Great Britain’s U17s water polo team can be proud of their return to international competition despite missing out on a European qualification spot.
Although the squad failed to qualify for the Men’s European Junior Water Polo Championships taking place in September, they showed promising signs for the future.
Against tough opposition, the side came away with just the one victory from four matches in the group stage, but put on strong performances throughout their time in Maribor, Slovenia.
Great Britain’s battle with Austria was the highlight of the trip, as they eased past their first opponents of day two with a 24-5 win.
A stand out player in that match was Charles Kingsmill, who fired home seven goals and was unlucky not to score an eighth after his penalty attempt hit the post early on in the match.
The opening game of the campaign saw Great Britain score with their first attack and after only 12 seconds.
City of Manchester’s Harry Bentham opened the scoring, but it was Romania who came out on top with an 18-6 victory.
Following the win over Austria, the GB team played a second match on day two, facing off against Russia.
The Russian side had an unbeaten start, and they continued in that fashion, defeating Great Britain 31-3 and going on to register big wins against all teams in Group C.
The British goal scorers were Charles Kingsmill, Bradley Corran and captain, George Glover.
In the final group stage match, Great Britain took on hosts Slovenia, with the early stages of the match proving to be an even battle.
However, Slovenia began to open up a small lead, with the score at 7-3 as half-time arrived.
The GB squad were able to score another three goals throughout the remainder of the match but it was not enough to earn the win, resulting in a 15-6 defeat.
All games were streamed live on YouTube and can be watched back HERE.