The final two matches of the men’s Championship 2 season at Grantham decided the champion team as well as confirming the three promotion places to Division 2 at the start of 2023/24.

Southampton completed an excellent weekend’s work by defeating Manchester Hawks 10-7, including five goals from Jacob Graham, to finish as runners-up.

Then Portobello, having slipped up against Southampton on day one, achieved the win they needed to clinch the title - 14-10 against Otter. Axel Pasquier (5) and Yalin Gulen (3) led the scoring.

Earlier, Hucknall secured a top three spot, leaving it very late to beat Rotherham Metro 12-11. Rotherham took an 11-8 lead when George Jackson scored for the fifth time towards the end of the third period.

It wasn’t until 3.28 from the end that a Daniel Ramsey goal launched a Hucknall recovery. Sam Joyce added another, then Luke Rostron equalised with 2.07 to go. A little over a minute remained when Jake Taylor’s fifth goal took Hucknall home.

Photo (Trevor Hyde) above: Five-goal Jake Taylor, of Hucknall.
Below: Portobello celebrate their victory.

The contest for the men’s Championship 2 title – and the top three places – will go to the final matches at Grantham tomorrow.

​Big shock on day one was Portobello’s first defeat after a run of five wins – a thumping 13-4 hammering by Southampton, whose lead scorers were Jacob Graham (6) and Jackson Mullins (4).

Sam Joyce’s extraordinary scoring feats on behalf of Hucknall continued. He bagged seven, stretching his total in just six games to 39, as Castleford were outplayed 19-8!  

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Southampton's Jackson Mullins. 

Manchester Comets defeated Watford 9-7 in the final match of the women’s play-offs at the Jason Kenny Centre, Bolton, to grab the runners-up spot and clinch a place alongside competition winners Mid Sussex Marlins in Division 2 at the start of next season. Watford and Caledonia drop to Division 3.

Comets raced into a 6-1 lead against Watford but faced a real battle before ensuring victory.  Watford fought back to trail only 7-6 near the end of the third period and then 8-7 when Anna Lord fired past the Manchester goalkeeper with 1.17 remaining. Sarah Craig’s fifth goal of the game for Manchester was added just one second from the final whistle.
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Marlins won 13-10 against Caledonia in a match which for much of the time was just as tense. The Scots led 9-8 midway through the third quarter but were then overhauled as Maisie Standen and Lillie Standen took their personal goal tallies to four apiece. 

Close finishes were the order of the day in the women’s play-off matches at the Jason Kenny Centre, Bolton, today. None of the four teams won their two matches – so Mid Sussex Marlins and Watford, who both finished on three points, go into day two best placed to earn promotion to Division 2 at the start of next season.

The bottom two teams in the play-offs drop to Division 3 in company with the top six from Division 3 last season – Kirkintilloch & Kilsyth, Southampton, Welsh Wanderers, Sheffield Stingrays, Solihull and Birmingham.

Watford and Mid Sussex Marlins drew 9-9 when Charlotte Winstanley (Photo: Trevor Hyde) scored a final equaliser for Watford – her sixth goal of the game.

Against Caledonia, Watford were 9-3 up early in the third period but then a Scottish rally cut the lead to 9-8 – only for Watford to revive again in the final quarter when Eve Barnes’ three goals were crucial in setting up a 15-12 win.

Caledonia went down 6-5 to Manchester Comets, Sarah Craig netting a penalty winner for Comets with just 1.30 remaining.

In the final game of the day, Mid Sussex Marlins defeated Manchester Comets 14-9. Rebecca Smith (4), Maisie Standon (4) and Lillie Standen (3) were the main scorers for Marlins. 

City of Manchester grabbed two vital points in the men’s Super 5s with a dramatic 8-7 victory over Polytechnic at Coventry today. The win avenged their defeat by Poly at Sheffield in January – their only reverse so far.

However, it’s undefeated Penguin who will go to the finale weekend at Haberdashers on 1/2 April with a one point lead over Manchester after defeating Cheltenham 13-6.

So brace yourselves for a possible Manchester-Penguin title-decider on day one at Habs!

Manchester and Poly were locked at 6-6 after three quarters today – and Poly missed the chance to lead in the fourth when failing to convert a penalty. Almost immediately, Dan Paddon edged Manchester ahead and, after Poly had two players wrapped, Joe O’Regan made it 8-6. Tim Rezelman’s (Photo: Trevor Hyde) reply for Poly came just 41 seconds from the end.
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It was comparatively easy for Penguin against Cheltenham after cruising into a 5-0 lead. William de Vena (4) and Andrea Tulli (3) led their scoring. 

City of Manchester defeated Coventry 10-6 in their final match at Coventry to move close to another Super 5s triumph.

They need a maximum of two points from the finale weekend at Haberdashers, 1/2 April, to secure their fourth consecutive title.

Liverpool Lizards, Champions Cup winners last season, are still not certain of qualification this year after suffering their fifth defeat in the women’s Super 5s - 10-7 to Otter.

Goals by Katy Cutler (2), Rebecca Mulcahy (2) and Toula Falvey gave Otter a great start – 5-2 up after the first period. Liverpool then grafted their way back and goals by Molly Boniface-Ashton (Photo: Trevor Hyde) cut the Otter lead to 7-6, then 8-7. But Otter had the last word, Caty Cutler and Toula Falvey striking again to secure the points.
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In women’s Championship 1 at Liverpool, Cheltenham clinched a top three place - and promotion to Division 1 for the first time - with a hard fought 7-5 victory over Penguin Emperors. Penguin were 4-1 up in the early stages but were pegged back to 4-4 by the end of the third period. Penguin scored first in the final quarter but were then floored by three quick goals from Crystal Hulls and Michela and Mara Totilici.

