Manchester Women Take Fourth British Title
20th February 2011The 2011 British Gas Water Polo Championship titles were decided in emphatic style as City of Manchester women claimed their fourth consecutive Championship title and Bristol Central were victorious in the men’s competition.
With the best of Britain on show at the Manchester Aquatics Centre the spectators were treated to a day of first class water polo.
Looking to make it four British titles in a row, City of Manchester women’s team came into the match with an unbeaten run of 15 and the 2011 League title to their name.
Having convincingly beaten West London Penguin 11-6 yesterday in the semi-final Manchester were up against City of Liverpool who were looking to avenge their fourth place finish at last year’s Championships.
Liverpool got the goal scoring underway and a competitive first quarter saw the teams match each other goal for goal ending 2-2 after the first eight minutes.
Tactical work and tight defences kept the scoring low throughout the second period ending with the half-time whistle blowing at 3-3, but it was Manchester’s strength that proved the differentiator as they began to run away with the match.
Penalties were exchanged, each finding the back of the net, but Manchester’s next four goals left Liverpool with too much to do.
A late penalty scored by Liverpool’s Becky Benson was not enough to harm Manchester’s hold on the game and the home side won their fourth British Championships title 9-5.
“It’s amazing,” said Manchester team captain Kate Massender. “The whole team’s worked really hard and we’ve had a great season so far, so it’s all paid off.
“The end of the match was much better for us, we stepped up our game and played well. Claire [Nixon] scored four goals - she’s got a cracking shot and not much can stop her!”
The third/fourth play-off between last year’s runners-up, West London Penguin, and London Otter needed extra time to find a winner.
After a 5-5 draw in normal time, the players lined up to contest two further periods of three minutes each. Near misses and close saves kept the first period goalless, but it was Lorelle Dooley who fired the deciding shot for Penguin and eventually won them the match which finished 6-5.
The men’s final between last year’s runners-up Bristol and home side City of Manchester was a game of skill and tactics.
Lots of opportunities in the end-to-end play saw the teams on constant alert, but both defences worked hard to prevent shots from being converted and keep the score low.
With Manchester leading 2-1 at the start of the second quarter, Lancaster’s Stuart Fennell equalised for Bristol. But Manchester once again took the lead just before half time.
A double man-up advantage early in the second half allowed Bristol to level the match at 3-3 but Richard Polya put Manchester ahead once again.
Excellent saves from Britain’s Ed Scott prevented Bristol adding to their tally but a penalty conceded in the final seconds of the third quarter allowed Bristol to equalise once again.
Exchanging goals once more meant that with two and a half minutes to go both teams were level at 5-5
With 39 seconds left on the clock Bristol’s Matt Thresher stunned the Manchester defence to take the lead for the first time which turned out to be the decisive shot of the match as Bristol played out the rest of the game to secure a 6-5 victory and the British Gas Water Polo Championship title.
“It’s amazing,” said Bristol team captain Jon Hutchings. “It was an amazing game, the defence dominated throughout and we’re just so happy.
“We’ve learnt throughout the season how best we play and it’s paid off here. Our goalkeeper Andy Crawford has played fantastically all season and today he was a key part of why we won.
The third/fourth place play-off saw last year’s champions Lancaster claim a 10-8 victory over Cheltenham in a hard fought match.