Blog

By Audrey Tala

I was given the chance to go to Eger, Hungary with the England 2004 National Academy squad, from 16-23 August 2019. The day we flew to Hungary we ended up arriving at the hotel at 11:30pm so we quickly went to our rooms to unpack, settle in and go to bed. Thankfully the coaches were kind enough to give a lie in the next morning (with breakfast at 9:30am) so we all managed to get a good night’s sleep.

 

The next day, we took the 15-minute walk through the quaint town of Eger to the training pool which was outdoors in a holiday leisure complex. Here we did a strength and conditioning training session with GB rugby player Paige Costello (who was also our nutritionist as well as gym instructor for the week), before jumping in the pool for a 2½ hr training session. After we had finished and changed we walked to the restaurant where we would eat lunch and dinner every day (mostly just chicken and rice/pasta for seven days straight).

Following lunch, we were allowed an hour of free time to explore the town. Then we had to be back promptly at the hotel for ‘feet up’ time – a compulsory hour of just lying in bed either sleeping or relaxing so we would all be recharged for the evening training session.

 

The next two days were more or less the same routine, however we started to have more tactical and technical training sessions in line with how European water polo is played.

The last four days of the camp were tournament days at the tournament pool, which was an amazing natural spring water facility with rocks instead of tiled floor in one half of the 50m pool. From breakfast to dinner we were either watching matches being played, cheering on the boys’ team or playing games ourselves. These were, to say the least, the most tiring days of the whole trip.

Overall my team placed fifth in the tournament, with the GB 2003 girls coming 1st as part of their preparation for the European tournament they will play in September.

 

The trip was fantastic, and it was great for bonding better as a team and finding out how water polo is played in other European countries (in addition to getting a great tan!).

Thank you to all the staff with us, including coaches Chris Motely and Simon Tomlinson, and team manager Michelle Crossley.

Our Hillingdon Juniors were excited to receive Otter’s invitation for an under-16 water polo team to compete against their juniors as part of their 150th Anniversary Swimming and Water Polo Festival on Sunday 14 July at the London Aquatic Centre.

The fixture was game of four quarters, played in the diving pool.

Although our hosts proved to be the stronger side (Otter 8 – Hillingdon Penguin 4) this experience was especially valuable for some of our older players who haven’t yet had the chance to play in the wider water polo arena such as London Water Polo League.

 

Our players, coach and parents all had a brilliant time. We should like to thank Otter President, Paul Hindle, for the meticulous organisation and attention to detail that went into this unique event.

Fun Tournament

The Hillingdon End of Term Fun Tournament never fails to deliver. This time the five teams and their joint captains were:

• White: Alex and Michael
• Green: David and Daniel
• Purple: Amber and Molly
• Blue: Anderson and Charlie
• Red: Samir and Aryan

Each pair picked and organised their team. Meanwhile, Anton scored and kept a sharp eye on proceedings, ensuring substitutions were made regularly so everyone got a share of the action. And overseeing the matches, Shaun, Ilyas and Dan Usher were our referees. Thank you all for your help.

White were the winning team, comprising Ramsey, Alex M, Michael, Abelardo, Alvaro, Lucas, Sargis, Alex R, James and Oliver D.

Party

After the tournament, all the players and family enjoyed a mammoth spread of dishes contributed by each family. Special mention goes to Khairul’s noodles and to Mel for cooling a large volume of drinks. Many thanks to Emma and her helpers for setting up and clearing away.

Awards for Jan-July 2019

The speeches opened with a big thank you to the coaches: Shaun, Mickey and Adam who have worked hard all year to develop players and maximise opportunities for playing in competitions.

The Club has introduced three new cups, one for each training group. Even so, coach Shaun explained the difficulty of making individual awards because so many players have improved and performed outstandingly, both in the London League and London Youth Games.

Development Group/U13s – awarded by Shaun & Mickey

• Coach’s Player Cup: Riaz Garnie
• Most Improved: Alexandra Penny
• Best Sportsman: Matthew O’Neill Cuadros
• Best Newcomer: Justyna Kusajda
• Above and Beyond: Robyn Kell, Bailey Sapsed and Sam Wood

 

 

Intermediate Group/U15s – awarded by Shaun and Mickey

• U15s Shield for ‘Sporting Performance of the Year’: Alexander Rothwell
• Coach’s Player Cup: Oliver Castell
• Most Improved: Dan Usher
• Best Link Up: Alfie Gilmore and Lucas Penny
• Perseverance: Hadi Khairul

 

Advanced Group – awarded by Adam

• Coach’s Player Cup: Amber Restall
• Best Sportsman: Samir Garnie
• Dedicated Service: Alex Mouratidis

 

Sadly, both Samir and Alex are moving on to study at university. We wish them well and hope they will return to train with us, whenever they can.

A final thank you goes to all the parents for your continuing support. Have a great summer and see you all in September.

This is also an opportune moment to thank Sarah and Dave from the Penguin Committee; I hugely appreciate your experience and hard work.