Ashton swimmers celebrate stellar season

Ashton under Lyne Swimming Club capped off their excellent season in style last month by winning the coveted Celebration Gala at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. 

The gala followed the conclusion of the league season, in which Ashton were victorious for the fifth campaign in a row. 

There were high hopes for a win, as the club fielded almost a full-strength team of forty-two swimmers aged between 8 and 33, and they didn’t disappoint.  

Made up of 29 relay races between 100m and 200m across all four strokes, the gala saw Ashton pick up numerous wins, with plenty of personal bests (PB’s) smashed along the way. 

The Girls 15+ relay team got them off to a perfect start with a solid fourth placed finish as Jessica Birch landed her first of two PB’s for the afternoon. 

The male equivalent category saw an impressive second placed finish for the four strong team of Joe McCue, Mason Green, Dan Briggs and Jake Wood, the latter of whom recorded a PB of his own. 

Ashton’s first win of the event came in race three, the mixed medley relay, with both Alex Birch and Noah Blemmings breaking their personal records in the Backstroke and Butterfly respectively, with the latter going on to shatter three more records across the day. 

A couple of third placed finishes followed, involving some of the club’s youngest swimmers – namely Harrison Chapman – before yet another victory, this time for the Girls freestyle relay team. 

They claimed top spot thanks to standout displays from Margaux Mendoza and Amelia Houston, who also claimed PB’s.  

More PB’s followed, with impressive performances from Jack Cheetham and Sophia Winston in the Frontcrawl and Backstroke categories. 

Elsewhere there were strong swims for Jacob Hulmes and Erin Mabbott, the latter of whom followed in her mother Jenny’s footsteps, who last swam for the club some 19 years ago. 

More second and third places followed across various categories, with more PB’s for Skye Cheetham, Daniel Hand, and the sibling duo of Miah and Alfie Hopwood. 

Ashton’s third win of the afternoon came in event eighteen thanks to top swims from Sophie Kershaw and Amy Foote, which preceded another brilliant win in the 8-swimmer mixed Freestyle relay race. 

Isla Diamond went first and recorded her PB, which would be her first of three in quick succession, as did Madeleine Mason and Heidi Oliver, who provided a strong platform for Lucas Hopwood, Olivia Simpson and Bobby Robson to finish the job. 

An excellent second place came next, as Scarlett Lyne swam up an age with the Senior Girls, immediately followed by two more victories, with great swims from both Scarlett Newall and the ever-impressive Noah Blemmings. 

Demileigh Mendoza, Ethan Lyne and Olivia Goff were all instrumental in helping the team to two further wins soon after, as the gala reached its climax.  

Another superb win came in race 27, helped no end by Oscar Blemmings in a brilliant opening Backstroke and Liam Shilley in the Breaststroke.  

There were more personal best times in the penultimate race from Daniel Houston and Marley Unsworth, who set the event up for an exciting finale. 

The final Cannon race - between girls and boys of all ages - saw Wilmslow attempt to deny Ashton a fourth Celebration Gala win on the bounce, but it was to no avail. 

A ruthless performance from the League Champions saw them romp to their ninth win of the afternoon and secure a fourth consecutive League and Celebration Gala double. 

Isla and Oscar set the tone for the race, before a strong finish from Sophie and Dan put the win beyond any doubt. 

James Ashton, Olivia Hunt, Georgie Lowndes, Chloe Porter, Luciana Winston, Florence Clarke and Jenson Stenson made up the winning team as the Tameside club celebrated poolside in front of a great crowd. 

All parents had a say in voting for the Swimmer of the Match, as Isla Diamond took the spoils for the second time this year. 

The win capped off yet another great season with a flourish, as the club went undefeated once again. 

Ashton-under-Lyne Swimming Club train at Hyde Leisure Pool every Tuesday and Wednesday evening. 

For more information, visit: www.aulsc.org.uk