Caledonia and City of Bristol earn U19 Championship titles

Caledonia were crowned U19 Open national champions after a remarkable 12-9 victory over North London, capping off an impressive run with another great performance in the gold medal match at the Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships.

North London made the brighter start, edging the opening quarter 2–1, with Daniel D’Souza finding the net with just eight seconds remaining.

The second quarter continued at a relentless pace, with both sides trading goals throughout. North London maintained their narrow advantage heading into half time, leading 6–5 in a tightly contested encounter.

The turning point came in the third quarter as Caledonia began to shift the momentum. Joe Mathieson converted from the penalty spot to level the scores before striking again to give Caledonia the lead of the match at 8–7.

From there, the Scottish side grew in confidence, tightening up defensively while continuing to find the net at key moments.

Carrying that momentum into the final quarter, Caledonia controlled the closing stages to seal a 12–9 win and secure the national title.

Mathieson’s standout performance earned him the MVP award, while teammate Alasdair Grant was named Top Goalkeeper after a series of crucial saves throughout the match, highlighting Caledonia’s strength across the pool.

Head coach Alasdair Campbell reflected on the achievement with pride, saying:

“I’ve known these boys since they were about my knee height and to win it, I can’t describe the feeling. The overwhelming feeling is, I’m just so proud of the boys because they’ve done so much and they work so hard to get where they are.

“As a coach you just got to give them the platform to perform and, thankfully, they’ve done it this time and won gold. We believed we could and we’ve done it.”

On his side’s resilience, he said:

“It’s all about belief. We never worried when we were behind.”

Before the gold medal match began, City of Manchester secured the bronze medal with a 17–15 win over West London Penguin in an entertaining contest.

Manchester stormed into a 5–1 lead in the opening quarter and, although they never surrendered that advantage, Penguin mounted a strong late comeback, scoring five goals in the final period to close the gap.

Despite the pressure, Manchester held on to claim third place.

City of Bristol defend national title

City of Bristol successfully defended their U19 Female national title with a 13–10 victory over West London Penguin, completing back-to-back triumphs at the Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships.

The final began at a high tempo, with both sides showing their attacking strength early on. The opening quarter finished level at 4–4, with eight different goals shared between the teams in a fast-paced start.

The match remained tight throughout, with neither side able to create a significant gap, but Bristol edged ahead heading into the final period, holding a narrow 9–8 lead thanks in part to captain Hattie Bates.

With the title on the line, Bristol showed their strength in the closing stages. They managed the game effectively while continuing to convert their chances, gradually extending their lead to secure a 13–10 victory and confirm their status as back-to-back national champions.

Manon Lythgoe was named MVP for City of Bristol following an excellent performance, while City of Liverpool’s Izzy Taylor picked up the Top Goalkeeper award.

Head coach Nick Hume praised his team after the win, saying:

“They’re wonderful. It’s a great competition—the girls played really well, they played with a lot of heart and passion. They should be very proud of themselves.”

He added:

“We came to win… we’re very happy that we accomplished what we came to achieve.”

The final bronze medal of the competition was decided as City of Liverpool defeated Cheltenham 8–6 in a closely contested match. Cheltenham made the stronger start, leading 2–1 at the end of the first quarter, but Liverpool responded with three goals in the second period to take control.

The match remained balanced, with the teams level heading into the final quarter. Liverpool then produced a strong finish, scoring four goals compared to Cheltenham’s two to pull clear and secure the bronze medal, leaving Cheltenham to finish fourth.

The U19 results mark the end of this year’s Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships U17/U19 Finals. To view all scores and goal scorers, please head to the live scoreboard.