IT is sporting review of the year time again folks – and what a year it has been! There have been groundbreaking achievements galore covering a wide range of sporting disciplines. Many sports stars have done the city of Salford proud in 2008, as have numerous teams. But there have also been several big disappointments for the city’s sporting fraternity. Here, the Advertiser details the main ups and downs in the first six months of the sporting year with July to December coming under the spotlight in next week’s paper. And we are sure you will agree, if the new year brings just half as many sporting highlights then you sports fans have a lot to look forward to.

January

SALFORD City Reds rugby league club’s pre-season preparations were hit by new centre signing Damien Reed being sent to prison for breaking a friend’s jaw on a night out. They also lost their main summer signing, Robbie Paul, for two months following a back operation. The Reds were edged out 22-18 in a pre-season friendly with Warrington and were paired with local rivals Swinton plus Oldham and Rochdale in the group stage of the Northern Rail Cup. Swinton lost 44-8 at Whitehaven and 24-20 at home to St Helens in friendlies. They signed Ryan Mirfield on a one-year deal from St Helens but were left reeling from Gareth Hayes breaking his hand in training. Beechfield United became the first ever Lancashire and Cheshire League football side to reach the final of the Manchester FA’s Challenge Trophy.

February

DEANS Youth and Ladies Football Club picked up three Salford Sports Council Awards, being named club of the year with their coaches Trevor Tuck and Chris Grimshaw picking up the coach of the year and unsung hero gongs respectively. The sports performer, volunteer, and disabled sports achiever of the year awards went to swimmer Luke Wood, Oakwood Sports Club’s Kathrin Webber and swimmer Richard Howard respectively. Salford lads Daniel Grime, Max Leonard and Rob Grubisic were selected to represent England’s under-19s lacrosse team at the world championships in Canada. Irlam’s Jessica Fletcher was named in Great Britain’s synchronised swimming team for the European championships in France. Work finally began at Salford City Reds rugby league club’s new stadium site at Barton. But the Reds lost the services of another new signing with a homesick James Jiminez returning to Australia. They brought Daley Williams back into their first team squad and began their Northern Rail Cup campaign by beating Rochdale 54-12, Oldham 40-12 and Swinton Lions 48-8 but lost their away game at Oldham 18-14. Swinton, who signed Ian Hodson for a second time from Oldham but lost assistant coach Richard Marshall to Warrington, were beaten 22-20 by Oldham and 36-34 by Rochdale before defeating Rochdale 38-34. Worsley squash player Vicky Botwright pulled out of the national squash championships in Manchester due to a virus. Eccles rugby union club recorded their biggest ever victory, thrashing Blackpool 137-3.

March

ANTHONY Weall scored all three goals as Beechfield United FC beat Arches FC 3-0 in the Manchester FA’s Charter Standard Adult Cup final. Beechfield were also crowned Lancashire and Cheshire League Premier Division champions. Pendlebury United were handed an FA Charter Standard Club award from Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. And Salford Under-15s secured the Greater Manchester Schools’ League title. Salford Metropolitan under-17s runner Leanne Sheehy capped off a fantastic cross country season by winning the South East Lancashire League and finishing second in the Manchester and District League. Salford Harrier Andi Jones and Simon Horsfield, who both worked in Worsley, were picked to represent Great Britain in the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh. Amanda Nugent and Katrina Alder secured five podium finishes to help England win the Home International Swimming Championships. Alder also won eight gold medals as the City of Salford Swimming Club won the top age group and top championship club titles at the Lancashire County Championships for the first time. And fellow Salford swimmer Heather Frederiksen smashed 100 metres and 50m British disability records. Cadishead eight-year-old Declan Fisher won an English Junior Wrestling title. And in the world of boxing, Bridgewater Salford ABC youngsters Marc Leach and Connor Mannion were crowned champions of the national Golden Gloves competition. Salford City Reds rugby league club beat Swinton Lions 70-0 and Rochdale 68-0 in the Northern Rail Cup, Warrington Wizards 66-10 in the Challenge Cup plus Leigh 24-8, Featherstone 42-22 and Batley 42-22 in National League One. Swinton, who lost Chris Morley to a serious knee injury and Liam McGovern to a broken hand, crashed out of the Northern Rail Cup following a 52-10 defeat to Oldham. In National League Two, Swinton beat Blackpool 44-30 but lost to Keighley 22-12 and to Doncaster 36-18. They progressed to the fourth round of the Challenge Cup with a 40-14 success at Wath Brow Hornets. Eccles and Salford Juniors were relegated to the second division of the National Conference League and Irlam Hornets were promoted to Division Five of the North West Counties League.

