It could hardly have been closer! In a nail-biting ending to Manchester Comets' women's Division 3 clash with Watford at Northampton today, Comets salvaged a point from a 7-7 draw thanks to an equaliser by left-hander Martha Warrilow - with just one second remaining!

The draw was highly significant. It meant that Manchester finished level on points with Kirkintilloch & Kilsyth but stole the runners-up spot - and a place in the end-of-season play-offs - by virtue of their victory over the Scots on day one.

Watford, who went through the season unbeaten, looked to be cruising when a goal from Anna Kiss put them 6-3 up midway through the final period. 

Then Manchester rallied. Lilly Price and Sarah Craig (2) brought Comets up to 6-6 with 1.53 to go. A couple of fine saves by Manchester goalie Zara Christie kept Watford at bay until Eve Barnes netted her second goal 20 seconds from the end - only for Martha Warrilow to produce her dramatic final strike.
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Watford and Manchester Comets progress to the play-offs in April, potentially against Mid Sussex Marlins and Caledonia, the 7th and 8th-placed teams in Division 2. Kirkintilloch, who beat Welsh Wanderers 24-9 in their final match, stay in Division 3.

It's been an excellent BWPL debut season for the girls of Kirkintilloch & Kilsyth - thanks in no small part to the Italian connection. 

Nico Fenu began coaching the team while a PhD student at Glasgow University and it was his contacts that led to three players from his home club in Italy joining the Kirkintilloch team - Eugenia Arbus, Livia Casdonna and Francesca Cornaglia.

All three were involved in today's women's Division 3 games at Northampton - an occasion of mixed fortune for the team. It began with a thumping 29-3 victory over Southampton, but then the Scottish girls came up against an excellent young Manchester Comets team and went down 12-7.

Kirkintilloch's Alan Scobie says the Italian girls have fitted well into the club. "Their presence in training has helped raise the standard of our own players,." he said. "Ultimately, we hope that, if one day they leave, they will have ensured that the team continues to perform at the same level."

Meanwhile, Watford top the table with an unbeaten record. They enjoyed a runaway 26-2 win against Birmingham, including four from Lottie Winstanley (Photo: Trevor Hyde), who took her tally for the season to 35 in six games.

Celebrations for some, agony for others . . . it was left to the last matches (or to be precise the last quarter of those games) in both men’s Division 2 and 3 to finalise which teams move forward to new challenges in the second half of the season.

In the Division 2 finale at East Manchester, Watford and City of Bristol drew 13-13. This gave Watford the point they needed to progress to Championship 1 alongside Welsh Wanderers, Sutton & Cheam, City of Bristol and Exeter.

Portobello finished level on points with Exeter. But Exeter’s narrow victory – 15-14 – over the Scots earlier in the day left Portobello in sixth place and heading for Championship 2 alongside Otter and Manchester Hawks.

At Gloucester, it was just as close in Division 3. Cheltenham Spartans needed victory over Croydon Amphibians in the final game to finish in the top five and they managed it – 19-16. The other Championship 2 qualifiers are Rotherham Metro, Hucknall, Southampton and Castleford. As the sixth team, Croydon miss out of phase two of the season but are guaranteed Division 3 entry in the 2023/24 season.
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For Worthing and the British Army, placed seventh and eighth, it’s a matter of preparing for the play-off tournament in April, when they are likely to face the leading teams of Division 4, Sedgefield and Bridgefield.

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Cody Plumridge, whose fourth goal secured Exeter's vital 15-14 victory over Portobello.     

It will need an intriguing final day tomorrow (20 November) of matches in men’s Division 2 to decide which five teams qualify for Championship 1 – and the trio due to drop to Championship 2.

Welsh Wanderers and Sutton & Cheam are guaranteed top five places. The Wanderers beat Watford 15-10, Joe Jenkins-Delf scoring seven to take his tally for the season to 31, while Sutton followed up their 14-11 defeat of City of Bristol with a 12-10 win against Portobello, including hat-tricks for Ashley Castle and Ryan Symington (Photo: Trevor Hyde).

Later, City of Bristol secured their Championship 1 spot with a 16-7 victory over Otter.
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Manchester Hawks, without a point from six matches, will definitely head for Championship 2. The other places will be settled on what is set to be a nerve-racking Sunday session. 

Croydon Amphibians took a precious point against Hucknall to give them every chance of a top five place in men’s Division 2 when the final games take place at Gloucester tomorrow.

It could have been even better for Croydon. They led 13-10 when Sam Adamson scored with just under three minutes to go, only for Hucknall's Sam Joyce to level it at 13-13 with a spectacular late hat-trick.

Rotherham Metro, Hucknall, Southampton and Castleford are already guaranteed places in the leading five, which ensures progress to Championship 2 next season. The fifth place will go to one of three teams – Cheltenham Spartans and Croydon, who meet tomorrow, and Worthing, who play Rotherham.

