Burnley Bobcats' new coach is looking forward to the challenge

The experienced coach joins from Harrogate District Swimming Club having previously held a similar role at Bolton Metro.

“I’m from Lancashire so this was a great opportunity for me to move back to the area and I am really looking forward to the challenge,” said Spencer who was also swimming development manager for Harrogate Council.

“I am only a month in to the role but I know a lot about the club because it has been established for a very long time.

“My aim is to put building blocks in place, tap in to the potential of the club and make improvements where I can.”

The St Peter’s Centre-based club has often been seen as a smaller club punching above its weight - but that is something Spencer doesn’t totally agree with.

“These so called bigger clubs are not as dominant as they once were so Burnley Bobcats can compete on level terms,” he said.

“My plan is to try and help the club expand, tap in to the area while also work with smaller clubs. So there is no reason to feel the Bobcats are a smaller club.”

Spencer got to see his swimmer in action for the first time at the Bobcats opened their 2018/19 season by attending the first weekend of the North Lancashire Championships at Darwen.

The weekend started in fine fashion with the women’s team consisting of Lucy Turner, Hattie Varley, Lydia Turner and Lola Baron sweeping up the gold in the 200m medley relay.

This set the tone for remainder of the weekend which saw Lucy Turner, Hattie Varley, Lydia Dewhurst, Katie Dewhurst, Lola Baron, Spencer Cragg, Dakota Ravetali, Jamie Clayton and Alexander Eagles, all featuring among the medals in individual events.

In total, the club came away with 11 golds, 10 silvers and seven bronze medals in the age groups and four golds, three silvers in the finals.

The coaching team, headed by Spencer and assisted by Craig Lord and Frances Livesey, were pleased with how the squad performed.

Spencer added: “Although it’s early in the season, with lots of work in the pool to come, things are looking extremely promising moving forward.”

The results come off the back of a great end to last season whereby the club had swimmers attending both the English and Welsh Nationals.

Gaining valuable experience from the season finales were Hattie Varley, Lucy Turner, Alice Fox, Felicity Dodd, Olivia McGinty, Anna Ashworth, Dakota Ravetali, Spencer Cragg and Zac Smith-Shelley.

The club’s micro league team also enjoyed a fantastic season, finishing in second place in Division C and then gaining promotion to Division B after winning the swim-off final at Palatine Leisure Centre, Blackpool.

Currently competing in the North East Lancashire Friendly League, Bobcats have been showcasing their talents once again. Swimmers of all abilities have been given the chance to compete against a number of local clubs in the area, giving some of its younger swimmers their first introduction to competitive swimming.

The performances the club’s swimmers have achieved haven’t gone unnoticed, with Lucy Turner being selected to represent the North West region in the English Schools Championship, Hattie Varley for her England Talent Phase 1 selection and for being selected to swim for the Lancashire County Team.

Lola Cragg has also been selected for the Lancashire County Swimming Development Programme 2018.

The season ahead certainly looks to be very promising indeed for the club and its swimmers and we are all looking forward to some very exciting times ahead.

Burnley Bobcats are on the lookout for new swimmers. Any interested parents or guardians should look to contact burnleybobcats@gmail.com for more information.

The club is also always happy to hear from any local businesses and organisations in the area who would like to sponsor the club to help them to continually develop swimmers for the future.