April

SALFORD boxing trainer Oliver Harrison was sacked by Amir Khan via a letter passed under his door despite leading the Olympic hero to 17 straight professional wins. Former Oliver’s Gym member Steve Foster Junior pulled out of his WBC Featherweight title fight with Derry Matthews after struggling to make the weight limit. Salford swimmers James Doolan and Luke Wood qualified for the European Junior Championships in Serbia. Doolan was also picked to take part in the World Youth Championships in Mexico. Broughton rugby union club wrapped up their league title and Salford City FC finished as runners-up in the Vodkat League first division. Beechfield United lost their Manchester FA Challenge Trophy final with AFC Blackley 4-2. And in the Eccles Sunday League, GCJ United defeated Salford Victoria 4-2 in the TJ Judge Cup final and Chestnut Lodge completed a league and cup double by edging out Clarendon 2-1 in the Eccles Challenge Cup final. Eccles Karate Club’s Shaun Towey and Hannah Salmon won the pairs title at the Ken Yu Kai Open British Championships. And Clifton cyclist Simon Horner claimed the National Clarion Track Championships crown in Manchester. In rugby league, Salford’s Richard Myler picked up the National League One player of the month award for March and Robbie Paul scored two tries on his Reds debut as they beat Batley 62-6 in the Northern Rail Cup. Salford were rocked by a torn hamstring injury to John Wilshere. They beat Whitehaven 36-10 in the league but drew with Widnes 16-16 and, in the Challenge Cup, lost to Wakefield 38-8. Swinton Lions were knocked out of the Challenge Cup with a 20-8 defeat to Oldham. And in the league they overcame London Skolars 34-24 and Workington 30-20. Ian Hodson returned to Oldham for internal reasons and Darren Bamford picked up an ankle injury.

May

SWINTON Lions rugby league club’s rotten luck with injuries continued with Rick Jones, Chris Hull, Chris Tyrer and Adam Bibey all being sidelined. And, in what was a disastrous month out on the pitch, the Lions lost 36-20 to Gateshead, 50-28 to York, 30-20 to Oldham and 30-28 to Blackpool. Salford’s leading points scorer Andy Ballard underwent a hernia operation. Richard Myler won his second successive National League One player of the month award. But, after drawing 24-24 with Sheffield, edging out Celtic 24-22 and beating Featherstone 30-12, Salford suffered their first defeat of the League One season with a 26-22 loss at Whitehaven. Folly Lane’s Chris Jones was named the North West Counties League’s first division player of the season and Broughton Rangers began playing games again as New Broughton Rangers following a 50-year absence from the world of rugby league. It was confirmed that Salford City’s 25-year wait for UniBond League football had come to an end. And Salford resident Liam Dickinson scored the winning goal in Stockport County’s 3-2 Football League Two play-off final victory over Rochdale. Beechfield United’s third team completed a league and cup double by defeating Stoconians 2-1 in the Whitehead Cup final. Monton Amateurs beat Fives Athletic 4-0 to win the Hindsford Cup for the first time. Irlam cemented their fourth consecutive Eccles Sunday League Premier Division title while GCJ United took the first division crown. Salford Celtic saw off De La Salle Coruna 3-2 in the Margaret Piggott Memorial Cup final, Irlam Railway beat Chestnut Lodge by the same score in the Carr and Hume Trophy final and Irlam brushed aside Charlestown CYC 4-0 in the John Cook Premier Trophy final. At the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, Sarah Storey and Heather Frederiksen broke world records in winning 3,000 metres individual cycling and 100m backstroke swimming titles respectively. Salford again lost the annual Two Cities Boat Race with Manchester. Salford boxer Jamie Moore recorded a fifth round stoppage win against Mexican Esau Herrera at the City of Manchester Stadium, Swinton Ladies picked up the Lancashire GMC Super League darts title and Worsley 11-year-old Hannah Turner won three gold medals and two silvers at only her second competitive outing at the Greater Manchester Gymnastics Championships.

June

SALFORD tennis legend William Charles kept the record of six straight Wimbledon wins due to Rafael Nadal’s SW19 victory over Roger Federer. Sixty four-year-old Worsley runner John McDonald completed his 200th marathon at the York City Marathon. Salford Gymnastics Club’s two-piece girls won 33 medals at the North West Floor and Vault Championships and the four-piece girls won the Greater Manchester Open four-piece competition in Warrington. Charlestown’s Marc Leach was selected to represent England in the European Schoolboy Boxing Championships. Swinton Park Golf Club assistant David Smith smashed a course record at the Humberside Club with a six-under-par 61 in the second round of the PGA North Region Borough Classic. Pendlebury United FC were named the Manchester FA’s Charter Standard Club of the Year and Irlam FC resigned from the Eccles Sunday League to concentrate on Saturday football. Salford City Reds rugby league club booked their place in the Northern Rail Cup final with a 36-20 victory at Celtic. In the league, they beat Sheffield 34-10 and Halifax 30-24 but they lost 20-18 at Widnes and they allowed Damien Reed to join Sheffield when he was released from jail. Lee Jewitt was ruled out of action for a month after picking up a knee injury and Chris Tyrer’s season at Swinton Lions was ended by a horrific broken leg and dislocated ankle injury. The Lions brought in Paul Crook from Doncaster, Paul Raftery from Barrow and Adam Bowman from Widnes. They prevailed 17-6 against Hunslet and 33-24 against Workington but went down 28-12 to Gateshead and 70-14 to Barrow.

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