Games resume after the Christmas and New Year break on 6/7 January with women's Championship 2 and men's Championship 4 split at two venues - Grantham and Newport. The Super 5s get under way on 20/21 January at Luton and the League's comprehensive phase 2 programme of 21 weekend events covering eight men's and women's divisions reaches a climax with the Super 5s showdown at Haberdashers School on 24/25 March.
Fixtures for all divisions in the second half of the BWPL season are now published in detail on this website.
Games resume after the Christmas and New Year break on 6/7 January with women's Championship 2 and men's Championship 4 split at two venues - Grantham and Newport. The Super 5s get under way on 20/21 January at Luton and the League's comprehensive phase 2 programme of 21 weekend events covering eight men's and women's divisions reaches a climax with the Super 5s showdown at Haberdashers School on 24/25 March. Polytechnic, powerhouse of British water polo with 17 titles in the former men's National League, are back in business in a big way after completing an extraordinary hat-trick of wins during the final men's Division 1 weekend at Lancaster.
Victories over Invicta and Manchester on day one left the London club strongly positioned to make the top five. But it still meant that their final match against Sheffield could be viewed as a winner-takes-all meeting for a guaranteed top five spot. Poly won 12-6, always leading after building a 4-1 lead in the first period. Chris Brown and Giacomo Cupido were the chief scorers with four apiece. It meant that, in the end, Polytechnic finished as runners-up and qualified with Solihull, Manchester, Lancaster and Cheltenham. Sheffield, who started the Lancaster weekend in second place, drop to Championship 1 with Invicta and Caledonia. Lancaster avoided a possible slide in the Championship with a 9-6 victory over Cheltenham, who will also be relieved to have survived by a single point. The teams were locked at 6-6 with five minutes left, but then Lancaster went clear with goals by Alex Parsonage (2) and Stefano Cossutti. Photo (Trevor Hyde): Four-goal Chris Brown demonstrates his defensive qualities for Polytechnic. The goalkeeper is Matteo Gaspari. The final day of the women's Division 3 programme at Northampton began with all four matches of relevance to at least one team in the pursuit of two remaining Championship 2 places. It played out in sequence like this:
Cheltenham claimed what turned out to be a crucial point in an 8-8 draw with City of Bristol. It could have been more comfortable for Cheltenham who were 8-4 at the start of the last period but then conceded goals by Heather Tomlinson (2), Anna Robbins and Ella-Louise Jones. Sheffield Stingrays then needed two points to ensure safety and managed it easily enough, Elinor Weatherill scoring five in a 13-6 defeat of Sunderland. Next up came Leeds Hammerheads, also targeting two promotion points from their game with Mid Sussex Marlins. It wasn't to be. The Marlins won 23-15, with the division's top goalscorer Isobel Bates bagging another 11. Finally, Liverpool Water Beatles faced Birmingham, needing a point to avoid the drop. They led 6-5 with five minutes remaining. But exclusions proved expensive for Liverpool as Jemma Vile equalised 52 seconds from the end and then Laura Keight notched a Birmingham winner - with four seconds left on the clock! Liverpool finished level on points with Cheltenham but Cheltenham's victory when the sides met earlier in the campaign put them in Championship 2 alongside Birmingham, Bristol, Mid Sussex Marlins and Sheffield. It's the play-off tournament against new applicants for Liverpool, Leeds and Sunderland. Polytechnic pulled off two stunning victories at Lancaster today to throw the battle for Super 5s places wide open.
After beating Invicta 13-8, they returned to the pool later in the day and edged out Manchester 8-7 in a thriller. The end result was that, apart from Solihull, who are unbeaten and already clear at the top, there will be five teams - Manchester, Cheltenham and Poly, all on seven points, and Sheffield and Lancaster, both on six - contesting four Super 5s places in a finale of high tension tomorrow. Tomorrow's fixtures include Cheltenham against Lancaster and Sheffield against Polytechnic. One of the traditional big guns of British water polo could easily miss out. It could hardly be more exciting . . . ! Four teams will by vying for the two remaining Championship 2 slots when women's Division 3 enters a tense final day at Northampton tomorrow.
Already qualified are City of Bristol, City of Birmingham and Mid Sussex Marlins. Those in contention for the fourth and fifth places are Liverpool Water Beatles, currently on six points, and Cheltenham, Sheffield Stingrays and Leeds Hammerheads, all on five. Sheffield and Cheltenham drew 10-10, the Yorkshire side surrendering a 9-6 lead in the final quarter. At the top of the table, Birmingham recovered from 6-4 down to beat Mid Sussex Marlins 9-8 thanks to goals in the final period from Jessica Arthur (2), Alexandra Hill (2) and Hannah Hinton. Bristol were too good for the Water Beatles. The outstanding Ella-Louise Jones scored five to ensure a Bristol victory by 12-4. The BWPL season reaches its half way stage this weekend - and we're likely to be in for another tense affair!
In Lancaster, Super 5s places are up for grabs in the highly competitive men's Division 1, while the key for women's Division 3 teams at Northampton will be to finish in the top five and therefore avoid the dreaded play-offs against new applicants next Spring. Fixtures for some divisions in the second half of the programme are already published on this website. The rest will follow early next week . . . After more than 25 years' continuous national league action, Bedford must target the end-of-season play-offs if they are to maintain a BWPL place next season.
