Sedgefield Water Polo Club Men’s team started their campaign in the British Water Polo League Division 4 over the weekend of 17th & 18th September at the Jason Kenny Centre in Bolton. The squad has been strengthened with new signings John Pratt, Michael Cousins and Ben Alderson, alongside a new Head Coach, Richard Cousins, who brings a wealth of experience and tactical knowledge to the team. The team’s aim for the forthcoming season is to replicate their successes from the previous season, whereby they started as newcomers to the league and finished in second place, securing a very well deserved promotion.
The players were very excited to be starting in Division 4 and everyone was very much looking forward to the challenges involved in playing in a higher league than last season; this could be sensed by the atmosphere poolside and from the family and friends who travelled to Bolton to provide encouragement and support from the balcony. The team were mentally and physically prepared for the weekend, having played a series of friendly matches over previous weeks against higher division teams to allow them to put their hours of training into practice. Sedgefield made a storming start to their campaign on the Saturday afternoon, beating Tyldesley 26-11, with the chief marksmen being Ben Stephenson (6), Ben Alderson (4) and John Pratt (4).
Sunday saw Sedgefield take on Bridgefield with a fast paced match where Sedgefield outplayed their opponents, winning with a final score of 16-6. This gave the team maximum points and they finished their first weekend top of their group, which is an excellent achievement for a team with an average age of 21. The second weekend of the league will see the team travel to Ponds Forge, Sheffield over the weekend of 8th & 9th October where they will take on Watford and Newport.
In addition to Junior and Senior sessions, the club offers a beginner session on a Saturday afternoon at Newton Aycliffe Leisure Centre for those wishing to try this fun and exciting sport. All sessions need to be booked in advance so please check our website for further info and joining instructions; Contact us: 07579 030 598 / sedgefieldwp@hotmail.com
The club are delighted to have been selected for the Tesco Blue Token scheme form October until mid January. We would be extremely grateful for support from the local community. Please pop a blue token into our box when you do your shopping; remember every little helps!