A strong contingent of boys from the East of Scotland are among those who will represent Caledonia under-15s at the GoCardless Water Polo National Age Group Championships in Coventry this weekend.
They will be pitting their skills against the best clubs and young players in the UK with the prize of National Champions up for grabs.
The Scots have, however, been placed in a tough group alongside last year’s finalists Watford as well as Cheltenham and Kingston.
All three group games to be played on Saturday with the final standing play-offs and finals to be completed on Sunday.
The squad has representation from Edinburgh clubs Portobello, Warrender and Stingrays as well as clubs from Fife, Tayside and Stirling.
Head Coach Ruaridh Henderson said: “It is a super exciting opportunity for the boys to compete at the very top level in the UK. We have a very talented squad and we’re hopeful they can achieve some big results against strong opposition.”
Team Manager Peter Wilson added: “We are starting the tournament with a real stern test against a Watford team who were unlucky to lose in last year’s final, it will give a real measure for the rest of the tournament. These type of competitions are vital for young water polo players in Scotland to play against different opposition and to test themselves, we are heading to Coventry with plenty of confidence and optimism.”
The team will be captained by 14-year-old John Wilson, who said: “We’ve been waiting for this tournament all year and love playing against the English teams and hopefully coming away with some wins.”
Squad – Andrew Coulson (GK), Frank Bacik, Alex Hurd, John Wilson, Bram Stenhouse, Murray Simpson, Dominic Moodie, Caleb Wilson, Ben Maclean, James Lees, Charlie Grey, Matthew Cox, Michael Moodie (GK).
Evergreen sports journalist. Previously published in many publications around the world. Send me your local sports stories. billlothian1008@gmail.com
