FOUR members of the Bolton School Senior Water Polo Team have been identified as ‘elite’ players and selected for national sporting programmes.

Lewis Daly has been offered a place on the Sport England Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) – the same programme that introduced Helen Glover to rowing and helped her on the road to Olympic gold.

This unique, government backed partnership between talented young athletes, educational institutions, and National Governing Bodies of Sport aims to help athletes to balance academic achievement with sporting excellence.

James Barker, Josh Smith-Trow and Aaron Winstanley also have places on the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) programme.

The AASE programme provides training and development routes to ensure that top young athletes have the support they need to succeed in elite sport.

It has also been designed to provide skills, knowledge and qualifications in case an athlete falls short of their ultimate goal, allowing them to pursue a secondary or supplementary career.

A spokesman for the school said: "This is an excellent opportunity for all four boys to hone their sporting skills in a supportive environment."

Year 12 pupil Winstanley is no stranger to Your Sport supplement after he appeared in March last year, for getting a call-up to train with the senior GB water polo team.

He is already part of the U19s' GB squad, but last weekend the Senior GB Water Polo coach contacted him to ask him to join the senior team in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.

This news will come as no surprise to those who know Aaron: Water Polo has been a huge part of his life since he joined Bolton School in Year 7.

Daly was also part of the senior team that dominated the first round of the ESSA U18s championships and there will be a second qualifying round before the finals in March.

n Do you have a sports story? Get in touch via email robert.kelly@nqnw.co.uk or ring 01204 537246