11:11am Monday 14th February 2011
Croydon Amphibians under-14 water polo team were crowned league champions this weekend following wins over Mid-Sussex and Worthing and Crawley.
All the top youth teams from around London and the South East have battled out a series of tournament weekend since last October and the climax was when the top four teams met this weekend.
Croydon used a number of squad players to achieve this success showing the strength in depth the club has at a junior level. Some of the regular squad member throughout the campaign have included Matt Brooks, Matt Helps, Ashley Castle , Jack Kavanagh , Mhairi Nurthen, Anthony Desouza, Dylan Nurse, Kane Nurse , Rhys Singleton ,Jack Leonard , Ashley Hinds and Ellie Danielson.
The U14 championship victory comes close on the heels of a dramatic conclusion to the British Water polo Division 2 league by the clubs senior team.
The Croydon team, under the guidance of Chris Martin, have been promoted twice since joining the league in 2006 and narrowly missed out joining the elite of British Polo by just one goal on the final weekend.
The team performances had been strong throughout the year in a very competitive division and although starting the season as underdogs they soon earned the respect of the other teams as they topped the table for the final round of matches.
Defeat to former national league champions Polytechnic by one goal meant that if Sheffield remained undefeated they would take the title and it was a tense finally to the season that saw Sheffield hold their nerve to win against fellow contenders Tyldesley and win the Division 2 title.
Afterwards Croydon’s Head Water polo coach Chris Martin commented: "It shows the aspirations of the club that we are disappointed to have missed out on winning the league on the narrowest of margins but when I look at the talent, not only in the current senior squad but also in the youth coming through, I am confidence it is only a matter of time before we are established in the top flight of British polo and that would be something the whole club can be proud of.”
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