History Part 7 (1981-1985)

LINKS: FOREWORD, 1, ORNAMENTAL SWIMMING, PROGRAMS, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, NEWS

In 1981 Michelle Giles won gold in record time swimming for Great Britain at the European Catholic Games in Vienna, in the thirteen years old 50 metre butterfly event. She also swam in the winning freestyle team.

Mark Chew swam for the Esso England Youth Squad in Denmark in the 100/200 metres freestyle and in Sweden in the 100/200 metres and 1500 metres freestyle.

Mark Chew and Tracy Toone competed at the National Age Group Competition.

At the English Schools National Final Michelle Giles attained 4^th in the 100 m butterfly.

At the National Biathalon Championships Samantha Hicks gained 8^th place and Andy Chew 9^th place. Michelle Giles and Joanne Quinn finished 2^nd in the team event (1 year out of age) and Tracy Toone finished 3^rd in the team event.

The club finished overall 2^nd in the Bolton & District Age Group for the second year in succession in the process won outright the 9, 10 and 13 years old boys and girls age groups. Following on from this 17 members were selected to swim at the Northern Counties Festival in Blackpool and these swimmers between them swam some 60 events on behalf of Bolton and District.

In the Bolton & District mini league club girls won the trophy in the preliminary rounds and finished overall third in the final.

The club won the Central Lancashire Junior Swim League picking up one gold and four silver medals. The club also won the Central Lancs Age Group Knockout Trophy beating some 16 clubs in the process. Tyldesley girls won the Central Lancs Warbuton Trophy.

At water polo Colin Bent was selected for the U/16s Northern Counties squad.

The junior water polo teams were winners of the Manchester and District U/15 winter league and runners up in the Central Lancs John Boyd competition and Bolton and District U/16 Knock Out. Almost every team player received representative honours at district level.

THE CLUB'S MOTOR COACH

In August 1981, it was decided by elected officers and the Committee, to purchase a "K" registration 1972 forty-five seater motor coach for £3600. The coach was painted in the club colours. For a number of years it did stalwart service taking swimmers on trips, to swim meets and water polo matches. However, due to vandalism, parking problems and spiralling maintenance costs it had to be replaced in 1990 by a more modern fifty-three seater coach which cost £7000. In 1994 this coach became too costly to run and was sold.

TYLDESLEY SWIMMING CLUB LEAVE BOLTON & DISTRICT SWIMMING & WATER POLO ASSOCIATION

Tyldesley Swimming Club had been Bolton and District members for seventy-three years and were stalwarts of league, age groups, water polo and championship competitions during that lengthy period.

On the 19^th July 1982 Tyldesley swimming club resigned from Bolton and District S&WPA in protest at the way the association had handled a dispute between Wigan Wasps and local clubs. On the same date letters were sent to the Central Lancashire S&WPA seeking permission for the club to be accepted into its age group competitions and to the Northern Counties ASA for their consent on the change.

At the time of the resignation they had qualified for the semi-finals of the mini-league and junior water polo competitions respectively.

In August, 1982 a letter was received from Bolton and District accepting Tyldesley's resignation but asked them to re-consider. Tyldesley would not relent and on the 5^th September 1982 the letter sent to the Northern Counties ASA was read out at a meeting and passed. The change from Bolton and District to Central Lancashire was to take place in 1983.

So ended another chapter of the club's history, or so it seemed.

The passage of time alters circumstances, opinions and feelings towards certain events and in 1994 Tyldesley Swimming Club applied, were accepted and are again affiliated to the Bolton and District S&WPA.

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In 1982 Mark Chew was again selected to swim for Great Britain Youth Team in the 200/400 metres freestyle events in Switzerland.

Mark Chew, Michelle Giles and Tracy Toone competed at the National Age Group Competition with Mark Chew making the finals.

Tracy Toone achieved 3^rd place at the National Biathlon final at York. Tracy was also the North West Under 15’s Biathlon Champion and the team of Tracy, Joanne Quinn and Michelle Giles won the North West Triathlon (Under 15’s Team).

The club finished overall 2^nd in the Bolton & District Age Group for the third year in succession and in the process won outright the 9 and 14 years old boys and girls age groups. Several swimmers were selected to swim at the Northern Counties Festival in Blackpool at which Mark Chew, Michelle Giles and Tracy Toone reached the finals.

For the second year running the club won Central Lancashire Junior Swim League this time picking up three gold and one silver medal. Also for the second year running the club won the Central Lancs Age Group Knockout Trophy beating Marple in the final at Tyldesley.

In the Central Lancashire Senior Swim League the girls freestyle team won gold and the girls medley and ladies freestyle teams won silver.

At water polo Colin Bent, Paul Jervis and Craig Pierce were selected to represent Northern Counties and Colin, Paul, Craig and Ian Walker were selected to represent Manchester and District.

In 1983 Mark Chew won three medals in the National Age Group Competition, in which Tracy Toone and Michelle Giles also competed.

Christopher Mills became the North of England and North West Triathlon Champion.

The club won the Central Lancashire Junior Swimming League overall trophy for the third successive year and the Central Lancashire Senior Swim League, for the first time.

