WATER POLO

BY CHRIS MARTIN & ULTAN BRENNAN

British Water Polo League

CASC senior men’s team play in Division 3 of the BWPL. After phase 1 of the competition we are placed 7th with wins over Cheltenham Spartans and Manchester Hawks. The team now plays in Championship Division 3 for phase 2 of the competition.

https://data.bwpl.org/web/results/bwpl1dM3

London Water Polo League Winter Championships: Senior Men

With one win and one draw, currently our senior men’s team is placed second in Division 1 of the LWPL winter championships table which can be viewed by clicking below. https://w.fixtureslive.com/staticapi.aspx?a=statzone_comp.ashx?divid=60626

Under 12

Our U12’s are 5th after their first round with 2 more rounds to play. https://w.fixtureslive.com/staticapi.aspx?a=statzone_comp.ashx?divid=60816

Under 14

Our U14 team are currently 4th in Division South and will now progress to play in Division 2. https://w.fixtureslive.com/staticapi.aspx?a=statzone_comp.ashx?divid=60280

Under 16

The CASC U16 team are currently playing in the very competitive Division South and are placed 4th after the first round with 1 win and 1 loss. https://w.fixtureslive.com/staticapi.aspx?a=statzone_comp.ashx?divid=60559

U12 Club Development Tournaments

At Whitgift on Sunday 24th November, CASC hosted an under 12 development tournament for newer, less experienced water polo players from six different clubs. Our youngsters played really well and brought home the bronze medal, with wins against Hillingdon 2-0, Otter 1-0, and a 3-all draw against Lewisham. Congratulations and well done to: Hugh Valentine (GK), Ben Tucay, George Heath, Sereena & Anjelea Gallagher, Aaron Langdon, Gabriel McKerney, Beatrice Bishop, Alexia Calligaris, Enna Leathwood and Zach Bush.

U15 National Age Group Championships

Croydon Amphibians had an almost full-page article published in the Croydon Advertiser early in November to acknowledge our success in the U15 NAGs on 3rd November in Sunderland.

The Article read as follows:

U15 water polo players finish eighth in country

A team of 12 Croydon Amphibians contested the U15 National Water Polo Championships at the weekend and returned with a creditable eighth place finish.

Croydon Amphibians earned their spot in the National Championships at the Sunderland Aquatic Centre after success in the London Water Polo league earlier this year and after a solid performance in last year’s national age group championships.

In Saturday’s group stages, Croydon finished in second place in group C. They had defeated City of Sheffield 10-2 and suffered a very narrow defeat to Cheltenham. In the knockout stages, Croydon faced City of Birmingham and City of Manchester A team, ultimately finishing eighth overall.

Coach Milan Jotic said, “The boys trained hard and played well during the competition. I am delighted that they have come eighth in the country and I am very proud of them all. Many of our players are only 13 years of age and will still be eligible to play in next year’s national championships, benefitting from their experience this year and another year of training”.

The Croydon Amphibians Squad was:

William Brotherhood (GK), Ivan Jotic, Reyan Abdulhafiz, Peter Ash, William Burbidge, Thiago Gentles, Mason Graves-Brown, Ben Harrison, Jamie Hodgson, Cameron Handley, Matthew Byrnes and Tomas Watson.

In the girl’s competition the following day, two Croydon Amphibians played for the central London women’s team Otter who won the tournament overall. Juliet Lyons and Pippa Danielson made great contributions to the victory, and Juliet Lyons was named the competition’s most valuable player.

Over 40’s Inter Counties Tournament

Surrey’s ‘older gentlemen water polo players’ took part in, and WON, the over 40’s inter counties tournament at Whitgift on Saturday 9th November. In their first game, Surrey beat Kent by 7 goals to 3 and then followed that with a 9-6 victory over Essex. Middlesex cried off (they must have heard how many Amphibians were in the Surrey squad), which meant our champions could have a very well earned, albeit slightly early, trip to the pub to celebrate. Five of the ten strong squad were from Croydon Amphibians and those with good eyesight amongst you may be able to spot two of our handsome water polo coaches in the photo, Milan and Alphonso. Well done chaps!

