Late winner seals U19 Female Championship for City of Bristol

Darcey Tomlinson’s goal four seconds from time saw City of Bristol seal the U19 Female title at the GoCardless Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships.

Her turn and shot into the bottom right-hand corner held off a late City of Sheffield fight back to secure the clubs first Dougie Scales Memorial Trophy in a 14-13 win.

The match was closely fought throughout, with Bristol turning Sheffield’s advantage around at the start of the final period.

The comeback was led by a Georgia Haines hat trick as her goals and one from India Knights-Hume put Bristol in front by two with around two minutes to play.

However, Sheffield didn’t give up as Alice Berill and Rowena Kanan netted inside the final minute to bring the game level at 13-13 with just 18 seconds left on the clock.

That gave Bristol one possession to go and get their winner and Tomlinson made it count, turning her defender and finishing expertly to give her side the trophy.

A spirited display

Bristol Head Coach Nick Hume spoke after the match saying: “I’m delighted for the girls. They showed a lot of heart, passion, determination and a real spirit. So, I’m really pleased for them, they really worked hard and worked for each other.

“It was a great game, Sheffield played really well so fair play to them. It was a close game all the way, they pulled it back, but we managed to show some real spirit and pull it out right at the end.”

Sheffield performed well in defeat to match their second-place finish from last year. They were helped on their way by the competition’s joint top scorers in Berrill and Georgie Coles – who’s four goals each in this match saw them take their total to 10.

Bristol also got in on the individual honours with goalkeeper Esme Griffiths’ sensational performance earning her the top goalkeeper award, whilst Knights-Hume was named the MVP.

Speaking on his award winners Hume added: “Esme was amazing. She played out of her skin, that was a wonderful performance. And as for India, she’s real trooper, she never gives in and is a real workhorse for the team. It’s an inspiration for the people that just want to try hard and work hard.”

Final quarter salvo gives Cheltenham bronze

There was another late show in the bronze medal match as Cheltenham ran out 10-8 winners over City of Liverpool.

A 5-1 final quarter result earnt them that medal with J Day’s three-minute hat trick helping to put them in control.

Tillie McGeehan’s goal edged Liverpool back in front mid-way through the final quarter but the defending champions showed their class in the closing stages to ensure they left with a medal once again.

You can find the full match sheets and all the results from this weekend’s competition by visiting the live scoreboard page.

Images: Will Johnston Photography