competition. Rebecca and Lauren Howarth came second in the Aquathon age group events for which the Wigan team finished second overall.

Bolton & District Inter-Club Mini League Semi-Final (Sat 7 June)
Ashton finished in 2nd place and now compete in the B final to be held on 21 Sept at Broughton. The full results were:
Darwin 118, Ashton Central 98, Newton 84, Atherton 76, Warrington 51

Inter-Association gala (24/25/26 May)
The following Ashton Central swimmers represented Central Lancs in the gala held at Wigan:
Peter Hutchinson             15 year 200m Back
Karl Bird                         14 year 100m Breast
Rachael Don-Duncan        13 year 400m free
Cameron Don-Duncan     11 year 100m fly
Andrew Dove                        11 year 100m fly, 100m & 200m Breast
Full Results

Updated ASA Rankings
To 5 May 2003

Northern Counties Sprints (17 May)
PBs achieved at the event        Full results

Central Lancs Junior Jubilee Team Gala (12 May)
Gala report

C Group Time Trials - May 03
Time Trials

Chester Open Meet (Sat/Sun 10/11 May)
In the Chester open meet held at Wigan International Adam Bradburn won silver in the 50m back stroke and Bethany Ashurst won silver in the 50m free.

Greater Manchester Youth Games Time Trials (May)
After successfully competing in the trials and squad training Adam Bradburn and Farima Mehrabi have been selected to swim for Wigan in the games to be held in June. Well done!

Manchester & District Division 1 Team Gala (Sun 11 May)
Aquabears 90, Horwich 61, Ashton 42, Stretford 38

Bolton & District Inter-Club Mini Gala (Sat 10 May)
Horwich 114, Darwin 79, Ashton 65, Warrington 44 
Horwich once again dominated the gala but there were some notable performances for Ashton. Emily Prior won the 10 year girls 50m breast stroke event and Cameron Don-Duncan won the 11 year boys 50m Back stroke event. Team coach Marie Nickson says "I would like to thank all the swimmers who participated in the gala tonight, as a lot of them stood in at very short notice to replace the original team members who were unable to swim, and did a fantastic job!  A special mention for Andrew Oakes and Alex Smith who were both taking part in their first team gala - well done both of you".   PBs

Updated ASA Rankings
To 6 April 2003

Wigan Swimming Scheme of Excellence Time Trials (March)
Ashton Central swimmers Bethany Ashurst, Farima Mehrabi and Hannah Barton all achieved the 200 IM qualifying time for promotion to group 2. Well done girls!

M & D Progamme B (Thursday 27 March)
Full results           PBs

Bolton & District Inter-Club Mini Gala (Sunday 23 March)
Horwich 99, Ashton 89, Darwin 63, Warrington 45      PBs

Lancashire County Championships (8/9 March)
Results for Ashton swimmers

Central Lancs Junior Jubilee (Friday 7th March)
There were lots of PBs from the Ashton swimmers as they conviningly won this first round match taking maximum league points.
Full Results

Bolton & District Inter-Club Mini Gala (Monday 3 March)
Horwich 95, Ashton 81, Darwin 72, Warrington 35

C Group Time Trials - Feb 03
Time Trials

Central Lancs Championships (Saturday 22 Feb)
Full results                 Ashton Central Medal Placings

Central Lancs Age Group Prelims (1/2 Feb & 15/16 Feb)
There were excellent performances with swimmers achieving either medal placings or PBs.
Full results                Ashton Central Medal Placings & PBs

Please email Peter Don-Duncan with any errors or suggestions for additions or improvements to the site :