Champions Polytechnic and former winners City of Manchester head for the men’s Super 5s finale at Coventry on 23/24 March level on points at the top – and with their crunch, second meeting of the season perfectly scheduled as the very last match of the campaign.

What a finish is in store – especially as the first meeting of the teams last month ended in a thrilling 14-14 draw!

At Sandwell Aquatics Centre today, Poly defeated Sutton & Cheam 13-11, having built a 6-0 lead in the second period. Caleb Simpson topped the Poly goals chart with four.
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Welsh Wanderers proved a tougher nut to crack for Manchester. The game progressed from 9-9 in the final period to 10-10, then 11-11 – then to a final score of 12-11 to Manchester thanks to a goal 36 seconds from the end by James Blenkinship.

It’s all set for a nail-biting finale to the women’s Championship 1 programme as the two teams with 100 per cent records – Hucknall and Cheltenham – clash in a title decider at Grantham tomorrow (3 March).

Hucknall eased to a 15-4 victory today (2 March) over Liverpool Liver Birds, including six goals by Helena Batey, while Cheltenham beat third-placed Tyldesley 18-10. Amelia Perkins was again a key performer for Cheltenham, a haul of six goals taking her Championship 1 tally for the season to a remarkable 41.
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Tyldesley are guaranteed a third-place finish. They will join Hucknall and Cheltenham in Division 1 next season.

It's been a wonderfully competitive and exciting men’s Super 5s campaign so far. Even after another day of matches at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, the key issues - who wins the title, which four teams qualify for the Champions Cup and which one misses out – will not be decided until the finale weekend at Coventry on 23/24 March.

Welsh Wanderers edged closer to Champions Cup qualification for the first time after picking up their third win – 14-6 against Sutton & Cheam. The result avenged Wanderers’ defeat by Sutton in their first meeting and owed much, once again, to the experience of five-goal Dan Laxton (Photo: Trevor Hyde).

Cheltenham lost twice.  After the early defeat by Manchester, they went down 13-7 to Polytechnic, but only after Poly had been given quite a fright. Cheltenham led 4-0 after the first period – goals by Matt Witcomb (2), Adam Legge and Louie McKie – but Poly then fought back to 6-6 after two, before surging ahead to 10-6 in the third with goals buy Caleb Simpson, David Rom, Sergio Schiaffino and Adam Williams.

City of Manchester and Liverpool Lizards stand top of the women’s Super 5s, both on three victories. Brooke Tafazolli scored five in Manchester’s 14-6 win against Sheffield Sharks. Coventry hit seven in the final period, including three by Mathilde Ribordy, to complete a 16-8 defeat of Otter.

BWPL’s first visit to the splendid Sandwell Aquatics Centre in the Midlands saw Liverpool Lizards launch a weekend of women’s Super 5s matches by defeating Sheffield Sharks 6-5.

Four goals by Katie Brown (Photo: Trevor Hyde)  – a member of the Great Britain team at the World Championships in Doha – ensured that Liverpool were always in charge, although Sheffield hinted at a recovery when a Sarah Rogers strike at the start of the final period cut Liverpool’s lead from 6-3 to 6-4. The only other goal of the game was scored by Sheffield's Amelia Peters just six seconds from the end.
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Jordan Elliot scored five as City of Manchester maintained their men’s Super 5s title challenge with a 15-9 victory over Cheltenham.