Spalding Water Polo took a squad of ten players to the Biggleswade Water Polo tournament on Saturday – and returned home as well-deserved champions.
Eight teams from East Anglia took part in the tournament, which comprised of matches of two five-minute halves.
Spalding drew Ipswich, Dunstable and Hatfield in their group.
The first match was a 2-0 win against Dunstable, with the goals coming from skipper Ben Marsters and vice captain Jack Carpenter.
Next up was Ipswich, with Spalding losing 3-1 despite another Marsters strike.
The final game of the group was against long-time rivals Hatfield.
It was a very tight, but nervous, game as the winner would progress to the semi-finals. Excellent defending from keeper Jon Davis stopped Hatfield from scoring but Spalding couldn’t find the back of the net either.
The game finished 0-0, meaning the result would be decided by penalties.
Both teams converted their three efforts, with Spalding’s goals courtesy of John James, Carpenter and Steve Rogers.
It was then sudden death – and Marsters coolly slotted home his shot before Hatfield missed their strike, sending Spalding into the semi-finals.
The semi-final was against Norwich, with Spalding excelling on their way to a 3-1 success thanks to goals from Ed Martin and Marsters (2).
That teed up a final against Ipswich, a re-run of the group stage match which Spalding lost. However, this time Spalding reversed the score, triumphing 3-1 after brilliant team play and goals from Rogers and Marsters (2).
Spalding are hoping to continue their winning ways in next Saturday’s outdoor tournament at Hitchin.
