Tony Milton

Tony Milton came from a family of swimmers and water polo players. His parents Freddie and Irene were both Olympians, as was his mother´s brother, Bob Pirie.

Tony was both a top swimmer and water polo player who specialised in long-distance swimming and was the three-times winner of the ASA Long Distance Championship in 1963 and 1965-66. His father won the same title twice in the 1930s. Tony was also the ASA 880 yards champion in 1964 and runner-up in both the 880 and mile in 1963. He was a member of the 4 x 200 metres freestyle relay team that finished fourth at the 1960 Roma Olympics but, in their heat, the quartet of Milton, John Martin-Dye, Richard Campion, and Ian Black, set a European record 8:26.9 in winning their heat.

Milton was a member of the famous London Otter Swimming and Water Polo Club. In 1958 he represented Great Britain in an international tournament in Germany and the following year was captain of the junior GB water polo team. Milton was Otter´s vice-president (1976-77), vice-captain (1966), and water polo captain (1974-75). Later in his career, Milton played for Chippenham and Bristol North. The highlight of his polo career was being in the Otter side that beat Walsall 6-5 to win the 1964 ASA Club Water Polo Championship. During his swimming and water polo days, Milton worked for brewers Carlsberg, of whom his father Freddie was chairman.