U15 Water Polo NAGs: West London Penguin, City of Liverpool, Otter and Cheltenham to battle it out for medals tomorrow

It was a thrilling day of competition at the Swim England Water Polo U15 Female National Age Group Championships, as the crossover matchups confirmed the two teams who will battle for national glory tomorrow.

Otter and City of Liverpool will go head-to-head for the gold medal, while Cheltenham and West London Penguin will face off in the bronze medal match.

Reigning champions West London Penguin continued their fine form from last year, winning all three of their group matches and displaying both attacking power and composure under pressure.

A standout 11-goal performance from Mila Champney against City of Cambridge set the tone for a strong start, while a dramatic late winner by Alice Wilson-Brown against Rotherham Metro ensured they finished top of their group and firmly in contention to defend their title.

Last year’s silver medallists and 2023 champions City of Liverpool also impressed, opening their campaign with a dominant victory that showcased their strength in depth and clinical finishing.

With a well-balanced squad and confident performances throughout the day, Liverpool topped their group and once again established themselves as one of the favourites heading into the medal rounds.

Across just two group-stage matches, Liverpool scored an impressive 34 goals, an outstanding tally considering most other teams played three. With a goal difference of 30, they recorded the best overall mark of any team in the competition.

Joining them in the play-offs for the top spots are Otter and Cheltenham – two sides who were not among the top four last year but have made a strong statement this time around.

Otter were unbeaten in their group, led by captain Tarryn Lewis, whose leadership and determination inspired the team throughout the day.

Lewis was a standout performer, scoring six of her team’s eight goals in their victory over Exeter and delivering a composed, last-minute winner in their narrow win against Tyldesley. Her impact at both ends of the pool has been instrumental in Otter’s success, and she continued that form in the evening crossover match as Otter overcame the defending champions West London Penguin with 9-5 to book their place in tomorrow’s gold medal final.

In the other top four crossover match, City of Liverpool maintained their momentum, defeating Cheltenham with 6-5 to secure their spot in the championship decider.

Both sides demonstrated impressive attacking play and strong defensive organisation, but Liverpool’s consistency proved decisive as they powered through to a third consecutive final appearance.

Tomorrow’s schedule will see Otter and City of Liverpool go head-to-head for the gold medal, while Cheltenham and West London Penguin will battle for third place as the competition concludes.

In the crossover matches this evening, Rotherham Metro produced a confident display to overcome Exeter 12-3, securing their place in tomorrow’s 5-6 classification match.

They will face West Edinburgh, who claimed victory over Solihull with a score of 12-3, earning their own opportunity to compete for fifth place.

Exeter will fight for place seven tomorrow against Solihull.

The play-offs begin at 9:30am tomorrow morning, as the final four battle it out for national honours and a place on the podium later on in the day.

Keep up to date with all live scores via Swim England’s live scoreboard page.

Photography: Will Johnston Photography