BOLTON'S best hope of a medal fears a lack of funding will severely hamper his chance of competing in the Commonwealth Games writes David Magilton

Anthony Howard represented Great Britain in the Sydney Olympics, but his hopes of impressing in Manchester are in the balance.

Lottery funding was withdrawn from the swimmers after they failed to get a medal Down Under and the impact has been a hammer-blow to Howard, who won a bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in the 4x100m freestyle relay team.

The talented member of Bolton Metro Swim Squad, whose feats earned him the BEN Sports Personality of the Year, now faces an uphill battle to get himself in peak condition for the trials next April.

He is faced with combining hours of intensive training with holding down a 9-5 job and feels he will not be able to fulfil his true potential under such testing circumstances.

"It is like having two full-time jobs," admitted Howard. "I am trying to be one of the best in the world at what I do and also work 37 and half hours.

"When I stand there at the trials I know that none of the other seven lads will have had to do what I have to. The government is asking our swimmers and runners to compete at the Commonwealth Games as professional athletes and not everybody can do that.

"I am an amateur/hobby swimmer now and there will only be a handful of swimmers taking part in the Games who are like that. The Australians and Canadians are all professionals. They swim all day long and have the best facilities."

The former Turton High School pupil, who is hoping someone will step forward with funds to enable him to train full-time, said he would need between £6,400 and £8,000 from now to the Games in July to be able to prepare properly.

"That is how much it would cost for me to be able to concentrate on my training and get a car because I can't afford to run one. That is just to live on," said the 22 year-old who lives at Egerton. "If I don't get that I will have to work and be an amateur. It would be an uphill battle to qualify for the Games and that has got nothing to do with my ability. My body can only take so much.

"All I am trying to do is represent my country and my home Commonwealth Games which is just down the road and people are building brick walls for me and making it as hard as they possibly can. I think I will have to retire after this, not because I want to but purely on financial grounds. I can't carry on like this."