Men's team fight for European qualification
29th October 2010The British Men’s Water Polo team, powered by British Gas, will contest their first game of the season tomorrow as they take on the might of Georgia in their opening European qualification match.
The team, who have all signed professional contracts abroad in a bid to boost their Olympic chances, will be hoping for a good showing as they aim to qualify for the LEN European Championships to be held in Eindhoven in 2012.
They will be battling it out with 19 of Europe’s most promising Water Polo teams, including 2009 World Championship silver medallists Spain and five-time European Champions Russia, over the course of the season to compete for just six places, and Great Britain has high hopes after being placed in a group with Georgia and Greece.
“The team played against Georgia last year and only just lost, so they’re hoping that the extra match preparation they’ve had with their clubs will earn them the win,” said World Class Programmes Manager, Joanna Wray.
“They all returned to Manchester [from their professional clubs in Europe] on Sunday looking a lot sharper and ready to get back playing for their country. Their game-awareness has improved having played matches week-in, week-out with their clubs and that can only be a positive for this type of match.”
Team captain Craig Figes will be hoping to lead his team to a victory before they face Greece in their second match which is due to be played on 20th October in front of a home crowd in Manchester.
The athletes selected to represent the British Men’s Water Polo Team, powered by British Gas, are:
Scott Carpenter
Craig Figes (c)
Matt Holland
Sean King
Dan Laxton
Rob Parker
Alex Parsonage
Glen Robinson
Sean Ryder
Adam Scholefield
Ed Scott
Jake Vincent
Jack Waller