At water polo Colin Bent captained the Manchester and District Under 18’s and also represented Lancashire. Matthew Holden, Scott Royle and Paul Jervis were selected for the Northern Counties Under 16’s and Ian Walker was also selected for Lancashire County.

The club won the Central Lancashire under 18’s and Senior Water Polo Leagues and entered the Northern Senior League for the first time.

In 1983 Tyldesley Swimming Club joined the Penguin Learn to Swim Scheme, sponsored by United Biscuits, who provided the participating clubs with badges, certificates, grants and equipment. At the end of 1986, 200 clubs were involved.

THE WHELMAR GALA

Hi-Tec came in 1983, when on the 22^nd and 23^rd January at Broughton Pool, Salford, Tyldesley ran the whole gala on computer, from initial invitations, through to printing of the programmes, results sheets, heat slips and entry cards.

The computer programme was written specifically to deal with the one gala by Vic. Jackson, at that time a member of the Swimming Club Committee.

Seventy-one swimming clubs were invited and out of these twenty-three participated from as far afield as Liverpool, Rochdale, Oldham, Romily, Bolton, Preston and Wigan.

Information about 262 swimmers including full name, date of birth, strokes entered, date entry forms received etc. was stored into the powerful desktop computer system in approximately four hours, by an essentially non-typist. The gala, which was organised by club secretary Alan Giles, for eight, nine and ten year old boys and girls had a tremendous atmosphere with over a thousand spectators during the two days. Four strokes plus medley and freestyle team events, meant in all there were thirty-six events and thirty-six finals.

Computerisation enabled entry closure at 1-45 pm and heat slips printed out by 2 pm. Result sheets were available approximately three minutes from the end of each event.

The boy and girl in each age group with the best performances over the four strokes received a BMX bike purchased from the £500 sponsorship by Whelmar Homes. A trophy was provided by Mr. And Mrs. Norman Gleave of Cleworth Hall Farm, Tyldesley. The winners of the Whelmar Team Trophy being Liverpool Penguins.

Tyldesley Swimming Club was praised on its organisation and running of the gala and much interest was shown in the new Technology which helped achieve this.

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In the National Age Group Swimming Championships of 1984 Tyldesley Swimming Club were represented by Amanda Hewitt, Paul Bailey, Ian Phillips and Mark Chew. Teams from Paul and Jason Bailey, Ian Phillips, Lee Toone and Johnathan Sweeney produced a first for the club in reaching the finals of both freestyle and medley team events, thirteen years of age.

Tanya Williams, Amanda Hewitt and Nicola Toone gained gold medals at the Central Lancashire Age Groups.

Christopher Mills was again North of England and North West under fifteens Triathlon Champion. He represented the Northern West in the Inter-region Biathlon Championships, gaining first place.

Chris Mills, Matthew Holden, Lee Toone and Ian Phillips won the Under 15’s Team North of England Triathlon Championships.

In Senior Triathlon Neil Greenwood, Steve Mazey, Andrew Grundy and Peter Stevens won events in the North of England and North West. Chris Mills, Neil Greenwood and Steve Mazey were invited to train with the Modern Pentathlon Association.

The Junior Girls Team of Tanya Williams, Rachel Hall and Katherine Sutton also won the North of England and North West Biathlon Championships.

Colin Bent was selected for the under twenties Great Britain Water Polo Training Squad.

Chris Mills, Matthew Holden and Scott Royle were chosen for Northern Counties under sixteens. Scott, Paul Jervis and Stephen Davidson were also selected for Lancashire County.

The Senior Team were winners of the Central Lancashire Senior Water Polo League. The Under 16’s and Under 20’s teams were winners of the Central Lancashire Winter League.

In 1985 Chris Mills was first in the Under 18’s North West Triathlon Championships.

Colin Bent was selected the under twenties Great Britain Water Polo Squad and played in the 2^nd European Youth Water Polo Championship at Valletta Pool in Malta. He was also selected for the Northern Counties under twenties and Lancashire County.

LOSS OF HIRE CHARGES

To assist the club the old Tyldesley UDC allowed the club free water time to enable top swimmers more training time, however in the Local Authority re-organisation, Tyldesley became part of Wigan Metropolitan Borough. The new authority allowed the club 25% discount on pool hire charges to compensate for the loss of "free water time".

During 1984 a proposal was submitted by the Department of Leisure to phase out the discount by reducing it to 15% for 1985/6 and to nil for 1986/7. This proposal was accepted and passed by the Council without notice to the club.

Following strenuous objections the Council agreed to hold the discount at 15%, the decision on the loss of the initial 10% could not be reversed. On the re-opening of the baths in 1989, after its three year closure, the club had to pay full hire charges. In 1995 hire charges stood at a staggering £13,000 per annum, this had risen to £17,760 per annum in 2001 and will without doubt increase in the future.

The original concession allowed by Tyldesley UDC had now been lost forever.

SWIMMING TEACHERS COURSE

In 1985 the first ASA Preliminary Swimming Teachers Course, organised by the club under the tuition of member Gwyn Pierce took place at Bolton School. Eleven members participated and all passed. Later that year two went on to become full ASA Teachers. Following this success other club members through the years have taken and passed standards of the ASA Swimming and Water Polo Teachers Certificate.