VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 17, 2011) - ASHBURTON VENTURES INC. (TSX VENTURE:ABR)(FRANKFURT:ARB) ("Ashburton" or the "Company") reports that the drilling program at its Deep Creek Project, located 112 kilometers north of Elko, Nevada is nearly complete. Twenty-seven core holes were drilled in the present program, for a total of 3,178 meters (10,427 feet). Roughly 57% of the core has been cut and submitted for assay, with results for 20% of the core received to date. Highlights of the drilling include partial results for drill hole DC-11-C-5, which intersected an average of 3.67 grams per tonne gold over six meters in the Waterfall Vein Area. Drilling in the Upper Vein Area encountered an average of 2.54 grams per tonne gold over 1.5 meters in drill hole DC-11-C-10, and 6.94 grams per tonne gold over 1.2 meters in drill hole DC-11-C-13. A summary of highlights to date is provided in the table below.

In both the Waterfall Vein and Upper Vein Areas, the anomalous intervals are associated with breccias in variably silicified limestones of the Proterozoic McCoy Group. It is believed that the mineralization is contained within the breccias, whose true dimensions will not be known until further drilling results are received.

All core has been cut using saws located on site in Nevada and at a facility located in Pleasant Grove, Utah, with half of the HQ core submitted for treatment at the ALS Chemex Laboratories in Elko, Nevada, and North Vancouver, British Columbia. The samples have been assayed for gold using the Au-AA24 protocol (0.005-10 part per million gold detection range), with overlimit values re-assayed using the Au-GRA22 protocol (0.05-1,000 part per million gold detection range). A certified standard was submitted for assay along with the core.

A complete summary and interpretation of results will be developed as additional assays are received over the coming weeks.

The technical contents of this release were approved by Dr. Tom McCandless, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Ashburton and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Ashburton Ventures is a junior exploration company actively seeking mineral opportunities for the benefit of all its stakeholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Michael England, President

Forward-Looking Statement:

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information that involves inherent risk and uncertainty affecting the business of Ashburton Ventures Inc. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.