​A 13-6 win by champions Sheffield Sharks over Tyldesley in the final game meant that Penguin also won promotion at the expense of Tyldesley.

Goalkeeper Alex Robinson was Rotherham’s hero against Exeter, scoring the goal that earned her side a 15-15 draw just 11 seconds from the end. Exeter had taken a 15-14 lead when Nyah Tomlinson netted with 34 seconds remaining. 

Below: Sheffield girls show off their trophy and medals after winning women's Championship 1 at Liverpool..

Penguin retained their unbeaten record in the men's Super 5s when they defeated Lancaster 16-7 at Coventry tonight (4 March).

The battle for the title remains intense, with City of Manchester and Polytechnic both winning earlier in the day.

Lancaster proved to be no pushovers in the early stages against Penguin. The London side raced into a 4-0 lead but, when Tom Curwen slotted his second penalty towards the end of the second period, Lancaster trailed only 6-5.

However, it was one-way traffic after that, Penguin scoring six in the third quarter.

Early in the day, Lancaster went down 15-12 to Polytechnic. Poly appeared to be coasting to victory when they led 13-7 early in the final period. But Lancaster's powerful shooting from distance - notably by Scott Sharpe and Tom Curwen - kept them in the hunt as the margin reduced to 13-11, only for late goals by Nick Hock and Giacono Cupido to take Poly clear again. 

Manchester defeated Cheltenham 10-7 - a game that was much closer than the final score suggests. Manchester were 6-3 ahead early on, but then faced a determined Cheltenham rally, which reduced Manchester's advantage to 8-7 when George Davies scored early in the final quarter. Cheltenham needed the next goal, but failed to cash in on two man-up chances - and Manchester promptly made it 9-7 through Dan Paddon (Photo: Trevor Hyde). Jordan Elliot's deflected shot added a final Manchester goal at the end of an excellent match.

Otter maintained the pressure on women's Super 5s pacesetters City of Manchester with a 15-11 victory over Hucknall at Coventry today.

Hucknall trailed 10-5 early in the third period but continued to challenge, reducing Otter's advantage to 11-9, then 13-11. The London side had to wait until the last minute to ensure the points, Toula Falvey netting from close range and Lucy Bullock converting a penalty. Katy Cutler (Photo: Trevor Hyde) scored five for Otter and Cara Dunsbee four for Hucknall.

Later, Manchester defeated Hucknall 10-2. They took a while to break down determined Hucknall resistance but broke clear in the third and fourth quarters, with Izzi Howe scoring five. 

At the fifth attempt, Liverpool Lizards collected their first Super 5s points. They beat Coventry 12-8, avenging a defeat against the same opponents earlier in the campaign. 

​At Liverpool, Sheffield Sharks clinched the women's Championship 1 title with a 12-7 win against Otter Lutra. The sides were level at 7-7 before Sharks took charge with goals by Lili Toth (2), Amelia Peters, Lottie Martin and Caitlin Silk. Holly Toone scored six as Tyldesley beat Liverpool Liver Birds 16-13.

For the first time in nine years, GB men’s team are returning to international competition, taking part in the World Aquatics (previously FINA) World Cup B Division Continental Qualification event in Otopeni, Romania, from 9-12 March.

Their opponents include Ukraine. Which is what prompted the players’ idea of marking the trip by raising £1500 to help support families and children of that country’s water polo community, which has been so severely impacted by the war.

Can you help? The GB lads have set up a JustGiving page with the aim of attracting full support form clubs and players throughout the UK. See https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matt-holland-2

This article - https://www.waterpoloengland.org/2023/03/02/one-year-on-we-hear-from-the-ukrainian-polo-federation/ - vividly describes what has happened to Ukrainian water polo in the year since the Russian invasion. Losses include former national team captain Yevhen Obedynskyi, who played until 2020 but retired after a cancer diagnosis and then died during an aerial bombardment last March.
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GB also play Romania, Malta and Germany in their group. Team: Tom Manley, Dan Paddon, Aaron Winstanley (all Manchester), Kamz Powell (Exeter), Rudi Polster (Cheltenham), Jordan Elliot (Manchester and Coventry), Dan Atkinson (Invicta), Tom Hunt (Cheltenham), John Pratt (Sedgefield), George Davies (Cheltenham and Solihull), Ryan Symington (Sutton & Cheam), Fraser Duguid (Manchester), Matt Holland (Sutton & Cheam).

After suffering defeat against City of Bristol on day one, Welsh Wanderers bounced back with an 8-6 victory over Sheffield in men’s Championship 1 at East Manchester today.

Wanderers built a 3-0 lead in the first period, improved to 6-2 in the second. That sparked a Sheffield recovery which saw them pull level at 6-6 in the third quarter – only for Dan Laxton to edge Wanderers ahead again within half a minute. Ceri Griffiths added another Welsh goal three seconds from the end.

Bristol led Caledonia 5-4 after two periods, but the Scots then countered with seven goals in the third, including three by Dominique Zahra (Photo: Trevor Hyde). Caledonia eventually won 14-8.

Sutton & Cheam and Wanderers are already guaranteed top three spots in Championship 1 and a move to Division 1 at the start of next season. The title - and other promotion place - are still very much up for grabs so there will be much to play for when the final games are staged at Haberdashers on 25/26 March.

Portobello easily maintained their 100 per cent record in men’s Championship 2, beating Cheltenham Spartans 16-6. Six goals in the opening period – including an Axel Pasquier hat-trick – set the tone.