City of Salford win Combo Cup for a record fifth time

City of Salford successfully defended the Combo Cup, taking the trophy back to Manchester for a fifth time.

In a competition that once again went down to the last event, the North West club were overjoyed to retain the cup after last year’s win.

The club were consistent throughout the sessions at Ponds Forge, taking three golds and a silver for the club to finish on 31 points.

Salford started as they meant to go on, taking the first title of the day in the Division One 13-19 category. Their ABBA inspired routine scored 130.8467, with the lowest amount of synchronisation errors of the whole day.

They were also awarded the highest scoring routine of the day in the Division Two 15 & Under category. They took gold with a huge score of 145.5267 with a routine to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun’.

The club’s Division Two 12 & Under representatives gained a bronze medal with their Cats routine, scoring 112.7867.

In the last event of the day, City of Salford topped the club standings leaderboard for the first time since the first event. The Latin inspired routine in the Division Two 15-19 category not only secured them silver but also retained the Combo Cup.

“We’re so happy, but it was unexpected!” said head coach Jess Fletcher.

“Last year we took a full team of swimmers, and this year we have slightly less. The swimmers just love this competition, though, and seem to save something special just for this day”.

City of Salford was represented by:

Division One 13-19: Amelia Pearson, Charlotte Cohen, Elizabeth Eaton-Merry, Holly Casey, Isabella Maw, Jemima Welch, Leigh Newell, Neve Burgess, Rose Broadhead and Sabine Melia

Division Two 12 & Under: Alyssa Casey, Amelia Beardow, Annabelle Fletcher, Bianca Menhart, Eloise Rose, Georgia Belle Davies, Isobel Bullock, Rhea Shuttleworth, Sofia Pearson and Thea Brockis

Division Two 15 & Under: Dorothy Walsh, Eva Goodman, Isabella Whittle, Isla Lambert, Jessica Sheppherd, Kaitlyn Riley, Matilda Allen, Millie Maw and Tess Burlinson

Division Two 15-19: Abigail Pullen, Ailsa Fox, Caitlyn Brook, Chloe Mccreedy, Eleanor Burlinson, Neve Lambert, Sophie Flemming, Ysabel Brook and Zofia Holyniewska

City of Leeds finished just one point behind, taking golds in both Division Two 13-15 (135.5667) and Division Two 12 & Under (127.4583), as well as a silver in Division One 13-19 (121.9517). Finishing on 30 points, the club’s tally was an increase from 2025 of eight points.

Not far behind were Aqualina. Backed by a huge support team, the Hertfordshire-based club also took two golds and a silver. Routines inspired by dragons (Division One 13-15) and Deadpool (Division Two 15-19) took the top spots, with their Wednesday routine (Division Two 15 & Under) taking second place.

Stockport Metro (Team 2) won the Division One 15 & under category, in a competitive event that saw 23 different teams enter. Their score of 133.3533 gave them the title with a lead of over 20 points.

Cheltenham then took the Division One 12 & Under category, as the only team in the category to break the 100 points barrier with 107.0233. Rykneld were the winners in the Division One 15-19 category, with their routine to the Rio soundtrack scoring 99.2500.

In the most competitive Division Two category – 13-19, City of Preston Aquatics delivered a routine that placed them over ten points clear of their next competitors. Scoring 141.8133, the team displayed impressive acrobatic skills to give them the title.

Photos: Will Johnston Photography