Fixtures for the first phase of the 2022/23 season are now published on this website.

City of Manchester launch their defence of the men’s title with a key clash against Cheltenham on the first weekend of matches - at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, 8 October.
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Manchester, the women’s champions, wait for their second weekend – at East Manchester, 15 October – before taking on Liverpool Lizards, their conquerors in the Champions Cup. 

​Clubs with any queries should contact Match Secretary, Chris Stephens, chris.stephens@bwpl.org.

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Manchester's Annie Clapperton, leading scorer in the women's Super 5s last season.

The death has occurred of former Aston and GB under-21 player Geoff Ward, a multi-talented sportsman who excelled at cricket and golf in addition to water polo.
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Former men's National League chairman Stephen Baker writes: "At 6‘3”, he was a strapping player who always looked a lot younger than he was. Geoff followed his father Ron into the Aston club and won many trophies in junior and local midland league competitions.

Aston saw their pre-eminence in the 1970s in the NWPL, twice finishing runners-up in the top division. Crowning glory was the 1975 ASA knock-out final, a 6-5 win against Polytechnic. 

The club played in the very shallow Aston pool, which must have been a challenge for what was the biggest team of the day, including such giants of the game as Nigel Horton, Norman Lines, Tony Whittington, Alan Widdowson, John Staniland, Ian Wallwork, John Barnes and Dickie Middleton, ably led by Chris Dickinson, a former GB captain.  

Aston dropped out of the National League by 1983 and Geoff moved to Warley, where he played for four years prior to retirement.

Geoff's business life was as an entrepreneur mainly in paint and automotives. He was a larger than life, cheerful and fun-loving man whose passing at 68 is tragically early and a great loss. He is survived by his mother Frances (99), sister Pat and daughter Jenna."

It was a day for friends and rivals of old to meet up again and enjoy a wonderful party!

This picture from the BWPL 35/60 celebration at Parliament Hill Fields Lido shows ex-GB goalkeeper John Towers (left) and his pal Colin Ball, who played when Otter defeated the Birmingham & District League in the country’s first-ever national league match in April 1963 – a few months after the founding meeting of the men’s competition.

There were others there from the 1960s and 1970s – including Dave Clegg, known to all as “Cleggie”, who played for Middlesbrough and York; Polytechnic’s Phil Brayford; and Sutton & Cheam international goalkeeper Stef Radwanski. Among the ladies were veterans of the inaugural season of the NWWPL 35 years ago, including Judi Clayton, Brenda Grace, Helen Hicks and Steph and Angie Clamp.
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A huge thank you to all who played such key roles in organising the event – especially BWPL Chairman Dave Andrews, ex-NWPL Chairman Stephen Baker and programme designer Callum Bailey. Thank you, also, to our sponsors – and of course to the excellent staff and lifeguards at the Lido.

Below - action from the GB men's and women's games at Parliament Hill Lido. Photos by Trevor Hyde.
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