London Otter and City of Manchester U19 girls kicked off the ASA National Age Group Water Polo Championships 2017 in style besting their rivals at the atLiverpool Aquatics Centre on Saturday 1 April.

The U19 Girls’ semi-final saw last year’s champions London Otter take on City of Liverpool. These were the same teams in the 2016 U19 Girls final, in which Otter managed to take the win. It was a hotly contested match, with the score sitting 7-7 at the end of the third quarter. Each goal scored by the London side was returned by their rivals. Otter took the lead at the halfway point of the final quarter, and despite a goal from Liverpool with 47 seconds on the clock, Otter took victory, 11-10

The Girls’ U19 National Age Group Water Polo Championship final saw Manchester beat defending champions London Otter by 5-3 to take the title for 2017. Otter got off to a slow start with City of Manchester scoring four out of their five goals in the first quarter. The second quarter bore no fruit for either side, but a determined Otter side began clawing their way back into the game after half time. Goals from Cecily Turner, Katy Cutler and Poppy Mayall saw the London side closing in on their rivals’ lead. Before a final goal from Clapperton in the closing minute of the game saw Manchester secure their victory and take the title from the reigning champions.

Congratulations to all the girls who took part in the competition, and to Manchester on the win.