Teams finishing in seventh and eighth positions can expect to meet Sedgefield and Bridgefield from Division 4 in play-offs for places in Division 3 next season. The sixth-placed club sits out phase two, but will be guaranteed re-entry to Division 3 in 2023-24.

Luke Franks, the division’s top scorer, netted the goal 27 seconds from the end that gave Castleford a 10-9 win against Worthing. Jackson Mullins (Photo: Trevor Hyde) scored four in Southampton’s 12-8 defeat of Cheltenham Spartans.

Hucknall celebrated progress to the Super 5s for the first time after a dramatic final day of the women's Division 1 programme.

City of Manchester, Otter and Liverpool Lizards were guaranteed their places early on and so the focus was on two matches staged 170 miles apart - Coventry against Sheffield Sharks at Coventry and Hucknall v Otter at Exeter - to determine fourth and fifth places.

Coventry beat Sheffield 10-8 to put themselves in the clear. Down at Exeter, that was brilliant news for Hucknall because they had started the day level on points with the Sharks - but with a vastly superior goal difference. So barring an unlikely deluge of goals against, Hucknall could be sure of going through.

However, they were in no mood to go out with a whimper. After trailing early on to Otter, India Wilkinson (Photo: Trevor Hyde) netted with two fine back-handers as they gradully went clear - eventually triumphing 12-7

In Division 2, Rotherham outplayed Caledonia to finish on top with a 100 per cent record. Penguin Emperors were second, rounding off with a 14-7 win against City of Bristol, including five goals from Niki Reynolds. At the other end of the table, Mid Sussex Marlins and Caledonia face the prospect of a play-off against the two leading teams in Division 3.

Champions City of Manchester triumphed 25-15 against Otter at Exeter today in the battle of the top two teams in women's Division 1.

There were goals aplenty from the start. Otter recovered from 7-5 down to hold a very brief 8-7 lead midway through the second quarter thanks to back-hand strike by Toula Falvey. But that only spurred Manchester into action - they promptly took charge, racing to an 18-13 lead by the end of the third quarter. Pick of the goals was a beautifully timed lob from left-hander Izzy Howe (Photo: Trevor Hyde), who finished with a match haul of seven.

At Coventry, Liverpool Lizards beat Coventry 10-7 to more or less guarantee their place in the Super 5s. Milly Wordley scored three.

Which teams will also qualify? That very much depends on results during this final weekend. Hucknall enhanced their prospects with a runaway 17-2 victory over Exeter. Sheffield Sharks also claimed two vital points with a 9-7 win against Tyldesley, including a Lili Toth hat-trick.

In Division 2, Rotherham Metro retained their 100 per cent record at the top of the table - but only just. They needed a goal six seconds from the end by Isabel Olcer to claim a 9-8 victory over Liverpool Liver Birds.

​The League has today published its 2023/24 schedule blueprint – see https://www.bwpl.org/schedule-blueprints.html

Publication was deferred from the start of this season in order to consult with the GB Water Polo leadership group.  Of particular concern was the need to avoid a clash with the European Championship finals which LEN have brought forward to October 2023 – affecting the potential involvement of GB women’s team.

As a result, BWPL is rescheduling women’s Divisions 1 and 2 weekends next season to avoid 7-22 October. Men’s Division 1 and 2 weekend will take place as usual on 7/8 October as agreed with Craig Figes, the GB Water Polo Programme Lead.

League chairman David Andrews said today: “It’s vital that BWPL gives its full support to GB teams where possible. The new agreement is a result of the excellent working relations we have been developing with GB and Swim England leadership groups.”

In a thrilling finish to men's Division 1 matches today, Penguin made it five wins from five games as they edged out London rivals Polytechnic 12-11 at Aldershot. The winning goal was scored by Andrea Tulli 1.25 from the end to round off a length-of-the pitch counter by Penguin.

Other matches in the division produced no end of excitement and close finishes. At Matlock, champions Manchester were held to a 9-9 draw by Sheffield, who led 7-4 at the end of the third period, trailed 9-8 33 seconds from the end - and then rescued a point through a Connor Carpenter goal just seven seconds from the end.

Invicta notched their first win - 14-13 against Cheltenham, who lost all three games during the weekend. Lancaster ended a highly productive trip to Matlock in second place, thanks to a 16-13 win against Caledonia, then a 9-9 draw with Manchester. 

Photo (Trevor Hyde): Penguin's Andrea Tulli in action at Aldershot.

Bridgefield claimed second place in men's Division 4 following an 11-11 draw with Watford Saxons at Aldershot today.

Watford equalised in the very last second with a powerful Danny Davis (Photo: Trevor Hyde) shot. But a point was sufficient to qualify Bridgefield for next April's promotion play-offs. That's when the leading two teams in the division - Sedgefield took top spot - challenge the bottom two teams in Division 3 for two places in Division 3 at the start of the 2023/24 season.