Bristol triumph in Water Polo #FocusMatch

Each week The Tab focuses on a match from a different sport society. This time it was the turn of the Bristol Men’s Water Polo team, who took another step towards winning a remarkable third consecutive BUCS title on Saturday, comfortably beating their rivals, Imperial College, 13-3. 

After last Thursday’s crushing 19-9 against Southampton, Bristol Men’s Water Polo team achieved yet another resounding victory against Imperial College on Saturday. Goalkeeper Diego Lara only conceded 3 goals to Imperial, thanks to Bristol’s unbreakable defence.

Imperial and Bristol clashed

Wingman Charlie Harbot and centre forward Tom Dean were especially successful, with 4 and 3 goals scored respectively. After a tight first quarter, where Imperial scored two goals, Bristol asserted their superiority by scoring 13 goals in total. Undefeated so far, Bristol Men’s Water Polo are now looking forward to the BUCS semi-finals in Leeds and finals in Surrey, that they aim to win for the third consecutive time.

One of the most intense sports…Water Polo

Expected to be Bristol’s fiercest opponent in the group stage of BUCS, Imperial were ruthlessly sent home with a dazzling score of 13-3. This confirms Bristol’s undisputed position as leader of the Premier South league. Bristol boys, led by former GB coach Mark Taylor, have been unstoppable throughout this first term, following the tracks of last year’s undefeated BUCS season. The Bristol Alumni Foundation contributed to Bristol’s success, and the team is very grateful for their support.

The first few minutes of the game were especially intense, with two goals in row scored by Imperial. But Imperial’s hopes were soon destroyed by Bristol’s Kieran Whittle, Charlie Harbot, Matt Jenner and Tom Dean, scoring four goals in the first quarter. Bristol’s positioning and strategy was impeccable, in contrast with Imperial’s fragile defence. Several man-ups were conceded by Imperial, providing even more goal scoring opportunities for Bristol. Keeper Diego Lara was rarely tested, as Bristol’s tight defence did not allow the London men to come closer than seven or eight meters from the goal. Four goals were scored during the second and third quarter, killing the game off. This match once again showed the perfect cohesion between the freshers and the most experienced players, and victory rewarded the commitment of the team in training.

A terrific save from the goalkeeper

Bristol comfortably qualified for the knockout phase of BUCS, and can look forward to facing the leaders of the Northern Premier league, Edinburgh and Durham, with confidence. As captain Joe Worland said before the game, ‘We’ve got a strong squad of players that have produced great results so far. If we can perform at the level we expect of ourselves we should win our final group matches. The real challenge starts in the knockout rounds, we expect to win BUCS so we can’t afford any hiccups.’

Bristol Water Polo is already among the only Bristol clubs to ever retain a BUCS gold medal. Winning BUCS for the third consecutive time would be a milestone in the history of Bristol University, and of British sport in general.