It required the last two games of the men's Division 5 programme - intriguingly, at different venues - to determine their future. At Haberdashers, Bedford knew their only hope of securing a top five place (earning qualification for Championship 4) was to defeat Caledonia Storm and hope that Leeds, simultaneously playing Warwick a Walsall, would lose. In the event, it was all fairly clear cut. Caledonia were in no mood to be charitable as a win (they eased clear in the final quarter to triumph 16-11) would put them top of the division. Leeds also made absolutely sure of their top five spot, hammering Warwick 23-13. Bedford, who earlier on the final day had lost 8-7 to Watford Saxons, go to the play-offs with Warwick and Chelmsford. Heading for Championship 4 are Caledonia, Sheffield Dolphins, Watford, Coventry and Leeds. Meanwhile, the line-up of teams to qualify from men's Division 4 for Championship 3 was also finalised on the last day of competition, Rotherham Metro claiming the fifth place alongside Manchester Hawks, Hucknall, Cheltenham Spartans and Otter at the expense of county rivals York City. Rotherham, boosted by the experience of four-goal Richard Leighton, struck a defining blow when they beat previously-undefeated Manchester Hawks 15-10 at Walsall. York were able to draw level on points with Rotherham by winning their final game - they beat Tyldesley 12-11 - but Rotherham went up by virtue of their victory over York the previous day. York, Tyldesley and Invicta Marlins move to Championship 4. Photo (Trevor Hyde): Rotherham's Neil Swainson. Like teammate Richard Leighton, he scored four times in the vital win over Manchester Hawks. Promotion places in men's Divisions 4 and 5 were up for grabs as both competitions reached their finales this weekend. To add to the tension, the divisions competed at split venues - Haberdashers School and Walsall.
At Walsall, Manchester Hawks maintained their 100 per cent record at the top of men's 4 with a 16-10 defeat of Tyldesley, including four goals by Jack Wilczynski-Wilkins. Then Rotherham improved their prospects of a top five place - and a move up to Championship 3 - by beating York City 12-5. Meanwhile, down at Haberdashers, Cheltenham Spartans held a useful lead for much of their clash with Hucknall until the final quarter, when Hucknall hit back from 10-6 down to trail 11-10. The game went to 12-11 to Spartans with just over a minute remaining. But Hucknall couldn't convert a man-up chance 17 seconds from the end. In Division 5, Ashley Keen scored nine for Warwick against Coventry - and still ended on the losing side, 18-14. Sheffield Dolphins took over leadership of the division, beating Leeds 14-7. Nearest rivals Watford Saxons could only draw 7-7 with Caledonia Storm. The Scots were 7-5 down at the start of the final period but grabbed a point thanks to goals by Harry Gray and Ben Parsons. Day one in Championship 4 ended with Manchester Hawks - 17-7 winners against York, including six goals from Lewis Daly - Cheltenham Spartans, Hucknall and Otter all guaranteed Championship 3 places in the second half of the season and with the three Championship 4 spots to be contested in the final matches. In Division 5, there's still much to play for. Only one team, Chelmsford, already know they will finish among the bottom three - which means dropping out in the second phase of the season and qualifying for next year through the play-off system involving new applicants. The clash between City of Manchester and champions Liverpool Lizards on the final day of the women's Division 1 programme at Matlock was inevitably another close affair - won 9-8 by Manchester, who finished with a 100 per cent record.
For much of the match, Manchester dominated, Isobel Howe and Annie Clapperton both scoring twice as their team led 4-1 after two periods and 7-3 after three. Only then did Liverpool give their great rivals a scare as Beth Bolton (3), Katie Hesketh and Kathryn Fowler netted in the final quarter. And so it's on to the serious business of the Super 5s, where the teams will meet twice more. Joining them will be Otter, Coventry and Sheffield, who qualified despite losing 13-3 in their final match against Coventry. Claire Walmsley and Fran Clayton both scored four for the winners. Caledonia, Hucknall and Leeds drop to Championship 1, which also involves Liverpool Liver Birds, Penguin Emperors, Tyldesley, Otter Lutra and English Roses. Undefeated Division 2 leaders Liverpool walloped Manchester Comets 32-5 in their final game, including a ten-goal haul for Charlotte Hopwood. Photo (Trevor Hyde): On target again for Manchester . . . Annie Clapperton, top scorer for Manchester in last season's women's Super 5s. Champions Liverpool Lizards breezed through their first game in women's Division 1 at Matlock today, outplaying Hucknall 21-5.
It was a memorable match for Beth Bolton. She warmed up with five goals in the first quarter and finished with a grand haul of nine. Another goal-scorer in form was Otter's Brooke Tafazolli, who bagged seven as her team beat Sheffield Sharks 12-8. However, Sheffield were later ensured a Super 5s slot after Manchester beat Caledonia 18-5. In women's Division 2 at Walsall, Tyldesley maintained their strong start to the season, defeating Manchester Comets 11-4. In the top-of-the-table clash, Liverpool Liver Birds were 12-8 winners against Penguin Emperors - the Londoners' first defeat of the campaign. |
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