West London Penguin, Croydon, Sandwell and Caledonia on medal hunt
An exciting day one of the GoCardless Swim England Water Polo Open U15 National Age Group Championships 2024 saw West London Penguin, Croydon Amphibians, Sandwell and Caledonia earn the right to compete for medals on day two.
All four clubs topped their respective groups and were undefeated throughout the group stage matches.
The results mark a fantastic achievement for Sandwell in particular, who are competing in the national age group championship finals for the first time.
They stand a chance at coming away with a medal on their first attempt as they get set to face Caledonia in the bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, West London Penguin will be looking to equal their 2022 outing. They were named champions just two years ago and will take on Croydon in the gold medal match this year.
Penguin started their campaign with a dramatic win over the defending champions, City of Manchester, after the match went all the way to penalties.
A super save from Jacob Lillie earned his side the win before they then overcame Rotherham (7-3) and produced a dominant display against Newton Abbott (18-7) in which Dominic O’Neill Cuadros bagged six goals.
Those results saw Penguin top Group B – with City of Manchester in second, Rotherham Metro in third and Newton Abbott in fourth.
But it was their crossover match against Caledonia that sealed the chance to challenge for the top spot.
It was a very close encounter between the two sides, but it was West London who took a narrow, one goal lead into half time (7-6).
From there, they produced a solid defensive display before a late flurry from their opponents. However, Penguin converted five of their own to see the final score stand at 12-9.
In the group stage, Caledonia almost doubled their scoring tally in their final match alone on their way to topping Group A.
The Scottish side played their part in one of the opening fixtures of day one and were able to come away with a 12-5 victory over Watford.
Caledonia’s number 11, Charlie Grey, caught the eye in that match with six goals for his side. He and Frank Bacik wracked up nine goals each throughout the group stage.
A narrow 7-5 win over Cheltenham followed, before a convincing 15-1 triumph over Kingston Royals – Mark Shapiro the only goalscorer for Kingston.
The remainder of Group A saw Watford finish in second, Cheltenham in third and Kingston Royals in fourth.
Croydon to compete for gold
Croydon Amphibians took on Sandwell in their crossover match but were too strong for the side from the West Midlands on the day.
It was an early lead for Croydon courtesy of Max Barrasa Gordon, but Sandwell responded well and levelled the score through Vivek Ratti.
However, Croydon gradually opened up a comfortable lead and a 13-4 victory for the side set up an all-London affair in the gold medal match.
Joe Beckett-Aller’s five goals took his total up to 10 for day one as he helped his team progress.
Croydon’s number 11 also converted two against Worthing in his side’s 7-2 win and scored a hat-trick alongside Adrian Babic’s six goals as they dispatched Warrington (11-5) earlier in the day.
Those results saw the team from South London finish top of Group C, with Warrington in second and Worthing in third.
Despite their loss to Croydon, Sandwell produced strong displays against both Exeter and Sheffield to top their group – Group D.
Charlie Smart produced the goods for his team in the group stage matches, scoring a hat-trick in Sandwell’s narrow 5-4 win over Exeter before a fabulous four goals against Sheffield as the result finished 13-8.
Following Sandwell in the Group D placings were Exeter in second and Sheffield in third.
Day two’s action will see teams compete in the fifth to fourteenth placed play-offs, before the medal matches get underway.
All the results from day two can be seen via the live scoreboard here and all event photography throughout the weekend will be captured by Will Johnston Photography.
