BOLTON Metro Swim Squad enjoyed unprecedented medal success at this year's Lancashire ASA County Championships, smashing all previous club records.

They finished third in the overall table, winning 25 gold, 16 silver and 14 bronze medals at the championships, which took place at the Manchester Aquatics Centre over consecutive weekends at the end of January and the start of February.

The elite-performance squad, made up of around 75 of the best young swimmers from the town's various different clubs, outshone much bigger rivals.

It was a remarkable achievement, considering BMSS have no permanent base and are largely funded by parental contributions, unlike their major competitors, who rely on a much higher percentage of public funding.

Club chairman Steve Howell said groups with a comparable number of swimmers were much further down the county points table, which was topped by the City of Manchester and City of Salford swim teams.

And he added: "It's hard to overstate our success in these championships.

"BMSS have smashed their previous points records, winning more in every single category.

"The achievement is even greater because these fantastic, dedicated young swimmers don't even have a single pool to train in.

"They are travelling across Bolton at all times of the day and night to squeeze in extra hours wherever they can at the cheapest possible rates.

"In spite of this, our swimmers are succeeding in an extraordinary way.

"It's all down to our superb coaches; they have a great relationship with our young people and know how to get the very best out of every one of them."

There were stand-out medal success stories.

Gabriel Glynn scooped seven gold medals, while Jake Reynolds won five.

Isaac Brennand came first in four events, while Lucy Dixon and Anna Doughty each struck gold in three of their races.

Across the board many more Bolton swimmers finished with faster times than previous years.

There were 96 top-eight finishes – up from 57 in 2016.

BMSS is continuing to look for sponsorship to help support their young swimmers and reduce the financial burden on their parents.

If you can help fund Bolton's top team of swimmers to reach even greater heights, get in touch at BMSS.chair@outlook.com