Under 16 Mixed Inter Counties Tournament

On Sunday 1st December, Surrey U16’s competed in the inter counties tournament against Sussex, Middlesex & Kent. Once again Surrey fielded many underage players who put up courageous performances against much older and larger players, many of whom make up the GB squad. The most notable result was a narrow loss to old rivals Kent by 1 goal. As always CASC provided the bulk of players (10 out of 12) so well done to: Aidan Brennan, Ross Sinclair, Jon Cheshire, Rey Abdulhafiz, Cameron Handley, Nico Lane, Thiago Gentles, Juliet Lyons and Ethen Blades.

Under 16 Girls Inter Counties Tournament

One week after the mixed inter counties tournament, it was the turn of the Surrey girls to show what they were made of. These young ladies did us all proud as they brought home the silver medal with wins over both Kent and Middlesex by 7 goals to 6. Their only loss was 5-9 to a very strong Sussex team. Once again CASC players were very much in the majority with our club fielding 7 of the 9 players in the squad. Congratulations to: Sarah (GK) and Safiya Mdaoukhi, Sara Awan, Juliet Lyons, Pippa Danielson, Lucy Morris and Isobel Haslock.

Under 14 Mixed Inter Counties Tournament

On Sunday 22nd September, Surrey U14’s competed in the inter counties tournament against Sussex, Middlesex & Kent. Once again Surrey fielded many underage players who put up encouraging performances against much older and larger players. The most notable result was an excellent 4-4 draw with Middlesex. As always CASC provided the bulk of players (7 out of 10) so well done to: Ivan Lotic, William Burbidge, Matthew Byrnes, Joe Mumford, Tyrese Moore, Safiya Mdaoukhi and Oliver Handley.

Croydon Amphibians Girls Selected for England

This year, two of our best young female water polo players, Sarah Mdaoukhi (goalkeeper) and Pippa Danielson, have been selected for the England Talent National Academy Squad. Also, CASC’s Erin Andrew is currently training with the England Under 19 squad. We are proud of you ladies and we wish you every success.

Jack Petchey Award Winners for Water Polo

Thiago Gentles - September 2019

Thiago has been involved with water polo over the last 4 years and is becoming a strong centre forward and goal scorer. Thiago is a regular helper on Saturday mornings with the beginners’ squad and is enjoying his water polo more and more as he improves and achieves greater success. He has played for Croydon this season at U14, U15 and U16 age groups as well as for the CASC U15 team at the National Age Group Championships in Sunderland this year.

Matthew Byrnes - October 2019

Matthew is a great role model in water polo showing excellent potential for the future. He trains hard, rarely missing a training session and takes part in all matches as well as helping our newer players. He is a valuable team member with a kind, friendly and patient approach when he is training with the younger kids. For a team sport which relies so much on trust and working together as a unit, an experienced player with these qualities is so key to help gel the squad. He has played for Croydon this season at U14 and U15 age groups. He played for Croydon U15 in the National Age Group Championships in Manchester last year and again in Sunderland this year. He is also a member of Regional Academy Program at Crystal Palace.

Pippa Danielson - November 2019

Pippa has been involved with water polo since she was 7 years old, following in the footsteps of her father, two brothers and her sister! She has excellent fitness and swimming skills and is developing into a confident water polo player. She has played in our mixed junior teams in every age group and also plays for our junior girls’ teams as well as our senior ladies’ team. She plays National level water polo with Otter and, as mentioned earlier, Pippa has been selected for the England Talent National Academy Squad. She is a determined young girl!

Christmas Match

CASC’s traditional Christmas water polo match was held at Whitgift on Monday 15th December with all club players from the age of 15 upwards (2004 and above) invited. With a good showing of players, including those back from university, we fielded two teams of eight and a frenetic game ensued. After a fierce competition and much banter, the final score was an 11-11 draw, after which the players retired to the Chat House for a well-earned curry. Our lead coach would like to assure all concerned that the Chat House was left in the condition it was found … well almost!

And Finally …

Congratulations to our lead coach Chris Martin who has become a grandfather for the first time. His granddaughter, Olive, was born on 26/09/19 and Chris couldn’t be prouder. Happy Nappies Chris! That’s the next generation of top water polo players off to a fine start then!